[DoodleBob]

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.

[OttawaFreeper]

I have a copy of that book in my personal library. The other thing I recall about Kopel’s chapter on Swiss society is how very family and community based it is (including the social programs) and, as per the quote you shared from the book, how firearms ownership is part of Swiss society in that regard. You would never ever see there Democrat handout philosophy accompanied by an urban underclass characterized by generational welfare dependency, drug and alcohol abuse, single parents, illiteracy, and other related things common to what is in Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Atlanta, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other large North American cities.

[sciencewriter86]

Switzerland is THE shining example of why we need A Well Regulated militia right here and now.

[Mr Radical]

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.
One never knows when the next threat will appear - nothing like being prepared.