The Swiss and Their Guns

[Gunreference1]

January 19, 2011

The Swiss and Their Guns

The relationship may be changing in Europe’s best-armed nation, which next month votes on how to store guns for its standing militia.

By Michael Scott Moore

While the assassination attempt on Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona revived a predictable and unchanging round of gun control debate in the U.S., a referendum in Switzerland — Europe’s best-armed nation — is showing a shift of opinion away from private gun ownership.

Every third household in Switzerland has a firearm, normally government-issued, because every male citizen under about 50 is also a reserve soldier. Instead of a standing professional army, the government maintains a well-armed militia to be called up in case of war.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.miller-mccune.com/politic...ir-guns-27329/

Steve

[Gunreference1]

Feb 1, 2011 - 08:20

Entrenched views prevail in Swiss gun debate

by Clare O’Dea, swissinfo.ch
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Ahead of the vote on banning army-issue firearms from households, indignation is the order of the day in the comments from swissinfo.ch’s international readers.

The February 13 vote has sparked the most interest from United States-based readers, probably the country where the debate has the most resonance. After a controversial ban on privately held firearms in Belgium, the issue is also a sore point there.

To read the rest of the story click the link below.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Specials...l?cid=29356690

Steve