Swiss Review 2/2019

Swiss Review / March 2019 / No.2 15 Politics JÜRG MÜLLER Weapons in Switzerland are a serious business. Just askWil- liam Tell. The country’s original sharp-shooter recently came back to the rescue – this time holding up his right hand like a traffic policeman on the website of gun lobby group Pro Tell and imploring “liberal Switzerland” to re- ject the EU’s “disarmament diktat”. Tell’s modern-day ad- vocate is René Schneider who, as honorary chairman of the Unterseen military rifle club, honorary member of the Bernese Oberland shooting association, and honorary member of the sports shooting association of the canton of Berne, is amanwith intimate knowledge of the Swiss shoot- ing scene. “As a democratic country, it is up to us to decide what we want and what we don’t want,” Schneider tells “Swiss Review”. “We simply cannot let the EU Firearms Di- rective ruin the great Swiss tradition of sports shooting.” Switzerland’s firearm enthusiasts have come out all guns blazing. This is a debate born of the Paris terrorist attacks of 2015, when semi-automatic weapons were used to kill 130 peo- the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), oppose this and have called a referendum on the matter. Spotlight on semi-automatic firearms Semi-automaticweapons with highmagazine capacity are banned under EU law. These include rifles, revolvers and pistols that will release a bullet each time the trigger is pulled – and, in the process, can fire multiple consecutive shots without the need to reload. Unfortunately, it just so happens that the SIG 550 and SIG 510 assault rifles also be- long to this category. Both are very popular among Swiss gun enthusiasts. After talks with the EU, Switzerland has however obtained an exemption that upholds the tradition of standard-issue weapons being taken home and used at the end of military service. This is very accommodating from the EU, given that the concession applies exclusively to Switzerland – hence the exemption is sometimes re- ferred to as “Lex Helvetica”. Anyone who already owns such a firearm as a result of a previous purchase has nothing to worry about. However, their weapon must be entered in a cantonal firearms reg- ister. If it is not, the owner has three years to rectify this. Sports shooters can also still buy this type of rifle, although they need to be a member of a rifle club or prove that they use their weapon for sporting purposes on a regular basis. The government deems five shoots within five years to be “regular”. But why exactly does the gun lobby object to these pro- visions? Schneider: “We would no longer be firearm own- ers but holders of illegal guns who are tolerated by the state and subject to special requirements. We would be using ‘banned weapons’ to practise our sport. Buying a firearm would only be possible via an exemption. This is much more restrictive than the current firearm acquisi- tion permit and would result in a massive decline in the number of shooting enthusiasts.” Schneider also believes that it is “totally illogical” for a standard-issue army fire- armnot to be considered as prohibitedwhereas a privately acquired firearmwould be. “After all, we’re talking about exactly the same gun. It would create a two-tier system among gun owners.” Could the new regulations perhaps lead to an increase in membership among rifle clubs instead, assuming that Gun lobby takes aim Switzerland must adapt its gun laws to EU requirements if it wants to safeguard Schengen. The EU Firearms Directive is under attack from gun rights campaigners – and will be put to a referendum on 19 May. ple. The EU tightened its gun laws soon thereafter. Given that it belongs to the SchengenArea and – by extension – to the European police security system, Switzerland must amend its national gun laws in line with these new regula- tions. The country’s shooting associations, supported by Switzerland’s shooting clubs view tighter gun laws as an existential threat. Photo: Keystone