They're just in it for the kick ass gun laws. They just don't want to admit it

New calls for the Nanny State to let folks die?

well that should be a no braner, it will save the Nanny State money.

Ah, well-crafted, Submitter.

It is good to see in the article that people with no connection to the situation, but still fight against assisted suicide, got to throw their unneeded two cents in for good measure, to those people I say but the hell out no one asked you!!

This headline isn't getting nearly the love it deserves. +1, subby.

Frank N Stein: They're just in it for the kick ass gun laws. They just don't want to admit it

Got to love the fact that nearly every home in Switzerland has a machine gun.

minoridiot: Frank N Stein: They're just in it for the kick ass gun laws. They just don't want to admit it

Got to love the fact that nearly every home in Switzerland has a machine gun.

Not a fact at all, but the nuts sure love the idea.

Erik_Emune: minoridiot: Frank N Stein: They're just in it for the kick ass gun laws. They just don't want to admit it

Got to love the fact that nearly every home in Switzerland has a machine gun.

Not a fact at all, but the nuts sure love the idea.

So you are saying that Switzerland doesn't require every male over the age of 20 too keep a Sig 510 at home? You maybe right as there are guns in only about 97% of the homes, where as I said "nearly every home".

minoridiot: So you are saying that Switzerland doesn't require every male over the age of 20 too keep a Sig 510 at home?

You are correct, that is exactly what I'm saying.

The Swiss Army issues Sig 550 rifles to reservists, and who may opt to bring it home. At the end of their reservist service (around the age of 30), they can opt to keep their weapon, in which case it will be converted to semiautomatic fire only (hence, not a machine gun.)

Did you notice the "may" and the "can" in the sentence above? So, no, there's no "requirement".

Now, only about 60% of Swiss males actually serve in the armed forces. Some opt for civilian service, some are excused for health reasons, whatever - 40% of males never receive a military weapon.

So how many assault rifles are actually out there? The Swiss Army is, understandably, a little coy about the numbers, but what I've been able to find indicates somewhere between 250,000 and 450,000.

Ammunition is no longer issued. Reservists bring their weapons to the range for marksmanship training, go through their government-sponsored shooting programs and hopefully qualify. (If they don't, they have to purchase additional ammunition out of their own pocket.)

You maybe right as there are guns in only about 97% of the homes, where as I said "nearly every home".

Machine guns, right? As for the numbers, well - let's be generous and say there's 500,000 assault rifles out there. Spread across 3 million households, that's - lessee - 1 in 6. Even if you add converted military weapons, handguns, hunting rifles etc. - none of which, I'm sure we agree, count as machine guns - you're way off with the 97%.

And, again, this is not a legal requirement.

The Swiss do have a thriving tradition of weapons ownership and the firing range/gun club has traditionally been a social institution as well - marksmanship is considered a skill suitable for a well-rounded (male) individual - but is not a legal requirement and the numbers as bandied about by some are seriously overinflated.

The 97% (which includes all guns, including machine guns) came from a Swiss publication I read a couple of years ago while visiting my family in Lyon.

Beautiful headline, subgenius. The in-your-face ones generate the most replies, but I dig the subtlety. You're probably the same sub who pulled the ten teeth/decadence bit a few days ago.

Regarding the ending of one's own life: How hard is it to get drunk and shoot yourself? I know that it's far easier said than done. But if you're going to jump through all sorts of hurdles to end your misery, including the potentially criminal involvement of an 'accomplice,' how difficult is firing a bullet into your skull? By comparison, I mean?

Just a thinking aloud, that's all.

Stay Cool Babylon: Regarding the ending of one's own life: How hard is it to get drunk and shoot yourself? I know that it's far easier said than done. But if you're going to jump through all sorts of hurdles to end your misery, including the potentially criminal involvement of an 'accomplice,' how difficult is firing a bullet into your skull? By comparison, I mean?

I expect there's a world of difference between going to a clinic and getting a lethal dose of pills for your 90-year-old mother who's dying of bowel cancer versus laying plastic sheeting in the living room and handing her a pistol. One's "hospice" and the other is the kind of thing that ends up with a Florida tag.