Once again, the European Union parliament has approved proposals to restrict gun ownership, calling for severe limits on magazine capacity for semi-autos and an expanded gun registry, among other things.
However, some, like the Swiss, aren’t having it. Following the lead of the Czech prime minister, Swiss Shooting said it would force a referendum if government adopted the proposals. Saying that existing Swiss law was sufficient to combat the illegal arms trade, Dora Andres, president of Swiss Shooting, said, “It is making citizens believe they are safe.”
Werner Salzmann, a parliamentarian for the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, urged rejection of the EU regulations. Though Switzerland, which has a long tradition of private gun ownership, is not part of the EU, membership in the 26-nation single border coalition makes them subject to the new rules.
Swiss voters rejected a national arms registry in 2011.
