The Swiss Referendum Results Are In.

Manic Moran

If anyone was curious, there was a national referendum in Switzerland today to prohibit the storage of the government issued assault rifles at home and set up a firearms registry.

The motion failed. Business continues as usual.

NTM

gunhappy_ie

Victory

CJhaughey

A victory for common sense really. Why change something there is no problem with?

Grizzly 45

Was kind of a given.
With a race of people who most certainly have their heads screwed on with ...well....Swiss precision about most things.:)

meathstevie

A soldier not having his kit to hand ( including rifle ) would go against the grain of the nature of the Swiss armed forces who rely on their troops ability to switch from civilian to soldier in the blink of an eye.

I'm not a military expert but I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Swiss could deploy a significant number of troops inside their territory as quick if not quicker than any of their neighbours who have full time standing armies which the Swiss don't have.

Grizzly 45

Think in theory it is like 80% of the male pouplation would be under arms and in their deployed units within 24 hours.

Double Barrel

We should be so lucky as to have their problems.

http://doublebarrel.posterous.com/interesting-video-about-swiss-gun-tradition

Slav

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Think in theory it is like 80% of the male pouplation would be under arms and in their deployed units within 24 hours.

... and that's why they did not have to do it for centuries. That's the true neutrality when citizens are in control of their own security and defence and not relying on someone else.

To be neutral you must be ready to be highly militarized, like Switzerland or Sweden (Edwin O. Reischauer)

meathstevie

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Think in theory it is like 80% of the male pouplation would be under arms and in their deployed units within 24 hours.

That's the ideal situation. If that fails there's still an enormous amount of possibilities there to get some form of organised units going....no fools those Swiss chappies.

meathstevie

Slav wrote: »

... and that's why they did not have to do it for centuries. That's the true neutrality when citizens are in control of their own security and defence and not relying on someone else.

To be neutral you must be ready to be highly militarized, like Switzerland or Sweden (Edwin O. Reischauer)

This doesn't really belong in the shooting forum but in a way it's amazing the Swiss haven't had to deploy their militia army to any significant extent in the recent past considering how bloody the 20th century has been and who they've been neighbours to. No matter what way you look at it, France, Italy, Germany and Austria have all been involved in both world wars on opposing sides and still the Swiss managed to stay out of the slaughter.

Grizzly 45

meathstevie wrote: »

That's the ideal situation. If that fails there's still an enormous amount of possibilities there to get some form of
organised units going....no fools those Swiss chappies.

How could they be if they build and equip their army with THE BEST assault rifle on the planet by far????[SIG 550]:D
What country plans and practises gureilla warfare as a doctrine as well?
Dont know of any other country that is organised along these lines,The US in its early years was going along that lines with the "Minute men".Until everyone decided standing armies were the way to go. Its possible that the concept was taken from the Swiss milita who emigrated to the US at the time.

Manic Moran

Most of the US military's combat power is actually in the national guard. This has been a policy decision since the vietnam war. The theory was to make the US's major war fighting capability dependant on the reserves, to make the politicians fairly sure it wanted to go to war, given the political and economic costs.

NTM

Sparks

Think we're drifting into taking over the Military forum's baliwick here lads.
How about gently nudging it back to the effect this has on the incredibly pervasive and extensive civilian shooting scene in Switzerland?

meathstevie

Sparks wrote: »

Think we're drifting into taking over the Military forum's baliwick here lads.
How about gently nudging it back to the effect this has on the incredibly pervasive and extensive civilian shooting scene in Switzerland?

No effect at all I'd say Sparks. The Swiss hunters and target shooters can happily rejoice in the fact that it'll be business as usual for another good while as they don't have the habit of splicing referenda down the population's troath until it goes the way the powers that be want it to go.