A poster of the committee against the EU gun laws and policies. A poster of the committee against the EU gun laws and policies.

Switzerland voters back stricter gun control laws

Nearly 64 per cent of Swiss voters supported tougher restrictions on semi-automatic and automatic weapons, in line with stricter EU rules on guns.

The Swiss voted Sunday to toughen their gun laws and bring them in line with EU legislation, heeding warnings that rejecting the change could have threatened relations with the bloc.

Final results showed that voters overwhelmingly supported reforming Swiss gun laws, with a full 63.7 percent casting their ballot in favour.

A majority of voters in all but one of Switzerland's 26 cantons backed the reform, with the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino in southern Switzerland the only outlier.

A demand from the neighbouring European Union that the Swiss toughen their gun laws prompted a rare national debate over firearm ownership in the wealthy Alpine nation, which has a deeply-rooted gun culture.

A poster of the committee against the EU gun laws and policies.A poster of the committee against the EU gun laws and policies.

While the government cautioned that the new legislation was crucial to the non-EU country maintaining its treaties with the bloc, the proposal sparked a fierce pushback from the gun lobby and shooting enthusiasts, who gathered enough signatures to trigger a vote under Switzerland's famous direct democratic system.

Brussels changed its own weapons laws two years ago following a wave of deadly terrorist attacks across Europe, slapping bans on certain types of semi-automatic firearms.

While not an EU member, Switzerland is bound to the bloc through an array of intricately connected bilateral agreements.

Bern had cautioned that a "No" vote would lead to Switzerland's exclusion from the visa-free Schengen travel region and also the Dublin accords regulating Europe's asylum-seeking process.

This would have far-reaching consequences for security, asylum and even tourism, and would cost the country "several billion Swiss francs each year," it said.

Liberties 'eroded'

The shooting enthusiasts behind Sunday's referendum had insisted the government warnings were "exaggerated".

The campaign charged that law change amounts to an "EU dictate" that reins in Swiss sovereignty and would "erase the right to own weapons" in Switzerland.

Swiss Federal President Ueli Maurer spoke after voters backed EU gun laws and policies.Swiss Federal President Ueli Maurer spoke after voters backed EU gun laws and policies.

The ProTell gun lobby voiced concern at the consequences of Sunday's referendum, in which some 43 percent of eligible voters participated.

"Today, our liberties have been eroded," ProTell President Jean-Luc Addor told RTS, also insisting that the reform would "obviously not avoid a single terrorist attack".

The populist, rightwing Swiss People's Party (SVP) - the only party to oppose the reform - meanwhile cautioned that bowing to an "EU dictate" would have consequences.

A visitor holds and tries a handgun during an Arms Trade Fair in Lucerne.A visitor holds and tries a handgun during an Arms Trade Fair in Lucerne.

"We acknowledge that there is a certain need to remain within Schengen and Dublin, but we cannot accept just anything to do so," SVP vice president Celine Amaudru told the ATS news agency, cautioning that the EU going forward "will be able to dictate what it wants" by playing to Swiss fears of being left out.

It is difficult to know exactly how many firearms are in circulation in Switzerland, since guns are registered regionally and there is no national registry.

'Exceptional authorisation'

But according to a 2017 report by the Small Arms Survey, the country boasts the world's 16th highest rate of gun ownership, with some 2.3 million firearms in civilian hands - nearly three for every 10 inhabitants.

The strong gun culture in Switzerland is partially tied to its tradition of national defence service, as most Swiss men undergo obligatory military service between the ages of 18 and 30. They are allowed to keep their assigned weapon when they are done.

Under the new gun law, which has already been approved by legislators, semi-automatic weapons with high-capacity magazines will be listed as "banned".

Collectors and sports shooters could still purchase such weapons, but would need to jump through more hoops to obtain an "exceptional authorisation".

Another issue put to a national referendum Sunday - a government proposal to overhaul the country's corporate tax system and pump more cash into its pension system - also won overwhelming support.

A full 66.4 percent of voters, and all 26 cantons, supported that reform, according to the final results.

Video can be accessed at source link below.

REGISTER NOW

By SBS News

SBS was founded on the belief that all Australians, regardless of geography, age, cultural background or language skills should have access to high quality, independent, culturally-relevant Australian media.

The multiple language programs available through SBS TV, radio and online ensure that all Australians are able to share in the experiences of others, and participate in public life. The quality of our programs and the multiplicity of our viewpoints come from the freedom we have to draw on the best of all cultures for our programming.

Currently, SBS reaches an average audience of 13.1 million people per month on television, and on average serves almost 7 million unique browsers each month online, including an average 1.3 million streams each month for radio.

SBS On Demand's distinctive streaming service is available on more platforms and devices than any other Australian broadcaster's service, and includes over 6000 hours of programs, with 900 movies of which 70% are in languages other than English.

The Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991

SBS operates under the SBS Act 1991 and has a Board of Directors appointed by the Federal Government. Responsibility for SBS lies within the portfolio of the Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator the Honourable Mitch Fifield.

The SBS Act provides us with editorial independence from government and our Charter (section 6 of the Act) sets out our principle function 'to provide multilingual and multicultural radio, television and digital media services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect Australia's multicultural society'.

SBS Charter

Our Charter ensures a commitment to Australians and to making a difference; beyond that, our purpose is to inspire all Australians to explore, appreciate and celebrate our diverse world, and in doing so, contribute to a cohesive society. Read the SBS Charter.

Visit our policies and guidelines which outline the policies followed by SBS in fulfilling its Charter, including information about the SBS Codes of Practice.

Our offering

SBS operates six free-to-air TV channels (SBS, SBS HD, SBS VICELAND, SBS VICELAND HD, Food Network and NITV), eight radio stations (SBS Radio 1, 2 and 3, SBS Radio 4, SBS Arabic 24 including PopAraby, SBS PopDesi, SBS Chill and SBS PopAsia) and World Movies, a subscription TV channel. SBS Online provides audio streaming of all of our language programs and is home to SBS On Demand video streaming service. In Australia SBS is one of five main free-to-air networks.

SBS On Demand is a world of inspired entertainment – a curated selection of premium drama, documentaries and movies from across the world, available anytime, anywhere and absolutely free. With over 6,000 hours of programming and instant catch-up of your favourite SBS programs, SBS On Demand has something for everyone. SBS TV is watched by more than 13 million Australians each month. SBS Radio is the world's most linguistically diverse radio network, broadcasting in over 70 language programs to a potential audience of more than three million Australians who speak a language other than English in their homes. SBS Online continues to grow and on average serves almost 7 million unique browsers each month.

(Source: sbs.com.au; May 19, 2019; https://tinyurl.com/y3ljmrb2)
Back to INF

Loading please wait...