Ten years ago, Swiss hairdresser Christine Dousse feared guns. Then her daughter...
ROMONT, Switzerland - Ten years ago, Swiss hairdresser Christine Dousse feared guns. Then her daughter convinced her to join a 400-year-old local shooting club. Now she shoots twice a week.
Dousse and many of the 500 other participants at a marksmanship contest in Romont this month believe their heritage is under threat from tighter gun rules Swiss voters are expected to support in a binding referendum on Sunday. Non-EU member Switzerland’s parliament and government back the regulations, but shooting enthusiasts fear a dangerous trend towards disarming them altogether.Switzerland must adopt the rules to remain part of Europe’s Schengen open-border system, otherwise weapons on the restricted list could reach the EU from Swiss gun shops.
The initial EU proposal provoked an outcry because it meant ending the Swiss tradition of veterans keeping assault rifles after military service. Swiss officials negotiated concessions.Gun rights proponents complain the rules - including requirements to practise shooting regularly - encroach on Switzerland’s national identity that includes a well-armed citizenry as a bulwark of national security.
In the United States, by comparison, the population of 326.5 million owned 393.3 million guns, or 120.5 per 100 people. Shooting contests date to the 14th century, and the image of folk hero William Tell with his crossbow — used to shoot an apple off his son’s head as punishment for defying a Habsburg tyrant — is ubiquitous. The five-yearly national marksmanship contest is Switzerland’s top sporting event.
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