My only qualification to jump on this topic is to be Swiss. I am not a psychologist or a fireman expert, but I do follow news in what is happening in my country.
First, regarding firearm.
The military service is compulsory for every male citizen and you have to do your "class" for about five months around the age of 20. Once done, you are
responsible for your gun that you take home, with a sealed can of bullets (20, enough for one charger).
The rifle is a military weapon, capable of short burst or full auto (I gave this details because I read in newspaper that there is currently heated debated about banning automatic gun).
You will be entrusted with the weapon until you reach 35. During this time, every year you go for a 3-4 weeks military training, and you have to attend on a separate occasion a test shooting (about an hour). At each military training, you have to show your sealed can of bullet to prove that you did not use it.
So unless you have been found unfit for millitary duty, or you requested to do civil service instead of military service, you will have a rifle at home, with a can of bullet ready to use (if you don't care of the consequence).
When I turned 35 (when you are removed from the army list), I was asked if I wanted to own my weapon (which I refused instantly), but it is possible to own it. Your rifle will be modified not to be able to shoot full auto or 3 bullet burst and you will have to attend every year the shooting practice.
I do not know now, if you can still keep your gun after you turn 35 or if all rifles are kept in arsenals.
About once or twice a year on average, there is problem involving shooting (with or without killing, with or without military weapon) (out of 7 mio people to put in comparison with US population of 300 mio ?).
Having lived about a year in the US recently (California) I can make some comparisons.
Switzerland does not have a gun culture. Not at all. Yes, there is alot of guns amongst the population, but owing a gun is a
responsability not a right. That being said, every year, there is in Switzerland the biggest shooting competition in the world with around 130'000 participants during a week end. It is a one-of-a-kind celebration, as there is no other "big" competition and amongst all my friends and colleagues none is remotely interested in guns (and they cover a large spread of the community).
However I remember that in the US, there is regular advertisement on TV, you can get gun in Walmarts and so on (which was baffling for a guy like me :-) ). No judgement on my side, simply making a comparison between two countries where guns number are high, but where the takes on gun-ownership is very different.
Regarding the gun issue, there is currently also a heated discussion in Switzerland on gun control. Very recently, having national registry of gun has been rejected by the government, the responsibility will be left to the 26 cantons (equivalent of US states), which obviously makes it much less efficient. People (and government) are fully aware that a lot of weapons are in circulations, and it seems that a fair amount of ex-military rifles are sold/stolen/lost without their owner notifying the proper authority. Which is a concern, but everything takes a very long time to evolve in my little country (geological scale is more adequate to track change in Switzerland than human calendar
).
