When a disgruntled citizen, Friedrich Leibacher,
opened fire with an assault rifle inside the chamber of the regional
parliament in Zug in September 2001, killing 14 and injuring 14 others,
the incident sent shockwaves through a nation unaccustomed to crime
and violence. But there's a paradox in this peaceful and safety-conscious
country, which boasts one of Europe's lowest crime rates: firearms
are as ubiquitous here as chocolate and edelweiss.
Weapons and ammunition are routinely issued to, and kept at home by,
Swiss men aged between 20 and 42 for their military service. The idea
of having guns at home is tied to the long-held belief that enemies
could invade tiny Switzerland fairly quickly, so every reservist had
to be able to fight his way to his regiment's assembly point.
Today, in a country of 7.3 million people, 465,000 households have
a military-issue weapon. In addition, 350,000 firearms are kept by
demobilized soldiers for summer shooting practices held in nearly
every Swiss town and village. Another 500,000 guns are in civilian
hands. Although some statistics show Switzerland's rate of gun-related
deaths is higher than that of neighbors Germany, France and Austria,
the number of murders is still low compared to the staggering number
of firearms in the country. Last year 47 homicides were recorded —
up from only 40 in 2000 — and police say in all cases privately
owned firearms were involved.
A 1999 law regulates the sale and licensing of private guns, but the
Zug shooting triggered a debate about the need for stricter measures.
The federal parliament will discuss the issue later this year. The
wisdom of allowing soldiers to keep their rifles at home is also being
questioned by left-wing parties. But Defense Department spokesman
Philippe Zahno says it's unlikely that the 500-year-old tradition
of "a gun in every closet" will die out anytime soon. "It has been
a part of our patriotic spirit," he says, "and we take pride in knowing
that we are always ready and willing to defend our country."
How is it that gun violence is relatively rare in Switzerland? "Our
attitude to guns is different from that in many other countries,"
Heinrich Koller, head of the Federal Office of Justice, said after
the Zug shooting. "We don't have a frontier mentality." Adds Zahno:
"Since guns have always been a part of our culture, we have learned
to use them wisely."
