The number of deaths is decreasing thanks to stricter laws

"I can still hear today the phrase: "I'll shoot you, got enough ammunition."" A 90-year-old woman has turned herself in to the editors. By letter, written on a typewriter. She describes how her husband had threatened again and again with his weapon. He was an avid shooter, "with many, many badges and cups". Had started the threats in the ' 70s. Her husband had become after a stroke, a manic-depressive. Only three decades later, they have contacted the police, says the woman in the conversation.

she was surely the Only one who did something like that happen. However, your criticism of politics and the media: This aspect is being hardly mentioned at all, if Switzerland is debate, once again, a sharper law for firearms.

large majority

Currently, this assessment applies to a large extent. As a Federal councillor Karin Keller-Sutter to kick off the voting campaign for a ' Yes ' to the adjustment of the arms to the right of the 19. May promoted, she stressed that the Switzerland risk with no membership in the European border space Schengen. Also, Operation Libero relies on the Slogan "I love Schengen". And the civil advocates say, especially, how little with the new law, however, for the Protect change. Only the one on the left Yes-camp for a few days on the Slogan: "Less weapons less gun violence."

looking at the current Reform alone, is not the margin of safety is probably large: Essentially, a new semi – automatic shot to be prohibited weapons – for example, former assault rifles of the army. The exceptions are so broad that no one expected that the number of the shot to keep weapons in the Swiss house is significantly reduced. This view ignores, however, that the current Reform is part of a development, over the last two decades. And the measurable consequences.

in 1999, the first national firearms act came into force. On the basis of a constitutional article, the the people five years earlier, with 86 percent had adopted. The Federal government must have since "adopted provisions against the abuse of weapons". The current Reform of this law is the third – each Time the EU had to be transposed in national law. Add to that in 2016, a law that regulates the exchange of firearms data between the authorities.

firearms and use of deadly force, which can be set in Switzerland, almost with family dramas of the same: finally, the number of deaths with firearms between 200 and 250 per year fluctuated. 90 percent are suicides. Added to this is rarely a fatal accident. In the one to two dozen Victims of homicide per year, it is the majority of the relatives or Acquaintances of the offender.

In comparison to the period before the first national gun law has halved the number of annual deaths with firearms. Although the population of Switzerland has since grown to one and a half million people. A decline took place both in the case of the suicides, as well as in the rest of the deaths. He happened not in one fell swoop, but over years.

In 2000, there were 351 suicides with firearms, 2016 there were 212. The number of suicides reduced by a total of in this period – from around 1200 to just over 1000 cases per year. The other common suicide methods, there was little change.

In the case of the homicide shows a similar picture: firearms are used less frequently. In the first five years after the national act of 1999, a third of all attempted and full of homicides with firearms ended in the last ten years, one-fifth was made. Firearms are used, victims have a lower chance of Survival than at other Tatvorgang. In the comparison of the two investigated time periods, the number of Deaths decreased, while the number of attempted homicides has increased.

Rare weapons in the house

In the foreign studies, it was found a connection between a stricter weapons law, and the decline in firearms deaths. In Switzerland it is more complicated: in an international comparison, the high availability of firearms in households has much to do with the army. In the case of the weapons, which have no relation to the army, Switzerland is an average.

In the same period, in which Switzerland has tightened up its weapons law, also carried the army to various reforms. The stock has been reduced from the mid-90s, half a Million soldiers, currently under the 150'000 – in a significantly shorter period of service. Since around 10 years the soldiers to take ammo home. And several new rules have meant that today only every Tenth of the reserves after leaving the military his weapon.

The consequences of stricter gun laws, and especially of the poor reforms the surveys conducted by the criminologist Martin Killias. In the year 2000, a firearm was, therefore, in every third household. 15 years later, still in each fifth.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 16.04.2019, 19:11 PM