The prime minister is under scrutiny after a gun owned by an MP from her far-right Brothers of Italy party was accidentally fired. Emanuele Pozzolo denied that he shot the man in the leg, but acknowledged that the pistol belonged to him. According to Italian media reports, the gun was fired at a party hosted by Delmastro's sister, the Piedmont town's mayor. The gun that was accidentally fired at the party was owned by Emanuele Pozzolo. He denied firing the bullet but admitted to owning the pistol.
The man who was injured is the brother-in-law of one of Delmastro's bodyguards. The leader of the Democratic party called on Meloni to clarify the action she intended to take against Pozzolo. Matteo Renzi, a former prime minister and leader of the centrist Italia Viva party, wrote on social media: "Why bring a gun to a New Year's Eve party, where parliamentary deputies and members of the government are present?" The government of Meloni is not a ruling class and is dangerous first and foremost for themselves.
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Delmastro, who said he was outside when the incident happened and therefore was not a witness, distanced himself from Pozzolo, who reportedly turned up at the party to say hello after seeing the new year in elsewhere. Delmastro told La Repubblica that he wouldn't have invited him if he had known he was carrying a gun.
Italians who aren't members of the police or security forces own an estimated 1.2 million guns. The owner of a gun has to go through a process to get a licence, and they have to inform the interior ministry.