Posted on 08/10/2016 6:57:47 AM PDT by marktwain
The Swiss have always had a lot of guns and significant freedom. Machiavelli noted it in "The Prince" in 1517:
“Moreover, a Republic trusting to her own forces, is with greater difficulty than one which relies on foreign arms brought to yield obedience to a single citizen. Rome and Sparta remained for ages armed and free. The Swiss are at once the best armed and the freest people in the world.”The Swiss have remained one of the best armed countries in the world since then. Many claim they escaped most of the ravages of WWII because of their citizen army. Switzerland is said not to "have an army" but "be an army". The current spate of terrorist attacks in Europe has reinforced Swiss' love of arms. Because of their universal training and weaponry, Switzerland has the largest potential army in Europe. 1.5 million men capable of bearing arms, who have the arms and ammunition and training. The Swiss are buying even more guns. From usatoday.com:
GENEVA — Business at Daniel Wyss’ gun shop has been brisk lately in the village of Burgdorf near Switzerland’s capital of Bern.USA Today cannot help but throw in some anti-Second Amendment propaganda, which is blatantly misleading:
He said the increased demand for firearms is triggered by a growing fear among the Swiss public that terrorists could attack their tranquil land at any time.
As nations around Europe tighten their gun laws after a series of terror attacks in several countries since 2015, the Swiss are bucking this trend by turning to firearms for protection.
Official statistics show that gun sales in some parts of Switzerland soared nearly 50% after last year’s attacks in Paris and the March bombings in Brussels. And gun sales continue to grow since the killings in France and Germany in the past two weeks.
In Wyss’ shop, “the demand for pistols, revolvers and pump-action guns rose by 30% to 50% after this month’s attacks in Nice and Munich,” he told USA TODAY.
Even though guns are prevalent, the violent crime rate is relatively low: about 7.7 firearm homicides a year per 1 million people, according to Human Development Index. In the United States, that number is nearly 30, one of the highest in the world.First, the mind trick is to only look at "gun deaths". That is insane. If reducing the number of guns increases other deaths, or makes no difference, what is the point of the policy of reducing guns?
Neal Atkins ·
University of North Texas
Uh, IDIOT, the U.S. does not have the "highest firearm homicide rate in the world". Or more importantly, the highest MURDER rate. Unless of course you think some one killed by "gunviolence" is MORE DEAD than, say, the priest that was BEHEADED in France today. You might look at the socialist utopia of Venezuela for the "highest murder rate in the world". PS, only the GOVERNMENT and CRIMINALS can have gunz there.
Like · Reply ·6 · Jul 26, 2016 4:16pm
Ms Bachmann
Helena Bachmann ·
Morges, Switzerland
We are not including countries where gun violence is generated by civil war, conflicts, gang violence, etc. http://www.npr.org/.../the-u-s-is-a-world-leader-in-gun...
... and they control their borders. They aren’t getting swept up by the German madness.
Finland and Czechia aren’t to bad ether.
Swiss males are also required to serve in the army (females may volunteer). At one time this included a requirement to keep their personally issued rifle at their home, where it could be immediately used if necessary. the Swiss people voted by a 73% margin in 2013 to keep this conscription system.
They still keep the issue firearm, but *issued* ammo is now kept in an armory. They can keep personal ammo at home.
“Finland and Czechia aren’t to bad ether.”
Relative to the rest of Europe. still have lots of hoops to jump through.
New book by John Lott:
“When it comes to the gun control debate, there are two kinds of data: data that’s accurate, and data that left-wing billionaires, politicians, and media want you to believe is accurate. In The War on Guns, economist and gun rights advocate John Lott turns a skeptical eye to well-funded anti-gun studies and stories that perpetuate false statistics to frighten Americans into giving up their guns.”
The Swiss have their share of anti-gun nuts that are chipping away at the Swiss citizen’s gun rights.
Very True.
And ProTel their version of the NRA.
Keep rifle at Home ?
sheez - if You were a Reservist and your MOS was mortar man Or machine Gun Operator or anti-Tank rifle man....
Yup
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