Anybody know what the Swiss Guard carries?

[jobu07]

The single most important and deciding factor into what is a country and what is not is whether or not other nations recognize thier soveriegn authority within their "borders." Since most every major nation in the world recognizes Vatican City as a nation state, i'd say they qualify.

 

[MrMurphy]

Considering at the time of their design by Michelangelo there was no "hiding" on the battlefield, looking good and/or stylish was a very good thing, so that's why the Swiss Guards are so colorful. They WANT you to be able to see them (same reason why the Brits wore red and the French wore light blue later in history).

 

[lockedandloaded]

Those rifles in the picture are the current Swiss Army assault rifle called a Sturmgewehr 90, or Stgw90.

The semiauto equivalent is the SIG 550.

 

[30 cal slob]

Didn't I read something about not bringing arms into the house of the Lord?

Wonder how ministers justify packing heat (morally speaking).

Not that I'm against it all.

When I go to church I have to make sure that I don't drop loose ammo into the offering plate when it's my turn to drop some change into it. Just curious.

Peace, love, hope, and full mag of .45 ACP hollowpoints.

 

[El Tejon]

Think they tote Zig Zauers. However, didn't the Swiss Guard who purportedly murdered a comrade there use a Glock? IIRC, it was a privately owned weapon.

 

[The_Antibubba]

I thought Gran Marino was the smallest country?

Hey, is it true that the Swiss Guard's WP grenades actually emit incense?

 

[Redneck Revolver]

actually the rifles in the picture looked like stg57's to me.

 

[zpo]

I don't know if this is true or not, but I was told that the bands of cloth and way the outfit was cut was to hide movement, so when in a fight, it would be difficult to "read" the Guards movements. But it may not be true.

 

[Harry Paget Flashman]

With due respect to lockedandloaded, the links provided (www.ianpaisley.org) might be taken with a grain of salt. The rhetoric in that website doesn't take the high road with regard to anything "catholic". Which is not to say that what was reported couldn't be factual but IMO the tone and tenor of that website give me doubts.

Posted as friendly feedback.

 

[thorn726]

boy guys, NIT pickers.
you know , if we had called US states provinces, and if countries all over weren't called states, would any of this matter?

it's the Vatican. they got there own guards. hahaha.

anyway, interesting, i never knew about the Swiss , makes a ton of sense not to be using the Italian govt.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/swiss_guard/index.htm

Here's the rundown on the Swiss Guard from the Source.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[Cool Hand Luke 22:36]

With due respect to lockedandloaded, the links provided (www.ianpaisley.org) might be taken with a grain of salt. The rhetoric in that website doesn't take the high road with regard to anything "catholic". Which is not to say that what was reported couldn't be factual but IMO the tone and tenor of that website give me doubts.

Ian Paisley is a strongly anti-Catholic, unionist-Protestant leader from Northern Ireland.

I am suprised the information presented in that website is as tame as it is.

 

[lockedandloaded]

Those links I gave for Ian Paisley just happened to show up in a search engine for details. His whole rhetoric on the situation is one of the conspiracy issues. Specifically, a homosexual love triangle within the Vatican. Preposterous, but he detailed the facts well.

 

[crt360]

Hammer time!