first of all, I want to tell you that I already answered all these questions when I joined THR.. but I will do it again, with pleasure :
Do they limit:
1. the number of guns
Absolutely NO
2. the type (Semi auto, auto, etc.)
Not really. Full autos can be bought and owned, but a bit expensive to legally shoot.
only handgun deformative bullets are forbidden for civilians (no hollow points or soft points.. )
That is awesome. I don't want to derail your thread, Shung, but how exactly do the laws work over there? I tried to read up on it but I was sort of confused. It led to me believe that active or reserve military get to take their rifle home if they want, in semi-auto form, with a set amount of ammunition that you are not allowed to open, although you can purchase ammo at the range and use it up all there.
No.. Every man, should serve in the Army, from 18 to early 30s (300 days for soldiers, 3 weeks a year).. During all that time you keep all you gear at home in between courses, including your issued SIG550, full auto. You were also issued a box of ammo, sealed, with 50 rounds, that you should have used in case of war only, to reach your unit. This sealed ammo box was taken from me and other soldiers, last year, for BS reasons, after a couple of murders that were commited with those ammuntions. Liberals (greens, socialists, leftiest etc are behind those media campaign, anti guns etc..) .. And this is TOTAL bull**** since we shoot at least twice a year for those who DONT LIKE shooting (the others shoots a lot more), and there you can buy/steal all the ammo you want.. so it's not stopping those crazy murderers if they want to do bad..
When you reach the 300 days and that you are in the reserve or over with the army, you can keep your service rifle, but you have to pay for a 100$, that will pay for a gunsmith to castrate your full SiG550 to semi only. and it's yours, forever.
How does it work exactly? Can you just purchase a firearm from these shows, and take it home
Depends. We are a confederation. In which you have many Cantons (like your states) The Police of some of those cantons are there, and they can do your permit on request (like a background check) which will allow you to buy 3 guns with it (but you can ask for 10 permits at a time or more if you want .. each permit cost 50$) . Inhabitants of Cantons that don't have police services at the gunshow, must ask their permit to their police before the gunshow, but if you come to the gunshow with 2 permits made earlier for example, you can buy 6 guns.. and take them home
and for 10 years now, and until the 12th of this month (our law change at this date, no more private contracts, i explain what they are just after this), we could sell and buy guns to each others, without any police control or permission. We just had to make a contract in between the seller and the buyer, with names, adresse, guns data and serials, and sign it, and keep a copy of it (We had to ask for an empty crime record of the buyer, if we didnt know this person, just to make sure he was not a felon) so that the police could reach the owner of a gun from going to the 1st to the last owner, just in case of a crme case.
So even if you had no permit ready, you could just ask a friend with one to buy your gun, and sell it right away to you.
So yes, you pull out some cash and you go home with your new toy(s) !
in other words, is there a "limit" to the number of firearms you can own? Ammunition restrictions? Any special permits?
No number limit.. we have some incredible collectors in Switzerland (thousands of guns owned by single collectors, hundreds of full autos, including Minimis, M-60s, I even saw miniguns or m2's...)
The only things that require special permits and 150$ taxes are full autos, laser sights, Moderators/silencers, and from the 12th (new law coming), grenade launcher as well (until the 12th and for 10 years, M203 and other 40mm were totally free to buy and shoot (if you could find ammo), no permit required)
Also, are you allowed to use any of your (legal) firearms in self-defense if need be?
You are allowed to use your guns, proportionally to the threat, to defend your integrity or your property.. But unfortunately from 1999, carrying has been banned (for what reasons we still wonder.. our country was safer back then). So this would only apply in home defense situations.
I understand crime in Switzerland is extremely low, something that may be due to firearm use but I attribute more to you all being so nice over there as a society . Anyway, if in the rare case you had to, is it allowed, or frowned upon and viewed as vigilantism as in much of Western Europe?
They (the disarmed populace) sure see gun owners , shooters and collectors as Gunnuts... even in Switzerland.. but who care's !!! we are PROUD of it !
Sorry to impose all the questions. I guess it's my way of getting back at you for making me jealous! (just kidding)
I hope I answered all of your questions
(Was die Gesetze in der Schweiz sind?)
I know it's hard but I'm not married yet, maybe I can find a nice Swiss girl to be my wife and that will be my way in
