Sweden is looking to overhaul its gun laws after the worst mass shooting in the country’s history was thought to have been carried out with legally held firearms.

A gunman stormed an adult education centre in Orebro, central Sweden, on Tuesday, killing 10 people and wounding at least a dozen more before turning the weapon on himself.

In response, the Swedish government said it would seek to tighten vetting for gun licences and restrict access to semi-automatic weapons such as the AR-15, which has been used in mass shootings in the US and has the same core design as the US military’s standard-issue service rifle.

Gunnar Strommer, the justice minister, said: “In light of the horrible shooting in Orebro earlier this week, we believe that the right balance is to roll back the regulation and prohibit that kind of weapon.”

Some semi-automatic rifles, including the AR-15, have been permitted for hunting since 2023. Mr Strommer said around 3,500 AR-15s have been licensed since then.

The government said its aim was now to block access to firearms such as the AR-15 and return to a situation similar to that which existed before the 2023 rule change.