Because of Switzerland's long history of neutrality, the Swiss Armed Forces do not take part in conflicts in other countries, but do participate in international peacekeeping missions. The use of weapons designed just to burn or set fire to large areas which may be full of civilians are also prohibited. The Stgw 90 standard service rifle fitted with an underslung 40 mm GL 5040 grenade launcher. In his 1984 book, La Place de la Concorde Suisse , acclaimed New Yorker author John McPhee quoted a Swiss officer as saying: "Switzerland doesn't have an army, Switzerland is an army." "You see I didn't feel the other two shots, but the shot that hit my spinal cord splintered and entered my lungs. Since that incident, gun laws concerning army weapons have tightened. "I'm not happy about the situation now in Switzerland," she tells me firmly. She has given up her political career since she was gunned down in the Zug parliament 12 years ago, but she retains strong political opinions. In February 2011, she voted in favour of a referendum motion which called for all militia firearms to be stored in public arsenals and for a national gun registry to be established. Account active For almost 80 years, the officers and NCOs of the Swiss Guard were armed with Hugo Schmeisser’s very homely Dreyse Model 1907 pistol. In 2007, the Small Arms Survey found that Switzerland had the third-highest ratio of civilian firearms per 100 residents (46), outdone by only the US (89) and Yemen (55). The Pontifical Swiss Guard is over 500 years old, making it one of the oldest standing military units in the world. VideoThe vehicle that got a village smiling, Verdict for tycoon in historic mine corruption trial, BBC Worklife: Why code-switching is different now. Switzerland still has one of the highest rates of gun violence in Europe, and most gun deaths in the country are suicides. This measure was introduced by Switzerland's Federal Council in 2007. "It's like smoking. After the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul in 1981 by a Turkish hitman, the Guard upgraded these handguns to the logical SIG P220, which is standard issue for the Swiss Army.There are also a number of Austrian-made Glock Model 19 9mm pistols used when a mor… Though the word roughly translates to "boys shooting" and the competition used to be only boys, teenage girls have been allowed in since 1991. "And yet so much quiet too, as people hid or pretended to be dead. Swiss Army knivesare also issued, but are not considered weapons. In his office at Zurich University, Professor Martin Killias, director of criminology at Zurich University is flicking through research papers about gun-related homicides. He loads my rifle and, reluctantly, I shoot twice at the target - the first shots I've ever fired in my life. Guns play a unique role in Switzerland because of its militia armed forces made up of conscripts or volunteers who are allowed to keep their weapons at home. On the second weekend in September each year, about 4,000 Zurich girls and boys, aged 12 to 16, take part in Knabenschiessen, a rifle marksmanship contest. Roughly a quarter of the gun-toting Swiss use their weapons for military … "Forty-three per cent of homicides are domestic related and 90% of those homicides are carried out with guns," he says. Get it now on Libro.fm using the button below. All men between the ages of 18 and 34 deemed "fit for service" are given a pistol or a rifle and trained. Soldiers are even allowed to take all personally assigned weapons to home. The Coast Guard operate along the entire coastline of Sweden, with the mission to rescue, assist and monitor. If you want to get a rifle that your friends will be jealous of, the Swiss K31 is a staple to any armory. In 2016, the NRA said on its blog that the European country had one of the lowest murder rates in the world while still having millions of privately owned guns and a few hunting weapons that don't even require a permit. .css-po6dm6-ItalicText{font-style:italic;}Listen to Emma Jane Kirby's report from Switzerland on BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House. They might consult a psychiatrist or talk with authorities in other cantons where a prospective gun buyer has lived before to vet the person. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. They're proud to show off how well they can shoot. Read about our approach to external linking. A Swiss Air Force Hornet. The law also states that anyone who "expresses a violent or dangerous attitude" won't be permitted to own a gun. The country has about 2 million privately owned guns in a nation of 8.3 million people. There is no point taking the gun out of your home in Switzerland because it is illegal to carry a gun in the street. 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