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Bearing arms
Regulating firearms in gun-loving Switzerland
By Veronica DeVore
Politics
in depth: Firearms
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This content was published on October 5, 2017 1:30 PMOct 5, 2017 - 13:30
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Handguns require special permits in Switzerland
(Keystone)
Switzerland’s gun laws and high rates of gun ownership reflect the country’s deep-seated belief in the right to bear arms and the needs of its militia army. But recent votes and agreements with the European Union have launched debates over who may own which types of guns, and the risks involved.
Until 1999, every Swiss canton had its own gun laws, some more liberal than others. Organising weapons laws under this federalist system led to Switzerland long having among the least strict gun laws in Europe.
Centuries ago, laws in some cantons even required that the groom possess a weapon to be able to marry.
In 1999, the country passed its federally regulated Weapons Act external linkwhich bans certain types of firearms and establishes, nationwide, which ones require permits.
Today, Switzerland has among the highest gun ownership rates per capita among its neighbours and other Western countries.
However, as University of Lausanne criminology expert Martin Killias recently pointed out in the newspaper Le Temps, gun violence and gun ownership do not necessarily go hand in hand.
“What is decisive is not so much the number of weapons as the number of people who have access to a weapon,” he said. “Some people have real arsenals, but what really matters is access to at least one weapon."
Switzerland, he points out, has fewer people with access to at least one weapon than the United States, for example.
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Gun graphic
Statistics show that Switzerland has among the higher gun death rates in Western Europe, but mass shootings are rare with two such incidents in the last 20 years. The country’s higher gun death rate can largely be attributed to suicide with guns, since the latest available statistics show a gun suicide rate of 2.74 per 100,000 people, only slightly below the overall gun death rate of 3.01.
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gun graphic
What’s allowed under Swiss gun law?
All citizens have the fundamental right to possess guns under the law but may require a license to do so. For example, those looking to acquire a handgun need a permit valid for a maximum of nine months. However, no license is needed to possess firearms for hunting or sport.
All 26 cantons keep track of the guns held within their borders as well as the ammunition. A seller of a hunting rifle, for example, must report the sale and the name of the owner to cantonal authorities.
Ammunition and guns must be stored separately and securely.
Carrying a gun in public requires a license that is only issued if the applicant proves they are qualified. The applicant must demonstrate a need it to protect themselves against existing dangers and must also pass an exam on violent crime laws and proper gun handling before being allowed to carry.
A carrying license allows for the concealed carrying of a handgun. Unloaded weapons being transported to the shooting range or hunting field do not require such a carrying license.
Since Switzerland has a militia army, members of its military may keep their unloaded service weapons at home. However, the ammunition is strictly regulated by the army. A 2011 people’s initiative calling for an end to the practice of keeping army rifles at home failed at the ballot box, but the practice has become less common over the years.
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What’s forbidden?
Weapons used for hunting or sport may not be loaded during transport – only immediately before their intended use.
Fully automatic guns are banned outside of military purposes, as are most semi-automatic guns that were once fully automatic.
Heavy machine guns, laser sights, night vision features, silencers and grenade launchers are also not allowed for civilian use.
The Swiss authorities may also ban the acquisition, possession, or trade of weapons to citizens of certain countries if there is a clear danger of them being misused by those individuals or if decisions by the international community and the Swiss foreign ministry require it. Currently, it is illegalexternal link for foreign nationals from Albania, Algeria, Sri Lanka, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Turkey to acquire, own or carry weapons and to shoot firearms in Switzerland.
But, as remains the case for several aspects of the Swiss gun law, cantons may intervene on behalf of the people affected and seek special permits for them to be able to hunt or take part in sporting events.
Align with Europe?
Since Switzerland is part of the European Schengen Zone which allows for the free movement of people among member countries, it was recently called on to adjust certain aspects of its gun laws to fall in line with Schengen requirements. This led to a heated debate about Swiss sovereignty and maintaining firearms traditions, with the gun lobby saying it would force a referendum on the issue.
Last month, the Swiss cabinet presented a “light” version of the EU gun legislation for consultation, wherein only certain types of semi-automatic weapons – such as those with magazines capable of holding more than 20 rounds of ammunition – and certain high-capacity shoulder-supported guns would be banned. Their plan leaves out medical or psychological tests for gun owners and participation in a central arms register, which had been part of new EU laws.
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"Tom Stein commented on the content at 05 October 2017 16:28".
Tom Stein 05-Oct-2017 16:28
Swiss have no reason to change their laws and align with rest of EU. As a fact, it s better to keep own laws which perfectly work in Swiss society. Foreign citizens shiuld all be prohibited from posessing arms in Switzerland. Some in particular.
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"Rob commented on the content at 05 October 2017 17:49".
Rob 05-Oct-2017 17:49
Tom Stein - what about someone such as me who was a brit living in Zurich - I enjoy guns very much for leisure - under your suggestion I would not be permitted.
This article fails to answer the headline question of why CH has no mass shootings? I have my own opinions but wanted to hear the authors.
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"Veronica DeVore, swissinfo.ch replied to the comment of Rob at 06 October 2017 09:08."
Veronica DeVore, swissinfo.ch 06-Oct-2017 09:08
Hello Rob - thanks for your comment, in this article we mainly sought to outline the legislative situation for firearms in Switzerland, but the comment from criminologist Martin Killias may shed some light on your question - he suggests that the comparatively low percentage of people who have access to a weapon in Switzerland vs the United States is a deciding factor in the lower rate of gun violence. It's a question we'll continue to explore further.
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"mejrc replied to the comment of Rob at 10 October 2017 21:29."
mejrc 10-Oct-2017 21:29
Hi Rob,I think you may have possibly not seen the very well guarded comment on Tom Steins comment: ----- "Some in paticular" ---- I`m quite sure you know who he refers to ?????!!!! I most certainly do.
If you want to "not" be a foreigner in Switzerland, --- somehow become Swiss. Switzerland has some wonderful girls. I know, I married one 30 years ago. I was Brit., I "earnt" my Swiss nationality many years ago & have a generous collection of firearms, all legal & registered. Take heart from Uncle John.
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"AlexanderM commented on the content at 06 October 2017 16:27".
AlexanderM 06-Oct-2017 16:27
Each country faces different issues, so the laws should best reflect the situation of the country, making universal laws mostly inefficient.
Bearing that in mind, we can say that nations such as USA might want to discuss its gun laws and regulations due to the organized crime and street gang violence. But a nation such as Switzerland does not have those issues, the only real threat of gun violence Switzerland faces is the one off mad man or potential ideological attack, for example an ISIS attack. In both cases it should be noted that more strict gun laws and regulations would have little effect because if you intend harm you can easily find a way to gain the tools.
A tool to harm as we have seen lately, does not have to be a firearm, the truck attacks have been used as very successful in injuring and killing multiple people. Yet no one is discussing stricter motor vehicle regulations. Also looking at the recent UK attacks we see that knives and even chemicals are used effectively for inciting terror.
So when we witness horrible firearm attacks such as the recent one in Vegas, we need to remind ourselves its not necessary to scare ourselves in trying to renegotiate our gun laws. There is something extremely important in making things legal and that is education and correct regulation. When our youth are brought up in a nation that respects firearms and what it stands for, the responsibility and moral standing of protection and safety is passed on to them.
It's far better to learn about guns from experts and a properly regulated world than to learn from games and create a misunderstanding that the underground feeds on.
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"Rafiq Tschannen commented on the content at 06 October 2017 19:45".
Rafiq Tschannen 06-Oct-2017 19:45
I think history has a greater influence in our modern lives than most people realize. In the context of this article it should be clear. The USA has the history of the 'Wild West', Switzerland does not.
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"Eva66 commented on the content at 08 October 2017 09:48".
Eva66 08-Oct-2017 09:48
Only the military issued ammunition (the one they give you at the army or in the federal shooting ranges) is regulated, a Swiss serving in the military can purchase and store any ammount of ammunition at home without problem.
Also fully automatic guns aren't banned outside of the military, any civilian can, upon request, get an exceptional acquisition permit to buy one. It's not different than a regular one, except it's more expensive.
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"max replied to the comment of Eva66 at 09 October 2017 23:54."
max max 09-Oct-2017 23:54
@Eva66. It is unclear from which source you have gathered this information. The assault rifle now used in the Swiss Army is the SIG-550 aka Fass90. Ammunition 5.6 mm. Swiss Arms (formerly SIG Arms AG) also produces a NATO version of this rifle for export that works with 5.56 mm bullets. Those sold to civilians or given to soldiers once they have accomplished their service can only be used in single-shot mode. The machine gun serial fire option is bolted. Licensed shops in Switzerland will not sell weapons and ammunition unless you have a valid permit that is available only to persons with a clean criminal record. In the past guns could be acquired on the gray market. However, the law has been changed. Nowadays a private person who wants to sell a fire arm must also verify the identity of the purchaser, a valid permit and keep a record of the transaction. Many weapons are sold on the black market – mainly uzi, ak 47 and similar guns that are more difficult to trace than Swiss army weapons.
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"Eva66 replied to the comment of max at 12 October 2017 22:14."
Eva66 12-Oct-2017 22:14
@Max A civilan can buy a SIG-550 upon request, the one you're talking about is called a PE90 and has been produced with only the semi-auto mode.
A soldier that have accomplished his service and want to keep his rifle afterwards has to do 2 Feldschiessen and 2 Obligatorischschissen during his last 3 years and fullfil the need for an acquisition permit. By default it's a regular one, but he can ask, a civilian can too, for an "exceptional" one. If the ex-soldier only does the regular permit, the burst and full-auto options will be bolted, yes.
It costs 150.- instead of 50.- (VW Anhang 1, let. c, al. 5 / weapons defined by art. 5, al. 1, let. a and b WG)
As you may have understood arrived here, my source is the legislation on the matter, and also my knowledge as a person who has served and is a Schützenmeister
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"Eva66 replied to the comment of max at 12 October 2017 22:52."
Eva66 12-Oct-2017 22:52
I apologize for the second comment but I forgot to say something:
Basically your whole comment is "techno-babble" on what's the name for the rifle, who produces it, what's the caliber (5.56 is equal to Swiss 5.6 by the way, we just rounded the number but everything is the same) and how to purchase a weapon, which is all rather common knowledge.
All of that was basically of no interest regarding the "full-auto" problem to which you said only one sentence
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"max replied to the comment of Eva66 at 13 October 2017 17:09."
max max 13-Oct-2017 17:09
@Eva66. Just a general thought. Incomplete assertions are generally problematic because they can convey a message to a reader, who may not be totally familiar with the matter, that is the contrary of what the writer intended.
With your two recent replies you have filled a few gaps. However, if you had taken the trouble to do some research on what you call "techno-babble" you would have discovered that your idea about ammunition is wrong. The NATO standard caliber is 5.56 mm (0.223) and the Swiss one is 5.60 mm (GP90). This was done on purpose. Thus a Swiss assault rifle will also work with NATO ammo. However, the smaller bullet will wobble a bit which reduces somewhat the precision over a very long distance.
This is not meant as an offense. Through my army experience I possibly had already known quite a bit about weapons at a time when you were still crawling about with pampers.
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"Eva66 replied to the comment of max at 16 October 2017 11:26."
Eva66 16-Oct-2017 11:26
Yes they taught us that the calibers are different in the army, that I won't argue. And it's not "my" idea that it's the same, you can ask an armorer/gunsmith and he'll tell you it's the same deal. And to quote you, it can also be found if you had the trouble to make a little research. The only source on the fact it's 5.6mm is the army, when any other source says it isn't. You even mixed up some things about the SIG-550/Fass90/STGW90 and the PE90 that could have been researched too.
Army training about weapons isn't the most accurate about the specifications and how to. I mean seriously, half of what they taught us on how to clean and handle the rifle would make any gunsmith tear his hair off.
Anything to add on the matter of a civilian buying a full-auto rifle or the ammunition being heavily regulated, which was the original topic?
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"max replied to the comment of Eva66 at 16 October 2017 15:19."
max max 16-Oct-2017 15:19
@Eva66. We do not want to bore other readers with trivialities, do we? Many know anyway that when you ask five experts you are likely to get five divergent opinions. So, let it be...
"Beat Müller replied to the comment of max at 08 November 2017 10:07."
Beat Müller 08-Nov-2017 10:07
The Swiss army only rounded the number for the diameter of the GP90, I regularly use .223 civilian ammo in a PE90 which has the same barrel as a Stgw90, and I can hit targets up to 300m with it, even with cheap Barnaul ammo. If you don't believe me, get an inertia hammer to pull a few bullets and a caliper to measure the diameter of civilian 223 and GP90.
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"max replied to the comment of Beat Müller at 08 November 2017 15:59."
max max 08-Nov-2017 15:59
Beat. Of course, you are right. For army purposes the standard efficiency range for assault rifles is 150 - 250 meters. So the slight wobbling caused by a smaller bullet on a 300 m shooting range likely impacts the precision by only a few millimeters.
"MichaelD commented on the content at 09 October 2017 10:48".
MichaelD 09-Oct-2017 10:48
When you give up your arms ,you give up your sovereignty. It is wise never to bow down to a big government especially the EU which has shown itself in the recent past to be a leftist bully and we all know how that worked out in eastern Europe after the socialists started "banning" guns .
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"mejrc replied to the comment of MichaelD at 10 October 2017 21:37."
mejrc 10-Oct-2017 21:37
How right you are MichaelD & more importantly why the hell is the EU poking its big nose into Switzerlands business.
I feel very strongly that the EU would be well advised to sort out its own monumental problems & let Switzerland & its people live in continued peace. Lets hope one day, very soon that they get the message !!!!!!!
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"AlexanderM replied to the comment of mejrc at 12 October 2017 23:27."
AlexanderM 12-Oct-2017 23:27
The EU will never back down and will always poke their nose in everyone's affairs. This is because the EU are fanatical and will attack anyone who doesn't always follow their ideology, one of the main reasons for Brexit. And its only going to get worse.
I agree in some sort of a limited EU, but what we have now is an Undemocratic Dictatorship that behaves like a cult. The EU is even anti-Europe because it wants everyone to be the same. Next they'll want to have an army, what for?
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"Uncle John. replied to the comment of AlexanderM at 10 December 2017 21:34."
Uncle John. 10-Dec-2017 21:34
I think like you Alex M, as an ex-Brit you are so right about Brexit. You say that the EU wants everyone to be the same, so what`s the difference between Europaism & Communism, me thinks, not a lot. I`m sure you`ve heard of collective farming, ----- didn't work very well did it ??????
Finally, I think Mr. Putin would have a rainbow alert followed by a whacking great red alert if Europe were to be stupid enough to create a European army. As you say, ---- what for ???? From Uncle John.
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"Eric commented on the content at 07 November 2017 13:21".
Eric 07-Nov-2017 13:21
To believe reducing criminality by banning certain or all guns is naive as criminals will always find a way to possess guns, even automatic ones. And Switzerland doesn't have to please the EU, which implements senseless laws.
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