Central Swiss firearms register losing support

Cantons are already responsible for keeping track of who owns a gun in Switzerland. © Keystone / Eq Images / Moritz Hager

The notion of Switzerland keeping a centralised firearms register is receding.  

The responsible House of Representative committee has changed its mind and rejected a Green parliamentary initiative to this effect. 

+ Switzerland’s passion for guns – and safety

Green MP Marionna Schlatter is calling for all firearms to be registered in a centralised database. 

According to estimates, Swiss households own some 2.3 million firearms, making Switzerland one of the western countries with the highest density of weapons. A central register would create the necessary transparency and security, it is argued. 

The majority of the House of Representative’s Security Policy Committee points out that the law on weapons has been tightened up for 2019.  

The existing network of cantonal weapons registers is sufficient. The committee reached its decision by 16 votes to 9, the Parliamentary Services reported on Tuesday. 

Last June, the committee narrowly supported the project. Since then, its counterpart in the Senate has largely rejected it. 

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