Army could miss ammunition-recall target

The Swiss army says it is uncertain whether it will meet the end of year deadline for the return of all ammunition kept at home by men serving in the militia army.

According to latest figures, 80 per cent of the ammunition had been returned by November 30 but an army spokesman said it was unlikely all of the remaining 20 per cent would be recovered by December 31.

Spokesman Christoph Brunner told swissinfo.ch that 60,000 canisters of ammunition were still in circulation at the end of last month.

In 2007, parliament reacted to a number of fatalities involving army weapons, including domestic violence and a random shooting, by banning soldiers from storing ammunition at home.

Politicians stopped short of ending the tradition of allowing men to keep their army-issue rifles and pistols at home when not on active duty.

However, dozens of organisations including centre-left and leftwing political parties have collected enough signatures to force a nationwide vote on a ban.

A date for the vote has not yet been set.

swissinfo.ch and agencies