-Caveat Lector-
June 10, 1999
Where Kids and Guns Do Mix
By Stephen P. Halbrook, an attorney in Fairfax, Va.
He is author of "Target Switzerland" (Sarpedon, 1998).
It's a commonplace that the U.S. is far more violent than
Western
Europe because Americans have easy access to guns. It's
also
false. To see why, visit Switzerland. Traveling around by
car or
train, you see shooting ranges everywhere. If there's a
Schuetzenfest (shooting festival) in town, you'll find
rifles slung on
hat racks in restaurants, and you'll see men and women of
all ages
walking, biking and taking the tram with rifles over
their shoulders,
to and from the range. They stroll right past the police
station and
no one bats an eye.
Switzerland has more firepower per person than any other
country
in the world, yet it is one of the safest places to be.
The Swiss
Federal Police Office reports that in 1997 there were 87
intentional homicides and 102 attempted homicides in the
entire
country. Of these 189 murders and attempts, 91 involved
firearms.
With its population of seven million (including 1.2
million
foreigners), Switzerland had a homicide rate of 1.2 per
100,000.
There were 2,498 robberies and attempted robberies, of
which
546 involved firearms, resulting in a robbery rate of 36
per
100,000. Almost half of these crimes were committed by
nonresident foreigners, whom locals call "criminal
tourists." In
1993, not a single armed robbery was reported in Geneva.
By
contrast, Britain, which has strict gun control laws, had
a homicide
rate in 1994 of 1.4 per 100,000 population, and a robbery
rate of
116 per 100,000.
In the wake of the Littleton, Colo., school massacre,
Congress is
rushing to pass new gun-control measures; the House next
week
will take up proposed legislation that has already passed
the
Senate. But there have been no school massacres in
Switzerland,
where guns and kids mix freely. At shooting matches,
bicycles
aplenty are parked outside. Inside the firing
shelter,competitors
pay 12-year-olds to keep score. Sixteen-year-olds shoot
rifles with
men and women of all ages. A tourist brochure in Zurich
recommends September's Knabenschiessen (boy's shooting
contest): "The oldest Zurich tradition . . . consists of
a shooting
contest at the Albisguetli (range) for 12 to 16 year-old
boys and
girls and a colorful three-day fun-fair."
While many shoot for sport, all males age 20 to 42 are
required to
keep rifles or pistols at home. Gun shops abound. Yet
firearms are
rarely used in crime. In America, firearms take on a
sinister
reputation from the nightly news and violent movies. But
in
Switzerland, firearms symbolize a wholesome, community
activity.
And since its founding in 1291, Switzerland has depended
on an
armed populace for its defense. William Tell used a
crossbow not
only to shoot the apple from his son's head, but also to
kill the
tyrant Gessler. For centuries, the cantonal republic
defeated the
powerful armies of the European monarchs. "The Swiss are
well
armed and enjoy great freedom," Machiavelli wrote in
1532.
The Swiss militia model inspired the rebellious American
colonists. John Adams praised the democratic Swiss
cantons,
where every man was entitled to vote on laws and to bear
arms.
Patrick Henry lauded the Swiss for maintaining their
independence without "a mighty and splendid President" or
a
standing army. The Swiss influence is clear in the Second
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provides: "A
well
regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a
free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not
be
infringed."
There may have been various reasons why the Nazis did not
invade Switzerland, but one of those reasons is that
every Swiss
man had a rifle at home. For this we have no better
record than the
Nazi invasion plans, which stated that, because of Swiss
shooting
skills, Switzerland would be difficult to conquer and
pacify.
European countries occupied by the Nazis had strict gun
controls
before the war, and the registration lists facilitated
confiscation of
firearms.
Traditionally, the Swiss cantons have had few firearm
regulations,
and the first federal firearms law was recently enacted.
Certain
firearm purchases require a permit, but others do not. On
retirement, every soldier may keep his rifle or pistol.
And any
Swiss citizen can purchase surplus military assault
rifles.
Why is well-armed Switzerland so free from crime? The
bottom
line is one of attitude. Populations with a strong sense
of civic
virtue do not experience sensational massacres or high
crime
rates. To the contrary, armed citizens deter crime.
America's
lawful "gun culture" is as peaceful as the Swiss. Sadly,
some of
America's subcultures(when you deduct certain minority
subcultures,
america's murder rate is the same as europe) are
not.
*
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