European Politics Abstract Policy Paper

The Gun Policy in Switzerland 

The topic I’ve chosen to research for my policy paper is the gun policy in Switzerland.  Over the past few years the topic of gun control has been on the forefront of the minds of Americans in light of the recent mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary.  We ask what can be done to prevent such atrocities from happening again?  This question sparks a conversation between two opposing side with different values and mindsets.  On one side is the position of making access to firearms more difficult thus lessening the potential for would be killers to use less lethal means of killing.  On the other side is the position of making access to firearms less strict to increasing the amount of arms within the population.  With the belief that as more responsible citizens carry arms they will be able discourage potential violence by empowering potential victims and stop the severity of violence as it’s happening to others by intervening.  As these opposing theories battle I often hear the latter side reference Switzerland’s gun policy as a support for their argument. 

          Do the Swiss have the answer to the gun control debate?  Do their policies aid in discouraging gun violence?  My preliminary research suggests that yes their policies and the culture they have created do aid in discouraging gun violence.  The Swiss are unique in that they don’t have a standing army rather the policy of every citizen is a soldier.  When a Swiss male turns 20 they’re required to enlist in Swiss military training including basic combat and firearms training.  During their twenties they’re issued a rifle and are given the option of storing it in the personal residence. Gun rights activists believe the required arms training aids in keeping gun violence to a minimum because it teaches citizens how to safely use them and instills in them a sense patriotic duty and trust.  Control activists argue government issued guns stored inside pose a domestic threat giving thieves and the mentally unstable great potential to use it for negative purposes. Swiss citizens enjoy a unique culture that embraces the use of firearms through private and government sponsored marksmanship competitions.  Parents teach their children gun safety and how to become expert marksman and in doing so they pass along the gun culture on to the next generation.  Gun rights activists use this unique Swiss culture to their advantage by saying it teaches children how to be responsible with guns.  It is my hope in writing my research paper to find out if the Swiss gun control polices are the model for the world to follow.

References that will aid in my research:

1.  Alpers, Philip and Marcus Wilson. 2014. Guns in Switzerland: Firearms, armed violence and gun law. Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney. GunPolicy.org, 17 March. Accessed 23 March 2014. at: http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/switzerland

2.  "Firearms-Control Legislation and Policy: Switzerland." Library of Congress Home. N.p., 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. at:  http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/switzerland

3.  Kirby, Emma J. "Switzerland Guns: Living with Firearms the Swiss Way." BBC News. BBC News, 10 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.  at:  http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21379912