-Caveat Lector-
fwd Gavin
<< Date: Fri, 04 Jun 1999 01:41:17 -0700
>From: Forest Glen Durland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Safe Guns
>
>June 4, 1999
>
>Armed to the Teeth, and Free
>
>By Stephen P. Halbrook, an attorney in Fairfax, Virginia,
>and author of "Target Switzerland."
>
>In 1994, when the U.S. Congress debated whether to ban
>"assault weapons," a talk show host asked then-Senator Bill
>Bradley (New Jersey), a sponsor of the ban, whether guns
>cause crime. The host noted that, in Switzerland, all males
>are issued assault rifles for militia service and keep them
>at home, yet little crime exists there. Sen. Bradley
>responded that the Swiss "are pretty dull."
>For those who think that target shooting is more fun than
>golf, however, Switzerland is anything but "dull." By car or
>train, you see shooting ranges everywhere, but few golf
>courses. If there is a Schuetzenfest (shooting festival) 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
>their shoulders, to and from the range. They stroll right
>past the police station and no one bats an eye. (Try this in
>the U.S., and a SWAT Team might do you in.)
>Tourists--especially those from Japan, where guns are banned
>to all but the police--think it's a revolution. But shooting
>is the national sport, and the backbone of the national
>defense as well. More per capita firepower exists in
>Switzerland than in any other place in the world, yet it is
>one of the safest places to be.
>According to the U.N. International Study on Firearm
>Regulation, England's 1994 homicide rate was 1.4 (9%
>involving firearms), and the robbery rate 116, per 100,000
>population. In the United States, the homicide rate was 9.0
>(70% involving firearms), and the robbery rate 234, per
>100,000. England has strict gun control laws, ergo, the
>homicide rate is lower than in the U.S. However, such
>comparisons can be dangerous: In 1900, when England had no
>gun controls, the homicide rate was only 1.0 per 100,000.
>Moreover, using data through 1996, the U.S. Department of
>Justice study "Crime and Justice" concluded that in England
>the robbery rate was 1.4 times higher, the assault rate was
>2.3 times higher, and the burglary rate was 1.7 times higher
>than in the U.S. This suggests that lawfully armed citizens
>in the U.S. deter such crimes. Only the murder and rape
>rates in the U.S. were higher than in England. The small
>number of violent predators who commit most of these crimes
>in the U.S. have little trouble arming themselves
>unlawfully.
>The U.N. study omits mention of Switzerland, which is awash
>in guns and has substantially lower murder and robbery rates
>than England, where most guns are banned.
>Here are the figures: The Swiss Federal Police Office
>reports that in 1997 there were 87 intentional homicides and
>102 attempted homicides in the entire country. Some 91 of
>these 189 murders and attempts involved firearms. With its
>population of seven million (including 1.2 million
>foreigners), Switzerland had a homicide rate of 1.2 per
>100,000. There were 2,498 robberies (and attempted
>robberies), of which 546 involved firearms, resulting in a
>robbery rate of 36 per 100,000. Almost half of these crimes
>were committed by non-resident foreigners, whom locals call
>"criminal tourists."
>Sometimes, the data sound too good to be true. In 1993, not
>a single armed robbery was reported in Geneva.
>No one seems to be looking at the Swiss example in the U.S.,
>however. Congress is stampeding to pass additional firearm
>restrictions in response to the events of April 20, when two
>students used guns and bombs to murder a dozen classmates
>and a teacher in Littleton, Colorado. Yet in 1996, a man who
>legally owned guns under England's strict regulations went
>on a rampage, murdering 16 children and a teacher in
>Dunblane, Scotland. Parliament then banned all handguns and
>most rifles.
>But there have been no school massacres in Switzerland,
>where guns and kids mix freely. At shooting matches,
>bicycles aplenty are parked outside. Inside the firing
>shelter, the competitors pay 12-year-olds tips to keep
>score. The 16-year-olds shoot rifles with men and women of
>all ages. In fact, the tourist brochure "Zurich News"
>recommends September's Knabenschiessen (boy's shooting
>contest) as a must-see: "The oldest Zurich tradition . . .
>consists of a shooting contest at the Albisguetli (range)
>for 12 to 16 year-old boys and girls and a colorful
>three-day fun-fair." The event has been held since 1657, and
>attracts thousands of teenage participants and spectators.
>While many shoot for sport, all males aged 20 to 42 are
>required by militia system regulation to keep rifles and/or
>pistols at home. In addition, gun shops abound. Yet firearms
>are rarely used in crime. Homicide is tied to a willingness
>to resort to violence, not the mere presence of guns. The
>prevalence of firearms in the home and the participation of
>youth in shooting matches bind youth to adults and
>discourages a generation gap.
>By contrast, homicide rates are highest in the
>underdeveloped countries, many of which ban private firearm
>possession. In some, private murder does not compare to the
>genocidal murder committed by governments against their
>unarmed subjects.
>In America, firearms take on a sinister reputation from the
>nightly news and violent movies. But in Switzerland,
>firearms symbolize a wholesome, community activity. The
>typical weekend shooting festival brings out the entire
>family. Beside the range is a huge tent where scores or
>hundreds of people are eating, drinking, and socializing.
>With cantonal and rifle club banners fluttering in the wind,
>the melody of rifle fire blends with Alpine music and cow
>bells.
>Since its founding in 1291, Switzerland has depended on an
>armed populace for its defense. William Tell used a crossbow
>not only to shoot the apple from his son's head, but also to
>kill the tyrant Gessler. For centuries, the cantonal
>republic defeated the powerful armies of the European
>monarchs. Machiavelli wrote in 1532: "The Swiss are well
>armed and enjoy great freedom."
>This coincidence has not escaped the notice of those who
>oppose liberty. Monarchist philosopher Jean Bodin, writing
>in 1606, denounced free speech and arms possession by
>commoners. Subjects must be disarmed to prevent democratic
>sedition, he said. The Swiss proved, Bodin wrongly averred,
>that arms bearing was "the cause of an infinite number of
>murders."
>The Swiss militia model, however, preserved democracy and
>held Europe's despots at bay. In fact, it inspired the
>rebellious American colonists. John Adams praised the
>democratic Swiss Cantons, where every man was entitled to
>vote on laws and to bear arms. Patrick Henry, another
>American Founding Father, lauded the Swiss for maintaining
>their independence without "a mighty and splendid President"
>or a standing army.
>The Swiss influence is clear in the Second Amendment to the
>U.S. Constitution, which provides: "A well regulated
>militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,
>the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be
>infringed." Today, it has become fashionable to hate this
>orphan of the Bill of Rights.
>However, a quick glance at history shows that tyrannical
>governments kill far more than do private criminals. But
>first, governments must disarm their victims. In 1933, the
>Nazis seized power via massive search-and-seizure operations
>for firearms against "Communists," i.e., all political
>opponents. In 1938, during the Night of the Broken Glass,
>they disarmed the Jews. When the Nazis occupied Europe in
>1939-41, they proclaimed the death penalty for any person
>who failed to surrender all firearms within 24 hours.
>There may be various reasons why the Nazis did not invade
>Switzerland, but one of those reasons is that every Swiss
>man had a rifle at home. For this we have no better record
>than the Nazi invasion plans, which stated that, because of
>the Swiss shooting skills, Switzerland would be difficult to
>conquer and pacify. European countries occupied by the Nazis
>had strict gun controls before the war, and the registration
>lists facilitated confiscation of firearms and the execution
>of their owners.
>By being able to keep out of both world wars in part through
>the dissuasive factor of an armed populace, Switzerland
>demonstrates that civilian firearm possession may prevent
>large numbers of deaths and even genocide. The Holocaust
>never came to Switzerland, the Jewish population of which
>was armed just like their fellow citizens. In the rest of
>Europe, what if there had been not just one, but two, three,
>or many Warsaw Ghetto Uprisings?
>Traditionally, the Swiss Cantons had few firearm
>regulations. The first federal firearms law was recently
>enacted. Certain firearm purchases require a permit, and
>others do not. On retirement, every soldier may keep his
>rifle or pistol. Surplus assault rifles may be purchased by
>any Swiss citizen from the Military Department.
>The bottom line is one of attitude. Populations with
>training in civic virtue, though armed, do not experience
>sensational massacres or high crime rates. Indeed, armed
>citizens deter crime. Switzerland fits this mold. Similarly,
>America's lawful "gun culture" is peaceful. Sadly, some of
>its subcultures are not.
>--From The Wall Street Journal Europe
*************************** >>
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