Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kadagar_AV
both [USA and Switzerland] have liberal gun laws.
Um, no? Very, very different gun laws. Switzerland has a level of organization and centralized authority that the USA would never tolerate. Heck, getting a gun license in Swissitania means taking tests and demonstrating competence. I can only imagine the exploding heads were such a law passed in 'Murica.
The Swiss army has long been a militia trained and structured to rapidly respond against foreign aggression. Swiss males grow up expecting to undergo basic military training, usually at age 20 in the Rekrutenschule (recruit school), the basic-training camp, after which Swiss men remain part of the "militia" in reserve capacity until age 30 (age 34 for officers).
Each soldier is required to keep his army-issued personal weapon (the 5.56x45mm Sig 550 rifle for enlisted personnel and/or the 9mm SIG-Sauer P226 semi-automatic pistol for officers, military police, medical and postal personnel) at home or (as of 2010) in the local armoury (Zeughaus).