On Sunday, Swiss voters approved a measure that clamps down on Switzerland’s gun laws. Now Switzerland can be just like the other European countries that have a population less able to defend themselves. Hooray!
The vote Sunday was part of Switzerland’s regular referendums that give citizens a direct say in policymaking. It had stoked passions in a country with long, proud traditions of gun ownership and sport and target shooting. Switzerland, unlike many other European nations, allows veterans of its obligatory military service for men to take home their service weapons after tours of duty.
The Swiss proposal, among other things, requires regular training on the use of firearms, special waivers to own some semi-automatic weapons and serial number tracking system for key parts of some guns. Gun owners would have to register any weapons not already registered within three years, and keep a registry of their gun collections.
It seems Switzerland is modeling itself after the EU of which it is not a member. Opponents are not happy with the election results. They seem to understand what happens when you start disarming the citizenry.
Opponents insist that such changes will violate Switzerland’s constitution and do little to fight extremism or crime. They say the weapons used in recent attacks in Europe weren’t obtained legally. They argue it will crack down mainly on lawful gun owners in Switzerland and ram through what they perceive as the latest diktat from Brussels on the rich country.
Jean-Luc Addor, a Swiss People’s Party lawmaker from the southwestern Valais region, said adopting the EU directive would be “unjust, freedom-killing, useless, dangerous, and above all, anti-Swiss.”
“With no effect on the fight against terrorism, it will only hit honest, law-abiding citizens who possess legal weapons (so, us!),” Addor wrote on his website. “It’s the epitome of injustice.”
Amen, brother, amen.
Here’s my favorite part of the article: “Switzerland hasn’t faced major extremist attacks like those that have hit France, Belgium, Britain, and Germany in recent years, leaving scores dead.”
Now why is that, I wonder? How could that be?
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