[expat2]

It works, on two levels. Swiss men are all expected to have a rifle, with the younger men issued automatic weapons from the military.

1. Violent crime is extremely low in Switzerland. Who wants to come up against a military weapon?

2. Switzerland hasn't been invaded for centuries, even though it sits in the middle of Europe. Not even Hitler wanted to mess with a nation of well-armed citizens.

[Brookhaven]

Switzerland is too mountainous to invade. That’s why even the Germans left it alone—too much cost in men and machinery for too little gain.