The Swiss Difference: A Gun Culture That Works

[lostinblue 1,989]

The Swiss Difference: A Gun Culture That Works

The country had one mass shooting in 2001, but a resulting anti-gun referendum failed to pass. The Swiss will not give up the gun. Can their system work in the U.S.?

By Helena Bachmann / Geneva Dec. 20, 2012386 Comments

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Michael Buholzer / Reuters

Swiss marksmen shoot at targets over 300 m away during an annual shooting-skills exercise near Bern

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Even as the gun-control debate rises again in the U.S. in the aftermath of the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the gun-loving Swiss are not about to lay down their arms. Guns are ubiquitous in this neutral nation, with sharpshooting considered a fun and wholesome recreational activity for people of all ages.

Even though Switzerland has not been involved in an armed conflict since a standoff between Catholics and Protestants in 1847, the Swiss are very serious not only about their right to own weapons but also to carry them around in public. Because of this general acceptance and even pride in gun ownership, nobody bats an eye at the sight of a civilian riding a bus, bike or motorcycle to the shooting range, with a rifle slung across the shoulder.

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“We will never change our attitude about the responsible use of weapons by law-abiding citizens,” says Hermann Suter, vice president of Pro-Tell, the country’s gun lobby, named after legendary apple shooter William Tell, who used a crossbow to target enemies long before firearms were invented.

Switzerland trails behind only the U.S, Yemen and Serbia in the number of guns per capita; between 2.3 million and 4.5 million military and private firearms are estimated to be in circulation in a country of only 8 million people. Yet, despite the prevalence of guns, the violent-crime rate is low: government figures show about 0.5 gun homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010. By comparison, the U.S rate in the same year was about 5 firearm killings per 100,000 people, according to a 2011 U.N. report.

Unlike some other heavily armed nations, Switzerland’s gun ownership is deeply rooted in a sense of patriotic duty and national identity. Weapons are kept at home because of the long-held belief that enemies could invade tiny Switzerland quickly, so every soldier had to be able to fight his way to his regiment’s assembly point. (Switzerland was at risk of being invaded by Germany during World War II but was spared, historians say, because every Swiss man was armed and trained to shoot.)

(MORE: Switzerland: Are Its Days as a Tax Haven for Foreigners Numbered?)

But the “gun in every closet” tradition was challenged in 2001, after a disgruntled citizen opened fire with his army rifle inside a regional parliament, killing 14 and injuring 14 others — the only mass shooting in Switzerland’s recent history. The subsequent opposition to widespread gun ownership spearheaded a push for stricter arms legislation. The government and pro-gun groups argued, however, that the country’s existing laws regulating the sale, ownership and licensing of private guns, which includes a ban on carrying concealed weapons, are stringent enough. The law allows citizens or legal residents over the age of 18, who have obtained a permit from the government and who have no criminal record or history of mental illness, to buy up to three weapons from an authorized dealer, with the exception of automatic firearms and selective fire weapons, which are banned. Semiautomatics, which have caused havoc in the U.S., can be legally purchased.

The authorities made one concession, though: since 2008, all military — but not private — ammunition must be stored in central arsenals rather than in soldiers’ homes. The debate culminated in a nationwide referendum last year, when 56% of voters rejected the proposal initiated by anti-gun organizations to ban army rifles from homes altogether.

Although guns are responsible for between 200 and 300 suicides each year in Switzerland, Pro-Tell’s Suter says these statistics have to be put in a wider perspective. He points out that the bullets used in suicides are only a tiny fraction of the 75 million rounds of ammunition that are fired each year in Switzerland during military and civilian target practice.

(MORE: When the Swiss Aren’t Neutral: Chocolates and the CIA)

One of the reasons the crime rate in Switzerland is low despite the prevalence of weapons — and also why the Swiss mentality can’t be transposed to the current American reality — is the culture of responsibility and safety that is anchored in society and passed from generation to generation. Kids as young as 12 belong to gun groups in their local communities, where they learn sharpshooting. The Swiss Shooting Sports Association runs about 3,000 clubs and has 150,000 members, including a youth section. Many members keep their guns and ammunition at home, while others choose to leave them at the club. And yet, despite such easy access to pistols and rifles, “no members have ever used their guns for criminal purposes,” says Max Flueckiger, the association’s spokesperson.

“Social conditions are fundamental in deterring crime,” says Peter Squires, professor of criminology and public policy at the University of Brighton in Great Britain, who has studied gun violence in different countries and concluded that a “culture of support” rather than focus on individualism, can deter mass killings.

“If people have a responsible, disciplined and organized introduction into an activity like shooting, there will be less risk of gun violence,” he tells TIME.

That sense of social and civic responsibility is one of the reasons the Swiss have never allowed their guns to come under fire.

http://world.time.com/2012/12/20/the-swiss-difference-a-gun-culture-that-works/

[mota bhai 2,675]

... concluded that a “culture of support” rather than focus on individualism, can deter mass killings.

A culture of support, rather than a focus on individualism?

Sounds socialist to me.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Ergo, the answer to gun violence in America is to become a socialist country like Switzerland.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Ergo, the answer to gun violence in America is to become a socialist country like Switzerland.

I thought that Switzerland was a good place to live?

[JohnR! 5,495]

I thought that Switzerland was a good place to live?

It can't be. It's in Europe and it's a socialist country. What good can come of it?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Swiss roll!

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

Interesting article. I am from Switzerland, my mom still lives there and its gun culture is "odd" at best. Yes, sharp shooting and hunting are common, as is men of military servuce age having something akin to a semi machine gun in their home for instant mobilisation in times of war. On the other hand, getting a gun for protection. without having a hunting license is very very very difficult.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Interesting article. I am from Switzerland, my mom still lives there and its gun culture is "odd" at best. Yes, sharp shooting and hunting are common, as is men of military servuce age having something akin to a semi machine gun in their home for instant mobilisation in times of war. On the other hand, getting a gun for protection. without having a hunting license is very very very difficult.

Why don't you have people shooting others on the street every night like Chicago?... It sounds like children in school are taught in the use of a gun at an early age ... certainly before a university level..... but they are not running around killing each other with all the exposure to guns.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Probably because Switzerland isn't the USA. You still don't seem able to grasp the idea that the majority of crime arises out of poverty.

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

Yeah, and you will see 4 and 5 year olds in Switzerland with sharp steak knives, and bicycling around tow at elementary school age by themselves. Kids are not treated like fragile things, but as future adults there.

I think what they said in the article is true- there is a different culture, not only about guns, but in general. A culture of personal responsibility and duty to the community. For example, I went to school in Switzerland up to university level. My classmates and I never skipped a class. Not because we were afraid of punishment or were all teacher's pets- it just never occured to us.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Might be helpful that they have a ban on concealed carry in Switzerland, too. It just makes sense to any normal person not to have every paranoid yahoo run around with a firearm.

LIB seems to have missed this part of the article he posted.

...the country’s existing laws regulating the sale, ownership and licensing of private guns, which includes a ban on carrying concealed weapons, are stringent enough.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Yeah, and you will see 4 and 5 year olds in Switzerland with sharp steak knives, and bicycling around tow at elementary school age by themselves. Kids are not treated like fragile things, but as future adults there.

I think what they said in the article is true- there is a different culture, not only about guns, but in general. A culture of personal responsibility and duty to the community. For example, I went to school in Switzerland up to university level. My classmates and I never skipped a class. Not because we were afraid of punishment or were all teacher's pets- it just never occured to us.

A culture of personal responsibility and duty to the community. ... So the mother and father teach their children to be morally responsible ... Perhaps this is the problem in this country with children shooting children.....They are not taught it is wrong by both parents to kill another person. When I have traveled in Switzerland everything was neat and orderly . People taking pride in their homes and sweeping the walks at an early hour of the day.

Is it rather than a gun problem in this country ,,, a certain segment of our society has lost control of their children. A school child walking around with a knife . Something I did carry to school... a pocket knife as well as over half the other boys in the class. No big problem,,, Today the school is in lock down for a few hours student expelled.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Why don't you have people shooting others on the street every night like Chicago?... It sounds like children in school are taught in the use of a gun at an early age ... certainly before a university level..... but they are not running around killing each other with all the exposure to guns.

Do you know what's funny about this? If someone posted a story about somewhere like Japan, where there's literally no guns and almost zero gun related death, you'd be the first person screaming about how they need to go there and live.

I get it. You want a gun rich environment. That's your thing. If you're so focused on Chicago, come on down and have a conversation with the people who live there. You might find the answers you seek, or at the very least learn something.

[lostinblue 1,989]

You and dog always dance around the real problem. How many children were shot with a person having a cc permit last week in Chicago, The answer is zero unless they were trying to polar bear a person or rape an 80 year old woman. The problem is that you have a morally bankrupt children in the hood. No personal responsibility.. No fathers in their lives. A society of black men that have are cowards when it comes to raising their children. Take any of these fine young men that shot someone last weekend, ..What would their school attendance be .. Fathers in their lives. Other people live in poverty they don't have their children shooting up the place. ... Johnson's great society.......A gift that keeps on giving......Until the black community decides to clean up the hood ... teach morals to your children.....You are going to keep reading about shootings every weekend. .... Were bored so lets get a gun and have a little fun tonight. ... That person looked at me wrong... He stared at me 3 seconds too long... time for him to die over this infraction. I will just shoot him .. next time he will give me more respect. A morally bankrupt society....... But its the guns that are the problem .....

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You and dog always dance around the real problem. How many children were shot with a person having a cc permit last week in Chicago, The answer is zero unless they were trying to polar bear a person or rape an 80 year old woman. The problem is that you have a morally bankrupt children in the hood. No personal responsibility.. No fathers in their lives. A society of black men that have are cowards when it comes to raising their children. Take any of these fine young men that shot someone last weekend, ..What would their school attendance be .. Fathers in their lives. Other people live in poverty they don't have their children shooting up the place. ... Johnson's great society.......A gift that keeps on giving......Until the black community decides to clean up the hood ... teach morals to your children.....You are going to keep reading about shootings every weekend. .... Were bored so lets get a gun and have a little fun tonight. ... That person looked at me wrong... He stared at me 3 seconds too long... time for him to die over this infraction. I will just shoot him .. next time he will give me more respect. A morally bankrupt society....... But its the guns that are the problem .....

Guess which 6-letter word starting with 'R' best describes this post?

Guns don't help. That's about all you can say.