Finnish President Tarja Halonen said the "shocking" news of a deadly shooting of 10 people at a school in western Finland will start a national dialogue on gun ownership in the Nordic nation.

"We have to have very serious discussions and studies on what to do," the president added.

Among the topics for discussion will be gun control and the differences between hunting rifles and hand guns, said Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb.

"Finland is a northern country with large areas of nature and hunting is one of the common hobbies, and so of course, there are thousands and thousands of people who do it quite legally. But that means also that many people have many weapons," Mr Halonen said.

Halonen said although the Internet and web discussion forums were the domain of the younger generation, adults "should also be active and see that the rules in real life are also the rules that people have to respect in all circumstances. We have to follow the situation there."

Mr Stubb noted that a government plan to raise the minimum age for gun ownership to 18 from 15 after last year's shooting had not taken effect but added, "I am sure this whole package with the arms will be reopened after this incident."