Thursday, 30 January, 2003
Disarming William Tell?
by Bob Kroon, 24 January 2003
William Tell Monument in Altdorf erected in 1895
Patrons of the Dynamik snackbar, take note: "No firearms in this restaurant.'' But that does not apply to Dynamik owner and arms dealer Ricardo Teixeira. Two .44 Magnums are in full view on the bar and Ricardo totes a Czech CZ pistol and a 9 mm Heckler & Koch in side holsters. Outside, the shooting range reverberates with the staccato of small-arms fire.
A Hollywood film stage in Texas? Not exactly. Dynamik is a canteen-plus-armoury in the Geneva countryside, and there are hundreds of such establishments in peaceful Switzerland.
The number of firearms in this Alpine country is a multiple of the seven-million population, reflecting the Swiss tradition of the arms-bearing citizen, the heritage of the legendary William Tell, the 13th century national hero – even if his existence has never been proven.
The arms supermarket of Europe
Like used cars, small arms can be freely traded in Switzerland, or legally purchased in dozens of armouries or via the Internet.
The Swiss army is a national militia, with an army rifle in the home of every able-bodied citizen. So far, no problem. Swiss criminals may settle their scores with knives or clubs, but usually leave the official shooting-iron alone.
Italian Baritone performing in William Tell, Rossini´s last opera
But even in this placid Alpine country times are changing. In 2001 a deranged burgher used his army weapon to decimate the cantonal parliament of Zug. Last year guns blazed in more than a dozen bloody family feuds.
To curb the mayhem and counter Switzerland's reputation as the ‘arms supermarket of Europe', the federal government wants to enact stringent arms control laws. In the future, gun aficionados or collectors will need official permits to buy or exchange their hardware and police can search homes without warning for ‘particularly dangerous weapons,' – such as the lethal 50 BMG, a favourite toy of one shooting club in the Bernese Oberland. This long-range sniper's rifle with laser-scope can knock out an armoured personnel carrier from a distance of one kilometre.
Pro-Tell lobby
But the Swiss arms lobby is no less militant than its American brothers-in-arms of the National Rifle Association. The ‘Pro-Tell' lobby, grouping hundreds of thousands weekend-shooters, is lambasting the government project as "a sinister attempt to disarm the people.'' The new rules, Pro-Tell darkly warns, herald "a slide toward dictatorship."
But polls suggest that a majority of the people, women in particular, are in favour of shackling the gun toters, tradition or no. Ultimately, the issue may be decided in a nationwide referendum.
Disarming William Tell?
by Bob Kroon, 24 January 2003
William Tell Monument in Altdorf erected in 1895
Patrons of the Dynamik snackbar, take note: "No firearms in this restaurant.'' But that does not apply to Dynamik owner and arms dealer Ricardo Teixeira. Two .44 Magnums are in full view on the bar and Ricardo totes a Czech CZ pistol and a 9 mm Heckler & Koch in side holsters. Outside, the shooting range reverberates with the staccato of small-arms fire.
A Hollywood film stage in Texas? Not exactly. Dynamik is a canteen-plus-armoury in the Geneva countryside, and there are hundreds of such establishments in peaceful Switzerland.
The number of firearms in this Alpine country is a multiple of the seven-million population, reflecting the Swiss tradition of the arms-bearing citizen, the heritage of the legendary William Tell, the 13th century national hero – even if his existence has never been proven.
The arms supermarket of Europe
Like used cars, small arms can be freely traded in Switzerland, or legally purchased in dozens of armouries or via the Internet.
The Swiss army is a national militia, with an army rifle in the home of every able-bodied citizen. So far, no problem. Swiss criminals may settle their scores with knives or clubs, but usually leave the official shooting-iron alone.
Italian Baritone performing in William Tell, Rossini´s last opera
But even in this placid Alpine country times are changing. In 2001 a deranged burgher used his army weapon to decimate the cantonal parliament of Zug. Last year guns blazed in more than a dozen bloody family feuds.
To curb the mayhem and counter Switzerland's reputation as the ‘arms supermarket of Europe', the federal government wants to enact stringent arms control laws. In the future, gun aficionados or collectors will need official permits to buy or exchange their hardware and police can search homes without warning for ‘particularly dangerous weapons,' – such as the lethal 50 BMG, a favourite toy of one shooting club in the Bernese Oberland. This long-range sniper's rifle with laser-scope can knock out an armoured personnel carrier from a distance of one kilometre.
Pro-Tell lobby
But the Swiss arms lobby is no less militant than its American brothers-in-arms of the National Rifle Association. The ‘Pro-Tell' lobby, grouping hundreds of thousands weekend-shooters, is lambasting the government project as "a sinister attempt to disarm the people.'' The new rules, Pro-Tell darkly warns, herald "a slide toward dictatorship."
But polls suggest that a majority of the people, women in particular, are in favour of shackling the gun toters, tradition or no. Ultimately, the issue may be decided in a nationwide referendum.
