Swiss Firearm Referendum Today

[Hawkeye]

As many of you know, the Swiss maintain a strong (for the size of their country) military largely through universal male military service coupled with a strong reserve or organized militia. Swiss males of military service age a required to hold their service rifle/carbine at their personal residence. I believe the Swiss also have a fairly strong level of private firearm ownership. Somewhat out of step with the general European mainstream, eh?

Anyway, today the Swiss are voting in a referendum whether to keep this system or not. Particularly, I believe based on news reports via BBC and NPR, that the issue being voted on is whether the Swiss should continue to hold their military service rifles at home or in regional arsenals.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I will try to find some articles to link to this tread.

 

[T_V]

It would be interesting to see who is driving this. Why would you want to take away something that is obviously working?

 

[Hawkeye]

The following are 4 links to various information sources on the referendum. The first one seems to be pretty interesting in that it provides links to a lot of background on firearms ownership in Switzerland as well. It also has a link to what appears to be an update indicating the ban referendum has failed.

Swiss have voted on anti-gun initiative. - swissinfo

BBC News - Swiss reject tighter gun controls - exit polls

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/world/europe/11iht-swiss11.html

Arms-friendly Swiss to vote on gun curbs - Washington Times

The sources should be obvious from the links.

 

[Hawkeye]

It would be interesting to see who is driving this. Why would you want to take away something that is obviously working?

Per my reading, it seemed that it was driven by a coalition of "center-leftist" NGO's. They also tried to make it a gender-driven issue, suicide prevention, and "safety". Although the rate of gun-related crimes and deaths by firearms in Switzerland seems very low...

 

[Leadeye]

Really would like to see who is really driving the bus. Women's, doctors, and police groups covers a lot of ground. Sounds more like a few noisy groups, and foreigners.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

It was defeated.

Swiss Vote to Keep Guns at Home - WSJ.com

BBC News - Switzerland rejects tighter gun controls

The BBC had a segment on it yesterday (complete misreporting, but I forgive them because of the utter ignorance of firearms in the UK).

Those they interviewed in favor of the referendum went straight to emotion. Apparently it was founded by a woman whose father killed himself with a service weapon. It was supported in the French-speaking Cantons, but German and Italian Cantons in the center and East stood solidly against it.

Want I cannot understand is that the referendum only applied to service weapons. It is as if the supporters had no idea that the Swiss own other firearms.

Look at this: "There are an estimated two to three million guns circulating in Switzerland."

Ummm, there are 2 or 3 million guns in the Canton of Zurich, let alone the entire HC. This is like when the BBC reports that there are "over 10 million firearms in the US". There are over ten million firearms in Indiana.

BBC News - Swiss gun culture comes under fire

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I'm more than a little relieved that this failed. I had no doubt it would based on the fact that the people there seem to embrace fully their ownership of their guns and their duty to serve along with the fact that they are very patriotic people. If I were to choose another nation to call home......

 

[Kirk Freeman]

If I were to choose another nation to call home

How is your Italian, French and German?

Don't forget to bring a very large check. Buying your way in is very pricey.

In the HC, the right to arms stems from duty (as it used to here) and not so much from liberty. However, the Founders were very fond of the USA's sister republic in Switzerland.

 

[Hawkeye]

It was defeated.

Swiss Vote to Keep Guns at Home - WSJ.com

BBC News - Switzerland rejects tighter gun controls

The BBC had a segment on it yesterday (complete misreporting, but I forgive them because of the utter ignorance of firearms in the UK).

Those they interviewed in favor of the referendum went straight to emotion. Apparently it was founded by a woman whose father killed himself with a service weapon. It was supported in the French-speaking Cantons, but German and Italian Cantons in the center and East stood solidly against it.

Want I cannot understand is that the referendum only applied to service weapons. It is as if the supporters had no idea that the Swiss own other firearms.

Look at this: "There are an estimated two to three million guns circulating in Switzerland."

Ummm, there are 2 or 3 million guns in the Canton of Zurich, let alone the entire HC. This is like when the BBC reports that there are "over 10 million firearms in the US". There are over ten million firearms in Indiana.

BBC News - Swiss gun culture comes under fire

Kirk, thanks for the updated links.

Regarding your service weapon comment - I think this would have only been the camel's nose. Had it passed, I'm sure that further restrictions on private ownership would have followed.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure what the Swiss rules on private ownership are, except that they seem to be much more liberal than in most of Europe, and, possibaly, in the US.

 

[CarmelHP]

I don't get the "suicide prevention" angle. Assisted suicide, even by non-physicians, is legal in Switzerland. Is it a tidiness thing? Death by drugs is neat and death by 7.5mm is messy? Makes no sense.

 

[miguel]

How is your Italian, French and German?

Don't forget to bring a very large check. Buying your way in is very pricey.

In the HC, the right to arms stems from duty (as it used to here) and not so much from liberty. However, the Founders were very fond of the USA's sister republic in Switzerland.

Deutsch macht spaß!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Ja, ja, und ordnung muss sein.

 

[Hawkeye]

I don't get the "suicide prevention" angle. Assisted suicide, even by non-physicians, is legal in Switzerland. Is it a tidiness thing? Death by drugs is neat and death by 7.5mm is messy? Makes no sense.

Not wanting to quibble over it but I don't know that its quite that clear cut. I think the assisted suicide rules are somewhat limited in Switzerland. That aside, I agree that its kind of a strange angle to come at gun control from.

 

[CarmelHP]

Not wanting to quibble over it but I don't know that its quite that clear cut. I think the assisted suicide rules are somewhat limited in Switzerland. That aside, I agree that its kind of a strange angle to come at gun control from.

Assisted suicide and euthanasia in Switzerland: allowing a role for non-physicians -- Hurst and Mauron 326 (7383): 271 -- bmj.com

Switzerland's Suicide Tourists - 60 Minutes - CBS News