Women representatives of centre-right and rightwing parties are calling for the rejection of a proposal to restrict access to firearms – to come to a nationwide vote on February 13.
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The committee, which claims to represent about 1,000 members, said the anti-gun initiative did nothing to make life safer or to stop the abuse of firearms.
The committee called for the current gun law to be applied consistently.
A nationwide survey carried out at the beginning of the month found that the initiative enjoys strong backing from women.
It was launched by an alliance of non-governmental organisations in 2007 following a series of in high-profile family killings and suicides.
The government, parliament and most political parties recommend rejection of the initiative.
Centre-left parties as well as the women of the centre-right Christian Democratic Party support the proposal.
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Ex army-officers back anti-gun move
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The former majors and lieutenant-colonels told a news conference that the proposal did not undermine the Swiss militia army but helped reduce the risk of gun violence and gun thefts. The group rejected allegations that it wants to abolish the army. Members say they represented a “considerable number of officers and former officers”, but refused…
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Representatives of four centre-right and rightwing parties told a news conference the initiative by a broad alliance of NGOs and centre-left parties was disempowering law-abiding citizens and members of the militia army. They said existing measures to fight abuses are sufficient. “The Swiss gun law is very strict; let us not create unnecessary new ones,”…
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While 291 fell victim to a bullet in 2007, the figure was 259 in 2008, the Federal Statistics Office announced on Tuesday. In both years, most of those deaths were suicides: 264 in 2007, and 239 the following year. Most of 2008’s victims were male; 13 per cent were female. In 2007, women accounted for…
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The survey comes as the campaign by supporters and opponents of the anti-gun initiative gathers pace, fuelled by posters with a highly emotional appeal. The poll, carried out by the leading gfs.bern research and polling institute on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, found that supporters appear to have the upper hand at the moment…
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