Swiss vote on tighter gun controls

[pampango]

Source: BBC

Switzerland is holding a referendum aimed at restricting gun ownership. If approved, it would end the long tradition of Swiss men keeping their army weapons at home both during and after compulsory military service. Weapons would have to be registered, stored in armouries and owners would have to show they know how to use them.

Supporters of the controls say suicides and gun crime would be reduced. Opponents of the proposals say taking soldiers' guns away would undermine the military and could open the door to abolishing Switzerland's citizen army all together.

The proposal to end that custom is backed by a coalition of doctors, women's groups and police associations.

Although Switzerland's overall crime rate is low by European standards, the country has the highest rate of gun suicide in Europe.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12441834

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Supposedly the polls show that it will be a close vote.

[Democracyinkind]

1. Exit Polls say the initiative will be defeated.

I have one of those fine swiss guns in my closet and I voted for the initiative to get rid of it. But people here are, to say it mildly, rather conservative when it comes to these things. THey'll bring the initiative in 10 or 5 years again an by then it will have better chances to succeed. Swiss people tend to vote strangely :-)

[old mark]

2. The Swiss system has worked well for them for generations...I doubt they would change it.

Sorry to disappoint the anti's...(No, not really...)
K&R

mark

[Democracyinkind]

4. It has worked well for those who weren't shot, yeah.

Although, thanks to the efforts of the same people behind this initiative, the problem of suicide and domestic violence by army-issued guns has been pretty much dealt with. Still, the strategic benefit behind having your army-issued weapon in your closet ceased to exist 20 years ago, if it was ever more than a collective delusion.

[old mark]

9. FWIW, the prefered method of suicide in Europe for many years has been Tylenol...nt

[naaman fletcher]

10. I guess you have never been there.

There is no gun-crime problem.

[harmonicon]

12. HAHA!!

Oh, I shouldn't laugh about something sad, but "It has worked well for those who weren't shot" is just too damn funny.

[WatsonT]

21. Yeah with all those guns switzerland has been in a perpetual blood bath

Since the 1800s.

In fact they are down to two guys glaring at each other over their gun-sights.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Back in the '70s

The Swiss had the reputation of having the fastest army to mobilise after Russia which was constantly mobilised anyway.

The reason was that following national service they kept the guns at home pending any requirement for call up.

I hadn't even realised that things had changed meanwhile.

[old mark]

8. Have not, AFAIK- this is ANTI's delusional thinking....nt

[CTyankee]

7. If what you say is true, then why are they reconsidering a policy that has

"worked well" for them? (I have my own theory, altho I really don't know).

What is making a difference now, in your opinion?

[old mark]

3. Deleted duplicate.

[NickB79]

5. Has gun control ever worked to reduce suicides?

The Japanese come to mind as a country with pretty much zero firearms access, yet phenomenally high rates of suicide.

[harmonicon]

11. I don't know that there's ever been such a study done.

It would certainly be interesting to know. We do know that a number of tragedies in the US (i.e., Virginia Tech) would have been prevented if gun control laws were actually enforced.

[orb Jones]

16. Australian researchers have found there has been an almost 80 per cent drop in firearm suicides

well there was this study done in Australia http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/30/2996838.htm

[Xithras]

18. And yet the overall suicide rates have stayed flat or increased

Yay, less people are shooting themselves. Sadly, more are now taking pills and jumping from bridges.

Yes, I'm aware that a number of articles have been published over the years claiming that Australias suicide rates dropped, but the government was caught undercounting suicide deaths in late 2009 and had to revise the numbers (http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/revealed-australias-suicide-epidemic-20090820-es3p.html). The overall suicide rate in Australia is largely the same as it was before firearms were banned.

People are still killing themselves, they're just using different methods. As someone pointed out upthread, the most popular method of suicide in Europe has been Tylenol for a number of years.

Once a person has made the choice to end their life, there is little that society can do to prevent it from happening. The average home contains more than a dozen items capable of ending a human life, if applied (im)properly.

If you want to prevent suicide, you have to reach the unstable BEFORE they reach that point.

[WatsonT]

22. But it's not that people are killing themselves with guns that's the problem

it's that people are killing themselves by any method.

And that total number hasn't changed.

So it's just shifted suicidal folks away from guns and towards a thousand other easily available methods.

I guess they're a little less dead if killed via overdose than with a bullet.

[bikebloke]

13. Citizen army

I had friends in Switzerland who had guns in their closets. They said the country could mobilize a million soldiers in 24 hours. Of course, they all had go into the army. One friend didn't want to do the army, because he was basically lazy - didn't want to work either in order to be free. They sent him to prison.

[Upton]

14. Congratulations to the Swiss

for defeating this anti gun referendum....

[MicaelS]

15. Swiss voters reject anti-gun initiative

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Home/Archive/Swiss_reject_anti-gun_initiative_.html?cid=29484482

[Xenotime]

17. Good for the swiss. america could learn a thing or two or twelve

[Yo_Mama]

19. Suicide and assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703414504575001363599545120.html

This is the country with suicide clinics.

What, do they just disapprove of the method? Are the assisted-suicide organizations worried about losing revenue because of DIY'rs?

The vote wasn't that close; last tally I heard was 57% no, 43% yes. But I heard on NPR this morning that it was not going to be approved.

[Baclava]

20. Rejected - 56 per cent of voters decide to keep their guns

So much for that