12 Dead in Montenegro Mass Shooting

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JAN 2

Above: A police officer secures a crime scene after a gunman killed several people in the village of Bajice near Cetinje, on Jan. 1, 2025. Image copyright: Savo Prelevic/AFP via Getty Imagesstory last updated JAN 4

The Facts

Twelve people, including two children, were killed and four others have suffered serious wounds in a shooting rampage in Cetinje, Montenegro, following a reported altercation with another guest at a restaurant on Wednesday.
According to local authorities, the gunman — identified as 45-year-old Aleksandar Aco Martinović — first killed four people at the restaurant, with the other victims shot dead at five different locations. Among the fatalities were the restaurant owner and his two children and the shooter's sister.
Police further said that the gunman had been drinking heavily at the establishment throughout New Year's Day when he got into a brawl with another guest, after which he went home to retrieve a weapon and opened fire.

The Spin

Left narrative

Montenegro has a long-running gun violence issue, and this second mass killing in Cetinje in under three years leaves little doubt that the country's gun culture is to blame. Ranked the world's sixth in terms of illegal weapons per capita, Montenegro must step up efforts to confiscate such firearms as well as to pass stricter gun control legislation.

Newsweek

Right narrative

This incident was indeed tragic, but stricter gun legislation simply can't help Montenegro — or any other country — prevent similar episodes. After all, the shooter carried out this mass killing with firearms that were already illegal. If Montenegro wants to solve its violence issue, the country should focus on its institutions and social relationships.

NRA