>>>The impression I got was that every man, woman, and child in Switzerland would be mobilized and armed if necessary to defend the country...
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>>Each male (I don't think female yet) has an assault rife stored at home and are required to practice shooting periodically. These things look like a heavy cousin of an M16 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Stgw_90.jpg
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>>Switzerland is a really good example of how having a large number of weapons in homes doesn't lead to increase gun crime and gun deaths. Don't tell the liberals that.
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>Actually, as I got released/dismissed (don't know the proper word) from the army

discharged :-)

>I decided to give back my rifle. But, if someone wants to keep the rifle, he'll get an altered rifle resp. the rifle will be altered (semi automatic instead of automatic rifle).

because to have an automatic rifle might lead to people getting killed by it! :-)

>Females serving in the Swiss Army (on a voluntary basis) can decide whether they get a rifle as they are now allowed to serve even in combat units.

So long as they keep it locked away for a few days every lunar month?! :-)

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>BTW, right now our politicians are discussing whether keeping the rifle at home is really necessary. They think even there are so few incidents with army rifles, there are still too much of them. But I guess the number of incidents won't get less..

Tell me, Bruno: Are burglars allowed to break into your house with their assault rifles slung over their shoulders? :-)