dhk said:
Jschenk: Would like to be clear about gun ownership in switzerland. In addition to keeping your military-issue weapon, can a citizen also buy and keep a hunting rifle at home? Is it possible for an ordinary citizen to buy and carry a handgun? How is ammunition controlled?
In switzerland everybody can buy a handgun or rifle from a privat person without any license. You just need ID and you have to keep the receipt for ten years. That is it. If want to buy a gun in a shop, you need a license which is very, very easy to get. You can have as many guns as you like. For single shot guns like double barreld shotguns you don`t need a license at all, if the caliber is not bigger than .50 BMG. Same thing with ammo. Fully automatic guns require a special license. You can even buy tanks, artillery guns, mortars, heavy machine guns and fighter jetplanes, not a problem at all. The swiss army organizes auctions, where you can buy all this.
A license to carry a gun is almost impossible to get, exept for like juweliers and securityguards, which is good. Guncontrol is almost not existing. Most people get shot with military rifles, which you have to keep at home together with high velocity, armour piercing ammo called GP90 or GP11.
In switzerland we have an average of 19 guns per capita (7.3 million people), and nothing ever happens. About 8 people get shot every year, most of them by stray police bullets.
Don't missunderstand me, I'm FOR guncontrol and AGAINST the right to carry a weapon of any kind.
I own 26 guns, handguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles and shotguns, from .22 to .50 BMG.
Gunownership requires a social and responsible attitude towards other people. You also need a culture of solving problems, which goes beyond getting your personal rights. America is lightyears away from all this.
American soil is bloodsoaked, what goes around comes around, as long as you think it is was right what the spanish, portugies, brits and later all the european immigrants did, you will have major problems. American culture is is based on personal rights, ego rights, most americans don't give a **** about other people, countries or ways of life. This is universally known as fashism.
If you want to life in peace, give back 'your' great country to the people it belongs to. God has not forgotten all of this injustice and maybe all your social problems are Gods payback.
Good luck