It seems like New Year’s Eve was a while ago. For most people, it’s a happy event. Friends, family, and loved ones gather together to ring in the new year with a glass or two of bubbly. Personally, I like New Year’s Eve more than Christmas, but this time was especially good.
But it’s hard to imagine Dino Campana, 31, feeling the same way, given that he was shot in the leg by Emanuele Pozzolo, a member of parliament for Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli party. If I had made that call in 2024, I would have been pretty pissed too. We still don’t know exactly what happened, and we can’t speculate as to whether the congressman intended to shoot Dino Campana. The important fact is that the incident took place in Rosazza, a small town in northern Piedmont, and more than 30 people, including children, were involved.
Furthermore, in an incredibly absurd twist, the party was hosted by Undersecretary of Justice Andrea Delmastro. Campana (he’s fine by the way, just eating grass) is del Mastro’s son-in-law. No one knows why Pozzolo had a gun, much less why he brought it to his family’s New Year’s Eve party, but it is believed he was showing it off to his party mates before firing. It will be done. “There were children at the party, so I couldn’t ask Pozzolo what he was doing, and he probably didn’t even have time to put away the weapon,” a witness told state news agency Ansa.
Pozzolo has since been investigated on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and has been suspended from the party. A further six firearms in his possession were seized by police. He denied firing the gun and was examined for gunshot wounds the day after the incident. Pozzolo’s case is not isolated. His is just one part of the broader problem Italy faces with guns. Italy has the second-highest gun crime rate in the G8, after the United States, even though Italians, unlike the United States, do not have a fundamental right to bear arms.
What’s even more surprising is that there are no hard statistics on the number of guns currently in circulation. According to state police statistics, Italians held 1.2 million gun licenses in 2021. However, this does not cover how many guns each license holder owns. No more up-to-date statistics available.
But what has been updated is the number of gun-related deaths. A whopping 37% of homicide victims in 2022 were killed with a gun. It was noted as the most common method of murder that year.
This is not to claim that Italy is the Wild West. It’s a far cry from that, and gun laws here are very strict. To obtain a license, you must be at least 18 years old, have a certificate issued by a shooting range certifying that you can safely use a firearm, have no criminal history, and have no drug or mental health problems. It is necessary to state that you do not have any problems. Not exactly a cowboy scream.
But what I’m wondering about is whether the people are abiding by the law. I’m not sure they will. Pozzolo’s failure occurred in a small town in the middle of nowhere. What happens when we apply that to the city level? The same night, 12 people were injured by gunfire in Naples, and one woman was seriously injured. Opposition Democratic Party Leader Ellie Schlein was right to ask Meloni what he would do after the shooting.
But unless stricter measures and gun-based education are introduced, the problem will continue. Campana was lucky. He lived to see the new year. The Neapolitan women did not.