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In Switzerland, gun ownership is high but mass shootings are low. Why?
Big Think ^ | 2019 | Matt Davis

Posted on 08/11/2019 12:08:30 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Swiss gun ownership remains fairly high for Europe — there are about 27.5 guns for every 100 people in Switzerland — Pro-gun advocates in the U.S. often point to Switzerland to prove that high gun ownership doesn't necessarily mean high gun deaths.

Where Switzerland does shine - is in its low number of mass shootings. It hasn't had one since 2001, when a man raided the local government body in Zug, killing 14 people before himself. This said, there are a few factors that may play into their lower rates of mass shootings.

First, Switzerland has mandatory military service for able-bodied adult men, and women may volunteer for military service as well. Mandatory conscription is actually extremely popular in Switzerland, with 73 percent of Swiss citizens voting against a referendum to abolish the practice. After their military service, the Swiss are kept in reserve until age 30–34, if they were an officer — during which time they must keep their service weapon. As a result, many Swiss people own firearms and are highly trained in their use by default. In contrast, if a U.S. citizen lives in a particularly permissive state, they can buy a gun without any kind of training whatsoever.

Furthermore, Swiss civilians must demonstrate that they are physically, intellectually, and mentally capable prior to conscription in the army (source in French). While this is a requirement for service in the U.S. military, it is not required for gun ownership in many states in America. Since many Swiss citizens obtain their weapons through the military, this acts as a major avenue by which gun owners' capability can be verified.

(Excerpt) Read more at bigthink.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans; Society
KEYWORDS: banglist; draft; guns; militarydraft; switzerland
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1 posted on 08/11/2019 12:08:30 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

It’s also full of mainly Swiss people.


2 posted on 08/11/2019 12:12:39 PM PDT by Aut Pax Aut Bellum (After Trump-then what?)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Because they aren’t constantly being driven insane by 24/7 mass mind control news channels and/ or lunatic leftist teachers would be my guess.


3 posted on 08/11/2019 12:12:44 PM PDT by chris37 (Monday, March 25 2019 is Maga Day!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

The problem arises when insane people are in charge of deciding who is sane enough to own a weapon...


4 posted on 08/11/2019 12:12:58 PM PDT by teeman8r (Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Switzerland, the most armed, and polite, society


5 posted on 08/11/2019 12:13:07 PM PDT by scottinoc
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

They don’t let feral yutes have rifles?


6 posted on 08/11/2019 12:16:08 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change with out notice.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

They don’t have any MK Ultra program?


7 posted on 08/11/2019 12:16:59 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change with out notice.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Arguments that Swiss gun owners are well vetted by their military service seem rather irrelevant since about 81-89% of those who commit gun crimes in the US did not purchase their weapons legally—thus what good does vetting for a legal purchase do anyway? Whatever the problem is, it has to do with why there are crooks who want to get their hands on a fire-arm and commit crime with it and not anything to do with vetting legal purchase of fire arms.


8 posted on 08/11/2019 12:18:16 PM PDT by AndyTheBear
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
THE authority on this topic is David Kopel. In his book, The Samurai, The Mountie, and The Cowboy, Kopel explained why you can't directly compare Switzerland with the US:

What the gun laws do in Switzerland, in a way, is the same kind of thing that they do in Japan, which is to reinforce the existing social order. The laws help integrate people into the larger world of the community. That is one of the most important functions of the militia, and why the Swiss are resistant to abolishing the militia, even though, with the end of the cold war, there is no realistic threat to national security. The Swiss want to keep the militia as a very important socializing institution in the nation. Marksmanship is one of the things that brings the generations together. Dad will clean the rifle at the kitchen table and take Junior shooting at the target range. That is one of the things that keeps Junior happily occupied with the family as opposed to getting in trouble. What I think Switzerland and Japan collectively suggest is that the issue is, not how many guns are there in the society but, how guns are viewed in the society and how they fit into the overall system of socializing individuals in the society.

In other words, guns in Switzerland help reinforce the collectivism in their culture, while guns in America help reinforce the individualism in our culture. A gun in Switzerland helps people identify with being part of the collective Swiss culture. A gun in America helps people identify with being part of the individualist American culture.

Kopel's book is worth it's weight in gold.

9 posted on 08/11/2019 12:18:49 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Culture matters.


10 posted on 08/11/2019 12:19:46 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Britain is an even better example.

Before 1919 there was for all intents and purposes no gun control at all. Machine guns, cannons etc. could be purchased by anyone. At the same time they had almost no crime at all. I mean very near zero armed robberies.

Now they have extreme gun control and among the highest crime rates of all first world nations.


11 posted on 08/11/2019 12:23:03 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: AndyTheBear

“... about 81-89% of those who commit gun crimes in the US did not purchase their weapons legally...” Thus the need for more background checks for law abidin.............. Oh?!


12 posted on 08/11/2019 12:23:30 PM PDT by rktman ( #My2ndAmend! ----- Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Their govt doesn’t do false flag shootings in order to try to outlaw guns.


13 posted on 08/11/2019 12:25:26 PM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Aut Pax Aut Bellum

“It’s also full of mainly Swiss people.”

The essential fact.


14 posted on 08/11/2019 12:25:37 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

US has 40 times the population.

One there is equivalent to 40 here.


15 posted on 08/11/2019 12:26:46 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
In Switzerland, gun ownership is high but -mass- shootings are low. Why?
16 posted on 08/11/2019 12:28:42 PM PDT by Chode (Send bachelors, and come heavily armed!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

“Diversity ain’t our strength”


17 posted on 08/11/2019 12:28:50 PM PDT by rockrr ( Everything is different now...)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

White? Homogeneous? Very strict immigration laws that are enforced? Christian? A feeling of belonging to a great society and a responsibility to keep it that way for your children?


18 posted on 08/11/2019 12:29:12 PM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with islamic terrorists - they want to die for allah and we want to kill them.)
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: CondoleezzaProtege

My Swiss buddy said at one time everyone who was of age was required to have a gun at home in case the militia was required. Those like him considered this a fringe benefit and even used these gun for other purposes. Those who were anti-gun broke the guns down and kept the pieces in different parts of the house, so they were in compliance with the law but no one could accidentally find and use their gun.


20 posted on 08/11/2019 12:31:08 PM PDT by bigbob (Trust Trump. Trust the Plan.)
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