The committee behind an initiative to ban Swiss men from keeping their military-issue guns at home has launched its campaign.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch and agencies
The people’s initiative, launched by the centre-left Social Democratic Party, pacifist and medical organisations, will be put to a nationwide vote on February 13.
The initiative committee presented its website and slogan, “Protect families – vote yes to prevent gun violence” on Sunday. Pictured is a teddy bear with blood dripping from a bullet hole in its chest.
The initiative calls for army weapons to be kept in arsenals and for a national gun register to be created. It also wants to ban private individuals from buying or owning particularly dangerous guns such as automatic weapons and pump-action shotguns.
According to the committee, around 2.3 million weapons are in circulation in Switzerland, of which 1.7 million are current or old army-issue rifles and pistols.
They claim army weapons are responsible for around 300 deaths a year and having access to a gun makes fatal incidents easier, especially gun suicides.
Women in particular support the initiative, the committee added. And it said psychiatry and doctors’ organisations backed the plan because, if approved, it would reduce the high rate of suicides in which guns are used.
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga will present the government’s position at a news confernce on Monday.
The cabinet and parliament have already spoken out against the initiative, saying current gun laws are strong enough to prevent misuse.
Keeping military firearms at home is a long-standing tradition for the Swiss militia army, which is supposed to be ready for a call to arms in times of crisis.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Gun laws under fire after latest shooting
This content was published on
The incident comes amid a heated debate over Switzerland’s gun laws. Army issue weapons are involved in the death of more than 300 people a year in the country. The Zurich prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday that the 21-year-old soldier, who was arrested two days after the shooting, admitted to committing the crime. The authorities…
This content was published on
The latest in a series of incidents involving army weapons – which all enlisted Swiss men have to keep at home with ammunition – will add fuel to the heated political debate over reforming the country’s gun laws. A 23-year-old local man, described by police as a practising Swiss Muslim, was detained on Monday night…
This content was published on
The latest Small Arms Survey, published by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies (GIIS), criticises Switzerland’s lack of transparency over reliable statistics on firearms. Switzerland ranks behind the United States, Yemen and Finland, but ahead of Iraq in the per capita count, and in position 22 overall. Civilians globally own approximately 650 million handguns…
This content was published on
As the national gun debate hots up, swissinfo tests the temperature of opinion among gun fans with a visit to a gun dealer and stop-off at the “world’s biggest shooting festival”. It’s 10am and the tiny premises of Poyet gun shop in the middle of the capital Bern are a hive of activity. A distinguished-looking…
This content was published on
Centre-left political parties and pacifist groups are preparing a plan to force a nationwide vote on the issue as parliament considers alternative options. Nearly two thirds of the people interviewed came out against storing personal assault rifles and guns in private households. Under Swiss law all able-bodied men are issued with a rifle and 50…
This content was published on
It comes at a time of increased debate in Switzerland over the long-standing tradition of keeping army guns at home, and shock at the killing of more than 30 students in the United States’ worst-ever shooting. It also follows a fatal shooting last week in the northern city of Baden when a 26-year-old Swiss emptied…
This content was published on
The initiative will now go to the Senate, ahead of a national vote in February 2011. New figures show that Switzerland’s militia soldiers seem to prefer to keep their military guns at home rather than deposit them free at local army bases. Launched in February 2009 by the centre-left Social Democratic Party and a number…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.