http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/...l?siteSect=105&sid=7941744&cKey=1182262486000
Swiss await showdown over guns and bullets
Under Swiss law all able-bodied men are issued with a rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition
Switzerland is preparing for a lively debate this summer over its long-standing tradition of keeping army guns and ammunition at home.
Opposition to its guns-at-home culture seems to have gained momentum and critics are launching a people's initiative on the issue.
Attitudes towards firearms may be changing in Switzerland, which is well known for its militia army, strong traditions and liberal gun laws. A recent survey found that two out of three Swiss want to ban army weapons from private households.
Centre-left political parties and pacifist groups are hoping to build on these signs of public disapproval to force a nationwide vote. They are due to start collecting signatures for a people's initiative from August this year.
The initiative is calling for army weapons to remain in the barracks, a national gun register, a ban on private individuals buying or owning particularly dangerous guns such as automatic weapons or pump-action shotguns, and tighter controls on those who say they need to carry a firearm.
Green parliamentarian Jo Lang, who is behind the proposal, argues that keeping an army gun at home is "a major security risk" and that "there are no practical arguments - only ideological ones".
"Every year about 300 people die from army-issue guns in Switzerland. The majority of cases are suicides, but there are also family tragedies," he told swissinfo.
Lang has first-hand experience of the dangers of putting a gun in the wrong hands. In 2001 he was in Zug's cantonal parliament when a gunman shot and killed 14 people with a rifle, before turning it on himself.
"Most people have a gun not because they like it, but because they have to take it home," he said.....................................
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Swiss await showdown over guns and bullets
Under Swiss law all able-bodied men are issued with a rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition
Switzerland is preparing for a lively debate this summer over its long-standing tradition of keeping army guns and ammunition at home.
Opposition to its guns-at-home culture seems to have gained momentum and critics are launching a people's initiative on the issue.
Attitudes towards firearms may be changing in Switzerland, which is well known for its militia army, strong traditions and liberal gun laws. A recent survey found that two out of three Swiss want to ban army weapons from private households.
Centre-left political parties and pacifist groups are hoping to build on these signs of public disapproval to force a nationwide vote. They are due to start collecting signatures for a people's initiative from August this year.
The initiative is calling for army weapons to remain in the barracks, a national gun register, a ban on private individuals buying or owning particularly dangerous guns such as automatic weapons or pump-action shotguns, and tighter controls on those who say they need to carry a firearm.
Green parliamentarian Jo Lang, who is behind the proposal, argues that keeping an army gun at home is "a major security risk" and that "there are no practical arguments - only ideological ones".
"Every year about 300 people die from army-issue guns in Switzerland. The majority of cases are suicides, but there are also family tragedies," he told swissinfo.
Lang has first-hand experience of the dangers of putting a gun in the wrong hands. In 2001 he was in Zug's cantonal parliament when a gunman shot and killed 14 people with a rifle, before turning it on himself.
"Most people have a gun not because they like it, but because they have to take it home," he said.....................................
more in link
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