Can Irish soldiers take their guns home?

Nano t

Can they keep their aug at home or must they still have a licence?

Topper Harley

They can never take their Steyr home. Even with a licence.

The Chieftain

The volunteer ones can.

Topper Harley

The Chieftain wrote: »

The volunteer ones can.

And then they wake up.

galwaycyclist

At one time members of the what was called the Local Defence Force or FCA (what is now the RDF) would keep their weapons at home. This ended when the "Troubles" started in the north.

To my knowledge the only army in Europe where the troops routinely keep their weapons at home is the swiss army. But they are more like a citizen militia in some ways than a standing defence force as we would understand it.

Silvera

The Swiss have a standing army of several thousand plus a 'militia' (volunteer) force of a couple of hundred thousand. Likewise they are the only western country which allow part-time / militia (air force) pilots fly fast jets (F-5's).

Apparently (from reading the book 'Swiss Watching') it's not unusual to see teenage girls cycling to competition shoots (or training exercises) in the summer with machine guns hanging off their shoulders.

It appears that in Switzerland, competition / target shooting (often using military weapons at community / local events), is almost a national sport!:D

riffmongous

Silvera wrote: »

The Swiss have a standing army of several thousand plus a 'militia' (volunteer) force of a couple of hundred thousand. Likewise they are the only western which allow part-time / militia (air force) pilots fly fast jets (F-5's).

Apparently (from reading the book 'Swiss Watching') it's not unusual to see teenage girls cycling to competition shoots (or training exercises) in the summer with machine guns hanging off their shoulders.

It appears that in Switzerland, competition / target shooting (often using military weapons at community / local events), is almost a national sport!:D

You still get Schützenfests in Germany too, but it's only in the traditional sense, so no longer military just shooting clubs

tac foley

Silvera wrote: »

It appears that in Switzerland, competition / target shooting (often using military weapons at community / local events), is almost a national sport!:D

Fixed it for ya.

tac
www.swissrifles.com

galwaycyclist

Silvera wrote: »

The Swiss have a standing army of several thousand plus a 'militia' (volunteer) force of a couple of hundred thousand. Likewise they are the only western which allow part-time / militia (air force) pilots fly fast jets (F-5's).

Apparently (from reading the book 'Swiss Watching') it's not unusual to see teenage girls cycling to competition shoots (or training exercises) in the summer with machine guns hanging off their shoulders.

It appears that in Switzerland, competition / target shooting (often using military weapons at community / local events), is almost a national sport!:D

Strictly speaking they are not "volunteers" Switzerland has compulsory military service with the twist that you are in the army until you are 35 (at the moment). Once you have done your initial full time stretch you then go into a reserve unit that still reforms every year trains and goes on exercises.

Your employer is expected to release you for your annual military service and your job is protected.

The militia pilots will be professional pilots in civilian life usually flying for airlines.

Edit: Its a long time since I last visited Switzerland but I have it at the back of my mind that in train stations and other places there would be calendars showing which army units would be activating and when. Going off with the army every so often was just part of the cycle of life.

galwaycyclist

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RKWV5h5XnX8

Funny compilation of Swiss army videos. Every year these boys get paid to get together with their mates to have the crack and shoot things with high velocity ammunition.

FCA on steroids

How bad?

Silvera

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Edit: Its a long time since I last visited Switzerland but I have it at the back of my mind that in train stations and other places there would be calendars showing which army units would be activating and when. Going off with the army every so often was just part of the cycle of life.

It's an interesting place, especially when it comes to their military set-up.
I visited Meiringen Air Base in central Switzerland in 2012 - it has hangars (for F/A-18's and F-5's) inside the mountains :eek: ....very 'james bond like' :cool:

http://wikimapia.org/9773370/Meiringen-Air-Base#/photo/3951702

https://www.google.ie/search?q=google&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=ssl#q=meiringen+air+base

galwaycyclist

Silvera wrote: »

It's an interesting place, especially when it comes to their military set-up.
I visited Meiringen Air Base in central Switzerland in 2012 - it has hangars (for F/A-18's and F-5's) inside the mountains :eek: ....very 'james bond like' :cool:

http://wikimapia.org/9773370/Meiringen-Air-Base#/photo/3951702

https://www.google.ie/search?q=google&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=ssl#q=meiringen+air+base

Har

If you're hiking in the Swiss alps you should not be surprised if you see fast jets moving at speed below you!

However places like Meiringen are only the "official" air bases. If you are driving on a Swiss motorway and come to a particularly long and straight stretch - then dont be surprised if you see buried aircraft hangers either side hidden among the trees.

I also understand that motorway bridges etc come pre-prepared with locations for demolition charges.

deRanged

You'll see soldiers on their way to training with their weapons all the time. You get used to seeing them on the train (they travel for free in uniform).

Shooting is a national past time - there are ranges *everywhere*.

tac foley

deRanged wrote: »

You'll see soldiers on their way to training with their weapons all the time. You get used to seeing them on the train (they travel for free in uniform).

Shooting is a national past time - there are ranges *everywhere*.

Yup, on a Sunday - first, church and then the range and then a long and HUGE late lunch. Most villages, let alone towns, have a 300m range with electronic target spotting and scoring. One range I go to has a hundred targets set in two rows of fifty, one above the other. The firing points are on two floors of the range building.

Every weekend it is packed out. Ages fourteen and up, with service rifles and former service rifles. The twenty-five position pistol range is set to one side.

Take a look at Youtube and the Eidgenossische Schuetzenfest held at Thun - average attendance is around thirty thousand...

A different world, eh?

Here's a little story for ya - an event said to have taken place some time around WW1 on a range somewhere in Switzerland.

Visiting German general [GG], watching the Swiss at target practice, to the Swiss regimental commandant [SRC]

GG - Tell me, Herr Colonel, just how big is the Swiss 'Army'?

SRC - Well, right now, Herr General, it is 240,000 trained men.

GG - What? So small? MY army is at least twice as big as that! So what would you do if, hypothetically speaking of course, we were to invade your little country?

SDRC - Well, Herr General, all of our Swiss marksmen would have to shoot twice.

tac

Manic Moran

Silvera wrote: »

The Swiss have a standing army of several thousand plus a 'militia' (volunteer) force of a couple of hundred thousand. Likewise they are the only western country which allow part-time / militia (air force) pilots fly fast jets (F-5s)

Eh? Greetings from even further west, where our part timers fly F15s, F16s, and A-10s.

Silvera

Manic Moran wrote: »

Eh? Greetings from even further west, where our part timers fly F15s, F16s, and A-10s.

Tell us more?!
I didnt realise the 'Air National Guard' were part timers..

galwaycyclist

tac foley wrote: »

Take a look at Youtube and the Eidgenossische Schuetzenfest held at Thun - average attendance is around thirty thousand...

A different world, eh?

Har Tac I did just that. Then I found myself remembering why the Germans put subtitles on films from Switzrerland! It might look like hoch deutsch written down - but it aint!

tac foley

Yup, I don't bother trying to use German on Swiss of my age-group, just not worth it. I get on far better with my Québecer Francais - we are mutually unintelligible to 'real' French, and therefore manage pretty well!

Tschuuusli!

tac

deRanged

and don't forget that the dialect in each canton is different too!

SNAKEDOC

The aur national guard is only made up if former air force pilots though who have had full service before hand unless im wrong. After however many years a pulit can be attached to a guard unit and have a civilian job but is still retained as a trained fighter or bomber pilot. There are some air national guard units that flew the b1 also i think. I suppose in that regard they are similar to what our primary reserve force is. Only made up of former full time service men.