This has been doing the rounds, where some Daily Show charachter went to a Swiss shooting comp wearing a bullet proof vest and clowned it up. This graphic needs a response, since some of it is not true, and some is kinda true but really rather misleading.

Background check: True, although for permit-free guns (hunting / sporting rifles, Swiss military bolt guns, 6mm Flobert rabbit killers) there’s only an “all due care” requirement on the part of the seller, no firm obligation to ask to see a recent criminal record declaration or permit (although the law strongly recommends it and I would personally always ask to see one).

Send written request to authoritites: Partly true, so misleading. No requirement for permit-free guns.

2 week waiting period: False. There is no formal waiting period. In fact, there’s nothing at all for permit-free guns, and some jurisdictions fulfil permit requests in a couple of days (Bern is typically about 10 days).

Strict open carry: Completely false. If you have a carry permit, you are obliged to carry concealed unless you’re working uniformed private security. I think they’ve mangled the whole “your rifle must be uncovered when arriving at a shooting event”, but that’s not “carrying” in Swiss law, it’s *transporting*. And now the police are starting to get a sad on about civilians transporting rifles uncovered in urban areas and the advice is now to conceal them in a case or plastic bag.

Justification for ownership: Misleading. Nothing at all is required for permit-free guns. For permit-requiring guns, “target shooting, hunting or collection” is the default and doesn’t even need to be stated on the form. “Collection” covers pretty much everything, no? Only forbidden weapons on an exception permit need a formal justification (typically collection).

Have a clean record: Partly true. One non-violence-related entry on your record is normally OK.

Keep ammo separate: Misleading. During *transport* guns and ammo must be kept separate (and magazines must be empty), but at home there’s no formal requirement (provided a kid can’t easily get at both). Also applies to “Unloaded when not in use”. Obviously best practice is to lock ammo away separately in all circumstances, that goes without saying.

Tracability of arms ownership: In principle, but the database is very incomplete.

Gun education: Misleading. What an American understands as “gun education”, as in compulsory classes, is just not a thing. In Swiss terms “gun education” means learning to target shoot or hunt in a club.

Proper training: ditto.

Respect guns: True

The rest: ha ha very funny. No.

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