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Gun control: how should firearms be regulated?

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I write original and in-depth data-driven articles using my skills in data analysis and visualisation. I cover a wide array of topics, among which are Switzerland's place in global trade, climate change and demographics. Born and raised in France, I studied international relations in Lyon, then graduated from Lille journalism school in 2011. I have been living in Switzerland since 2012 and worked at RTS for eight years before joining SWI swissinfo.ch in 2020.

Switzerland is a nation of gun lovers. At close to 28 guns per 100 inhabitants, Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership among Western countries. Swiss gun laws are relatively flexible compared to those of its neighbours.

The rate of gun deathsExternal link is relatively high in Switzerland (2.84 per 100,000 people). Yet homicide accounts for just a small proportion of these fatalities (0.17 per 100,000) and mass shootings are rare, with just two in the past 20 years. This apparent paradox, which is due to a specific gun culture and context, contrasts starkly with countries like the United States, for example.

What is your experience of guns? Based on your local situation, are you favourable to stricter or more liberal gun control?

Let us know your views in the conversation below.

From the article Do tightened gun laws lead to greater security?


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Contributions must adhere to our guidelines. If you have questions or wish to suggest other ideas for debates, please, get in touch!
cfschaer
cfschaer
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

The right to bear arms is a natural right. ____In the Alaman tribal tradition, the right to bear arms was linked to participation in the "Thing" (democratic place of debate in the village) and the obligation to defend the community. In this respect, it was a fundamental democratic principle. ____ In Innerrhoden, the sword or sabre is used to identify men's participation in the Landsgemeinde. An expression of this thousand-year-old tradition. ____Similar structures were found in the ancient Greek city states, the cradle of direct democracy. ____ Feudalism is an attempt to limit political decision-making to a group of people and to delegate defence spending to professional armies. In this respect, EU states today have similar traits to the European feudal system before the French Revolution. "We take over the protection for you and you delegate the political decision-making to us". Pseudo-elections and the exclusion of direct democratic control are an expression of this tendency. ____In this respect, the tradition of arms in Switzerland has a much deeper significance than superficial statistics indicate.

Das Recht Waffen zu halten, ist ein Naturrecht. ____In der alamanischen Stammestradition war das Recht Waffen zu tragen, mit der Teilname im "Thing" (demokratischer Ort der Debatte im Dorf) und der Verpflichtung die Gemeinschaft zu verteidigen verbunden. Insofern ein urdemokratisches Prinzip. ____Ausweis für die Teilnahme der Männer an der Landsgemeinde in Innerrhoden ist der Degen, Säbel. Ein Ausdruck dieser Tausendjahre alten Tradition. ____Ähnliche Strukturen zeigten sich in den alten griechischen Stadtstaaten, der Wiege der direkten Demokratie. ____Der Feudalismus ist ein Versuch, politische Entscheidungsfindung auf eine Gruppe Personen zu limitieren und dabei auch die Verteidigungsausgaben an professionelle Heere zu delegieren. Insofern haben heute EU Staaten ähnliche Züge wie die europäischen Feudalsystem vor der französischen Revolution. "Wir übernehmen den Schutz für Euch und ihr delegiert die politische Entscheidungsfindung an uns". Pseudo Wahlen und der Ausschluss direktdemokratischer Kontrolle sind Ausdruck dieser Tendenz. ____Insofern hat die Waffentradition in der Schweiz eine viel tiefere Bedeutung, als oberflächliche Statistiken aufzeigen.

MikeLorrey
MikeLorrey

It is improper to treat US gun violence stats so monolithically, since gun laws are mostly at the state level, rather than the national level, and vary widely state to state, as well as many large cities with even more restrictive gun laws.
As such you must look at gun violence stats based on which jurisdiction they occur in. More than half of all crime, gun crime and non-suicide fatalities occur in big cities that have the most restrictive gun laws, have been democrat controlled for many decades, with anti-gun laws more restrictive than the states they are in. If you eliminated five major metropolitan areas from the US our overall crime rates would drop 90%.
My state, New Hampshire, has some of the loosest gun laws in the world. Not only castle doctrine and stand your ground for right of self defense, but we do not require any license to purchase, own or carry weapons concealed, or openly, fully loaded. Fully automatic weapons and silencers are legal, and we abolished all knife/dagger/sword laws over a decade ago. We ban local jurisdictions from restricting gun rights, the only place you can't carry a weapon is in a courtroom, and the bailiffs provide guncheck services at the door to the courthouse. The antigun people would make you believe that blood must be flowing in the streets here, but our homicide rate (which includes suicide) is only 1.2 per 100k. Without suicide, its about 0.16 per 100k. All other crime categories are also far lower than other states or nations, because criminals know to stay out of our state or behave themselves while here.

jepyerly@websud.ch
jepyerly@websud.ch
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

Too high a population density, the intellectual and educational level of newcomers, the increase in crime, encourage the population of peripheral regions to carry a gun in order to defend themselves. The police, being already overbusy putting order in the soccer stadiums. And even, the police prefer not to see the risks, because, in the event of an intervention, they are not supported by our poor authorities.

Une trop forte densité de population, Le niveau intellectuel et d'éducation des nouveaux arrivants, l'augmentation de la criminalité, encouragent la population des régions périphériques, à se munir d'une arme à feu, pour se défendre. La police, étant déjà sur-occupée à mettre de l'ordre dans les stades de foot. Et même, les policiers préfèrent ne pas voir les risques , car, en cas d'intervention, ils ne sont pas soutenus par nos médiocres autorités.

Emma
Emma

Well 28 guns per 100 inhabitants is nothing compared to the US. Also Switzerland is not in the middle of a social/cultural crisis like the US. The more poverty, racism, low quality education system, violence and conflicts you have in your country, the more gun controls you must enable. Switzerland does not have issues with guns because the Swiss culture is relatively healthy and fit at the moment.

franz79713
franz79713
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Switzerland is doing it the right way and it should stay that way.

Die Schweiz macht es richtig, wie es ist und es soll so bleiben.

Lino
Lino
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

more than perfect analysis, which I share.

analisi più che perfetta,e che condivido.

Eperez0406
Eperez0406

Switzerland has a very holistic way of weapons. Proper psychological and medical tests before someone buys any weapon so I fully agree.

United States could learn a lesson from Switzerland.

Unfortunately United States there isn't a psychological test when people buy weapons.

That is reality.

This is why there is many shootings randomly in different ocassions.

Emma
Emma
@Eperez0406

There are no phychological tests to buy guns in Switzerland. The reason why people are not killing each other on the streets is because Switzerland still has a pretty healthy decent social culture and common sense to not lead their kids to a situation of school mass shootings.

Anonymous
Anonymous
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

I'm totally against guns in private hands. But I also see that such a weapons ban “is not enforceable.” So how are you supposed to enforce something you can't control. When selling, on the black market, or completely? Many of my acquaintances say they have a pistol under their pillows only for emergencies and for self-defense, of course. Whether the “cash box” is next to the pistol is unknown to me. What kind of life does it have to be to sleep with a gun under your pillow, what peace and security that way in a bedroom? I don't understand it. “One shot, fire free,” the officer always said in the RS when you should, had to or were allowed to shoot. Always on a human-like sign, of course. I credit my former superior in the army with the fact that I was able to return my weapon. All my days of service were weapon-free from then on. I've never had a gun in my hand since my army days and I'm an old man today and I'm still alive. I've never felt threatened by a weapon in my life and I hope it stays that way. Personally, I would ban “private weapons and also private armies,” but since this is not possible without totalitarian intervention, I and all relevant authorities would have to refrain from such a ban. “Praise and thanks to God,” it is shown time and again that most people who own weapons can handle their weapons responsibly, and the others should be tried to “sort out - to - sort”. For me, a life without weapons is “freedom.” I hope that many people feel the same way. Especially the ones with a gun under their pillow.

Ich bin total gegen Waffen in privaten Händen. Aber ich sehe gleichzeitig, dass ein solches Waffen-Verbot "nicht durchsetzbar ist". Also wie soll man etwas durchsetzen was man nicht kontrollieren kann. Beim Verkauf, auf dem Schwarzmarkt, oder total?Viele meiner Bekannten haben, nach eigenen Aussagen eine Pistol unter dem Kopfkissen, natürlich nur für den Notfall und zur Selbstverteidigung. Ob die "Geldkassette" neben der Pistole liegt, ist mir unbekannt. Was für ein Leben muss das sein, mit der Pistole unter dem Kopfkissen zu schlafen, was für eine Ruhe und Sicherheit auf diese Weise in einem Schlafzimmer? Ich verstehe es nicht. "Ein Schuss, Feuer frei" sagte der Offizier immer in der RS, wenn man schiessen, sollte, musste oder durfte. Natürlich immer auf ein menschenähnliches Schild. Ich rechne es meinen damaligen Vorgesetzten in der Armee hoch an, dass ich meine Waffe wieder zurückgeben durfte. Alle meine Diensttage waren fortan waffenfrei. Seit meiner Armee-zeit hatte ich nie mehr eine Waffe in der Hand und ich bin heute ein alter Mann und immer noch am Leben. Nie in meinem Leben fühlte ich mich von einer Waffe bedroht und ich hoffe, dass das so bleibt. Persönlich würde ich "Privatwaffen und auch Privatarmeen" verbieten, da dies aber ohne totalitäre Eingriffe nicht möglich ist, müsste ich und auch alle zuständigen Autoritäten auf so ein Verbot verzichten. "Gott sei Lob und Dank" zeigt es sich doch immer wieder, dass die meisten waffen-besitzenden-Menschen mit ihren Waffen verantwortungsvoll umgehen können, und die Anderen sollte man versuchen "aus - zu - sortieren". Für mich ist ein Leben ohne Waffen "Freiheit". Hoffentlich sehen das auch viele Menschen so. Vor allem diejenigen mit einer Pistole unter dem Kopfkissen.

MEJRC
MEJRC

It says above -- gun control, & we have just that in Switzerland. I have in my home 6 Swiss military rifles, one Lee Enfield .303 rifle, a .45 Thompson machine gun, & a .357 magnum revolver, ---- so what`s the problem ??? The process or gun ownership here is very tough as you can`t just go willy - nilly into a shop & buy a firearm, ---- fortunately.
If my memory is correct the procedure goes something like this. First you go to speak with your local canton policeman to start the permission process. He will put you in contact with canton HQ & a contact will be made in person or phone. The main questions will be asked where you intend to use the weapon. If satisfied forms will arrive to basically purchase the weapon. These forms I think have 4 copies & until the armory receives these copies you will not be able to purchase your weapon. I get a copy, a copy goes to the police & one to the armory, as a minimum. A book is opened in the armory & any ammunition bought is recorded & signed by me.
As you know nearly all men here do military service & weapons are kept at home, so when dad is cleaning & maintaining his rifle, ---- in front of the children he will explain the do`s & don`ts & safety of these weapons, ----- a positive way to teach our children.
In other words they " grow up " with guns & the respect needed for them. It`s not too difficult to see why incidents with guns here is extremely rare, because here there is good logical control & respect by all the communities whether firing for pleasure or hunting. ----- Uncle John.

Emma
Emma
@MEJRC

I fully agree, 100%... nothing comparable to the US. In the US any teenager can get a gun to "defend" himself from others, meaning to shoot people or anybody he consider a threat under whatever subjective definition this teenager has as a threat. In Switzerland we do not own guns thinking about how we will be using them to kill people precisely and specially to solve disputes and conflicts..... HUGE cultural difference.

didi-1
didi-1
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

why change something that works? people have lost control.
i'm not in favor of more access.

pourquoi changer quelque chose qui fonctionne? les gens ont perdu le contrôle.
je ne suis pas favorable à plus d'accès.

Kakareko
Kakareko
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

My opinion is that firearms should not be in the hands of the wrong people.

The guns themselves are not the problem, if they are not manipulated by anyone, they do not harm anyone, here the problem is the people! People with bad ideas, wrong ideas that want to have guns to hurt people, that's when the danger and problems appear.

No, my opinion is that for a person to have firearms, they should demonstrate mental aptitude above all. Very exhaustive psychological controls and on the other hand, a lot of discipline, it is very important to have discipline when carrying, owning or handling a firearm before having a gun license.

People have to understand that a firearm in the hands of the wrong people or not, is to harm people. Guns are there for this, that's how clear I say it! But they use them in two ways: to protect yourself when a bad person wants to hurt you, to defend yourself!

Or for injustice, to intimidate, threaten and intimidate people or to use them to harm people as happens in wars. what nonsense!

I repeat, the problem is not the firearms, knives bombs etc, here the problem is the people, the human being with bad attitudes and bad thoughts, who use these means to harm the world and humanity! This is the real problem of humanity, people with hatred and bad thoughts towards their own human race!

But we are not all the same, me personally, I like guns , for possible protection! I don't have any real firearms for now, but I would like to have them for the way the world is today! But I repeat , for self protection , because I have been a professional military many years and I have seen the importance , what is to know how to manipulate and how a small and large caliber weapon works , because you never know what will happen in the future , because unhappily the world is like that , I rectify ! Rather the people who live in this world are like that, but we are not all the same.

Mi opinión es que las armas de fuego no debería de estar en manos de gente equivocada.

Las armas en sí no es el problema, si no son manipuladas por nadie, no hacen daño a nadie, aquí el problema es las personas! Personas con malas ideas, ideas equivocadas que quieren tener armas para hacer daño a la gente, ahí es cuando aparece el peligro y los problemas.

No, mi opinión es que para una persona tener armas de fuego, deberían de demostrar aptitud mental sobre todo. Controles psicológicos muy exhaustivos y por otro lado, mucha disciplina, es muy importante la disciplina a la hora de llevar , tener o manipular una arma de fuego antes de tener una licencia de armas.

La gente tiene que comprender que una arma de fuego en manos de personas equivocadas o no, es para hacer daño a las personas. Las armas están ahí para esto, así de claro lo digo! Pero las utilizan de dos formas: para protegerse cuando una persona mala te quiera hacer daño, defenderse!

O para la injusticia, para intimidar, amenazar y amedrentar a la gente o utilizarlas para hacer daño a las personas como pasa en las guerras. qué tontería!!

Repito, el problema no es las armas de fuego, cuchillos bombas etc, aquí el problema es las personas, el ser humano con malas actitudes y malos pensamientos, que utilizan estos medios para hacer daño al mundo y a la humanidad! Este es el verdadero problema de la humanidad, la gente con odio y malos pensamientos hacia su propia raza humana!

Pero no todos somos iguales, a mi personalmente, me gusta las armas , para una posible protección! No tengo ningún arma de fuego real por ahora, pero me gustaría tenerlas por tal y como está el mundo hoy día! Pero repito , para protección propia, porque he sido militar profesional muchos años y he visto la importancia, qué es saber manipular y cómo funciona una arma de pequeño y gran calibre, porque nunca se sabe qué ocurrirá en el futuro, porque infelizmente el mundo es así, rectifico! Más bien la gente que vive en este mundo es así, pero no todos somos iguales.

abc
abc
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

It is not a problem of restricting the permanence of weapons,,,,, the human being is by nature a warrior and if not, ask yourself how we got here,,,, wars and more wars and today the societies after controlling us, if they are interested we continue making wars.... is a problem of the human being.

No es un problema de restringir la permanencia de armas,,,,, el ser humano es por naturaleza guerrero y si no ,preguntese como hemos llegado hasta aqui,,,, guerras y mas guerras y hoy en dia las sociedades despues de controlarnos, si les interesa seguimos haciendo guerras.... es un problema del ser humano.

Anonymous
Anonymous
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

A firearm is acquired at recruit school, and after studying the weapon, you learn to respect it.

Consequently, the only people allowed to own a gun should be military personnel who have spent a lot of time under the flag.

Une arme à feu s'acquiert lors d'une école de recrues et après avoir étudié l'arme, on apprend à la respecter.

Par conséquent les seules personnes à pouvoir détenir une arme devraient être des militaires ayant passé beaucoup de temps sous le drapeau.

MEJRC
MEJRC
@Anonymous

Oh come on Claude, tell that to the hunter & I think you will get a flea in your ear !!!!

LynxVegas
LynxVegas

Nobody needs weapons of any kind, anywhere in the world. Just think how much time has been wasted fighting over resources, land, religion, etc, etc. We are all tribes. The need to fight has been passed down the generations. Just think what we could have achieved if we all lived in peace. We'd probably be exploring the universe by now.

Jia Sin Wang
Jia Sin Wang
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ZH.

In my country, the only people allowed to own firearms are members of the military and the police! But in the last few decades, the number of unruly elements in possession of firearms has been on the rise, and they're available almost everywhere. A standardized gun is more expensive, about $30,000, while a homemade one can be had for a few tens of thousands of Taiwan dollars...

在我的國家 只有軍警人員可以持有槍械!但最近幾十年 不法分子持有槍械數量持續上升,幾乎槍械都隨處可購買.制式槍械比較貴 大概約3X萬,土製的幾萬台幣就有...

Red-Glaubenbühl
Red-Glaubenbühl

In Canada you can not buy sell or transfer a handgun, rifles are very regulated, 5 shot capacity. To buy a rifle is a permit process after you take a government course.
The penalty for criminals are not that severe in practice.
violent gun crime rate 2021 27.4 per 100,000.

Mike Chernichen
Mike Chernichen

Misuse of firearms is a problem of human behavior. Regulating "things" misses this point. It is the behavior and therefore people that should be regulated. People who desire to own and/or use firearms should be subject to strict rules of licencing and accountability. Training, including regular refresher training, should be required. In Canada and the United States there are a pleora of laws restricting the acquisition and imposing a classification of good vs bad firearms (in Canada, we have unrestricted, restricted and prohibited classifications). However by taking a simple course in firearms safety, (never having to take the course again) one can aquire a variety of firearms, all of which can be deadly if mishandled or misused. All of the rules directed at types of firearms has not reduced the amount of crime being committed using firearms.

SensibleMike
SensibleMike

The way I see it is that many instruments/devices/objects can be used to kill people. So, guns do not kill people; a person performs the action of using an instrument (gun) to kill a person; for reasons sometimes only known to the killer.

What I am surprised with is that no country attempts to look at the various possible reasons which encourage gun crime.

In my opinion these include:

1) Exposure to violent games from an early age. Some people maybe are more sensitive, maybe more prone to be influenced/impacted by playing the soldier, assassin in a game. Almost all games today involve winning by being very violent (meaningless killing) in the game.

2) Hollywood movies. The vulgarity of horrible violence in Hollywood movies has increased drastically. There is mind-numbing violence in many movies. In many movies the hero glorifies using machines guns/weapons. Many people may find that "cool", and some maybe impacted mentally.

3) Broken/non-existent social/mental illness support. When making lots of money is the primary focus (as many movies depict), even thru violence, then some people use that methodology in real life. Vulgar/deceitful capitalism has lead to more crime (as many are becoming poor)

4) A society where jealousy, revenge, bitterness, hatred are glorified, then it leads to horrible outcomes. People start feeling "entitled" to a world around them, which works in exactly to their own liking. Compromise, negotiation, discussion are thrown out of the window; and weapons and killings are promoted as the "correct" way to solve the problems. War in Ukraine and now in Israel are examples. As are the many lawsuits filed against people, newspapers, bloggers, etc.

Banning/restricting guns is not the answer.

Puce-Lake-Hallwil
Puce-Lake-Hallwil
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ES.

Hello, regulations are not better or worse, they are political measures. The question that asks us "as what regulation is better" (question to individual citizens, to readers, debate that I thank you to formulate), requires an introduction on what the speaker says, thinks, or thinks about "what is better" for the main actor; the State as a monopoly of power. The one that should explain to us what it has achieved with its monopoly. Then ask ourselves.

Hola. La, las regulaciones no son mejores ni peores, son medidas políticas. La pregunta que nos formula "como qué regulaciòn es mejor"(pregunta a ciudadanos individuales,a lectores,debate que agradezco formulen), requiere una introducciòn sobre qué dice,piensa, u opina la ponente sobre "què es mejor" para el actor principal; el Estado como monopolio de poder. Ese que deberìa explicarnos qué ha logrado con su monopolio. Luego preguntarnos.

Norby
Norby
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

The fact that there are few problems with firearms in Switzerland is because most people are (still) doing well and the state (still) functions reasonably well.

Dass es in der Schweiz wenig Probleme mit Schusswaffen haben liegt daran dass es den Meisten (noch) gut geht und der Staat (noch) einigermassen funktioniert.

jepyerly@websud.ch
jepyerly@websud.ch
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.
@Norby

Yes, but it's getting worse!

Oui, mais cela se détériore !

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR