Semi-automatic rifles circulating in Switzerland despite ban

The man behind the mass shooting in Aarau at the end of August was able to legally retain the firearm he had purchased in 2005. Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Semi-automatic rifles with large magazines have been banned in Switzerland since a change in the law in 2019. However, with a special permit, sports shooters and collectors can still obtain them. Cantonal authorities are issuing many such permits, research by the NZZ am Sonntag shows.

In canton Zurich alone, nearly 20,000 weapons have been sold under special permits in the last seven years, a survey among the country’s cantons by the German-language newspaper reveals.

The canton of Thurgau issued just over 5,300 such permits, the canton of Basel-Landschaft issued nearly 1,900, and Geneva issued just under 1,300. In Valais, nearly 400 exemptions have been granted this year alone, with only two applications rejected. In Neuchâtel, according to research by the NZZ, one in every four firearm purchase permits is an exemption.

No need to re-register old firearms

There is no exact total of the number of special permits issued in all of Switzerland, since there is no national firearms registry and some cantons do not keep statistics. But the NZZ reports that, based on estimates, tens of thousands of these firearms have been sold since the 2019 ban.

Under the change in law, old firearms did not have to be re-registered in 2019. As a result, the man behind the mass shooting in Aarau at the end of August was able to legally retain the firearm he had purchased in 2005.

The shooting occurred following a techno party, called Aarau Rave, on the grounds of the Schachen horse racing track in northern Switzerland. The shooter fired over 40 shots indiscriminately into the crowd using an assault rifle (AK-74) and a pistol.

A 22-year-old Italian woman was fatally struck. Six other people were injured, some seriously. A 43-year-old Swiss man from canton Jura who lived a reclusive life and had no prior criminal record later turned himself in to police.

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According to the Aargau cantonal police, he was the lone perpetrator. The investigation into the motive is ongoing. Shortly after the incident, the perpetrator’s parents confirmed that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia about 20 years ago.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.