Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday announced the suspension of a lawmaker who brought a gun to a New Year’s Eve party where someone was shot.
Emanuele Pozzolo, a lawmaker from Meloni’s far-right Brotherhood of Italy party, admitted owning the mini-revolver but denied firing it.
A guest was shot in the thigh during the incident, but was not seriously injured. The incident sparked criticism from opposition politicians and made news around the world.
Meloni could not hide his displeasure over the incident at his annual year-end press conference, which was postponed until December due to ill health.
She said she didn’t know all the facts, but said, “Somebody wasn’t responsible, and the person who wasn’t responsible…was the gun owner.”
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Meloni said he had referred the matter to the party committee and asked that “he (Pozzolo) be suspended from the Brotherhood of Italy pending a decision.”
She said this situation was unacceptable to Italians, “not only to members of parliament, but even less so to members of our Italian brotherhood.”
“As you can see, I’m going to be strict about this.”
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Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident, looking into possible crimes such as involuntary or negligent injury and failure to secure a weapon.
They also seized a gun, a North American Arms .22 handgun and ammunition, they said in a statement.
The victim is reported to be the son-in-law of incoming Justice Minister Andrea del Mastro’s bodyguard, and the newspaper said he also attended the party in Rosazza, near Turin.
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Pozzolo, 38, said in a statement earlier this week that “the shot was fired accidentally from a handgun that I legally owned, but I was not the one who fired the shot.”
Firearm ownership is strictly regulated in Italy, but Meloni’s party last month proposed lowering the minimum age for obtaining a license for a hunting rifle to 16.
Opposition politicians expressed surprise at the incident and called on Mr Meloni to take action.
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