The Swiss are not part of the European Union, but they are required by treaties they have signed to “harmonize” some of their laws with EU laws. Originally the harmonization was intended to apply mostly to commercial activity, but like all bureaucratic monsters, the reach of the EU has lengthened. Their latest requirement is that the Swiss give up their right to private gun ownership.

The following video tells a tale out of Swiss history to explain the country’s stubborn tradition of private firearms. Many thanks to Ava Lon for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript: