Switzerland is embroiled in a fight to protect the rights of its armed citizenry. European Union (EU) politicians and the Swiss Federal Council are attempting to enact legislation and potential legal sanctions to strangle sovereign constitutional rights from the Swiss people, who are fighting back against this onslaught.
Unlike other European countries, Switzerland is a neutral territory and is not part of the EU. However, the country is a member of the Schengen Agreement, which allows citizens of member countries to move about freely through its borders. Changes in EU law for member states brought stricter firearm restrictions with the European Firearms Directive, thereby placing non-EU members Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein in a difficult situation after 2017.
The Swiss Federal Council floated gun control legislation in March that would bring the small country and its citizens in line with the draconian restrictions now imposed on other countries. Both ProTell, a Swiss gun rights group, and the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) are fighting the legislation. The directive and legislation would make it harder for militia members to possess their military arms upon leaving the service, and it creates a society with more bureaucratic interference and less protection for their citizens.
A vote for stricter gun restrictions was rejected by three quarters of the cantons and a majority of Swiss citizens in 2011.
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