Bob, I have visited Switzerland many times and have never seen anyone carrying a gun.It is true however, that many country people there have guns, and with military training for younger people, guns are in homes, which has caused a lot of deaths and injuries in domestic rows.You are right though, in that there seem to be no or little mass shootings.
Here are a couple links from my saved articles I have collected over time as I continue to argue for sane and sensible gun registrations over this takeover and eliminate from the honest citizens and no controls over the criminals and mental ill who are really the problems. Apparently you never visited Switzerland during any of their gun shoot days.
.................................
[FONT="]http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/articles/guns-crime-swiss.html[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Guns, Crime, and the Swiss[/FONT]
[FONT="]by Stephen P. Halbrook, Ph.D., J.D.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]<Clip>[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Actually, for those who think that target shooting is more fun than golf, Switzerland is anything but "dull." By car or by train, you see shooting ranges all over the country, but only a few golf courses. If there is a Schuetzenfest in town, you will find rifles slung on hat racks in restaurants, and you will encounter men and women, old and young, walking, biking, and taking the tram with rifles over the shoulder, to and from the range. They stroll right past the police station and no one bats an eye (in the U.S. a SWAT Team might do you in).[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Tourists--especially those from Japan, where guns are banned to all but the police--think it's a revolution. But shooting is really just the national sport, although it has the deadly serious function of being the backbone of the national defense.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Although there is more per capita firepower in Switzerland than any place in the world, it is one of the safest places to be. To the delight of Americans who support the right to keep and bear arms, Switzerland is the proof in the pudding of the argument that guns don't cause crime.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]<Clip>[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]When the first U.S. Congress met and turned to defense measures in 1791, Representative Jackson argued: "The inhabitants of Switzerland emancipated themselves by the establishment of a militia, which finally delivered them from the tyranny of their lords." A law was passed requiring every able-bodied citizen to provide himself with a firearm and enroll in the militia, and it stayed on the books for over a century.[/FONT]
[FONT="].......................................[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]http://pages.prodigy.net/vanhooser/the_swiss_and_their_guns.htm[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Swiss and their Guns[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]By David B. Kopel and Stephen D'Andrilli[/FONT]
[FONT="]( American Rifleman February 1990 )[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]"What America can learn from Switzerland is that the best way to reduce gun misuse is to promote responsible gun ownership."[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]In the right to bear arms debate, pro-gun Americans point to Switzerland, where almost every adult male is legally required to possess a gun. One of the few nations with a higher per capita rate of gun ownership than the United States, Switzerland has virtually no gun crime. Therefore, argue the pro-gunners, America doesn't need gun control.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Yet Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI), in its brochure "Handgun Facts," points to Switzerland as one of the advanced nations with strict handgun laws." The brochure states that all guns are registered, and handgun purchases require a background check and a permit. Gun crime in Switzerland is virtually non-existent. Therefore, concludes Handgun Control, America needs strict gun control.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Who's right? As usual, Handgun Control is wrong, but that doesn't necessarily make the pro-gun side right. Gun ownership in Switzerland defies the simple categories of the American gun debate. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Like America, Switzerland won its independence in a revolutionary war fought by an armed citizenry. In 1291, several cantons (states) began a war of national liberation against Austria's Hapsburg Empire. In legend, the revolution was precipitated by William Tell, although there is no definitive proof of his existence.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Over the next century, the Swiss militia liberated most Switzerland from the Austrians. The ordinary citizens who composed the militia used the deadliest assault weapons the time, swords and bows. Crucial to the Swiss victory was the motivation of the free Swiss troops. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]<Clip>[/FONT]