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WORLD NEWS Monday 20 May 2019

Swiss voters approve tighter

gun laws, lining up with the EU

By JAMEY KEATEN tions, allows veterans of its rope's Schengen visa-free
GENEVA (AP) — Swiss vot- obligatory military service travel zone. They insisted it
ers on Sunday approved for men to take home their will not block law-abiding
a measure to tighten the service weapons after tours citizens from obtaining le-
Alpine nation's gun laws, of duty. gal guns, but would simply
bringing the country in line The Swiss proposal, among do more to track them.
with many of its European other things, requires regu- Switzerland is not an EU
partners despite the objec- lar training on the use of member, but it is in the
tions of local gun owners, firearms, special waivers to Schengen zone.
official results showed. own some semi-automatic Opponents insisted the pro- Meeting rooms and a poster of the committee against the EU
The Federal Chancel- weapons and serial num- posal would violate Swit- gun laws and policies, prior to the committee's meeting in Burg-
lery said provisional results ber tracking system for key zerland's constitution and dorf, Switzerland, Sunday, May 19, 2019.
showed nearly 64% of vot- parts of some guns. Gun do little to fight extrem- Associated Press
ers nationwide agreed to owners would have to ism or crime. They said the
align with European Union register any weapons not weapons used in recent at- killing, useless, dangerous, couldn't continue to have
firearms rules adopted two already registered within tacks in Europe weren't ob- and above all, anti-Swiss." access to Schengen-zone
years ago after deadly at- three years, and keep a tained legally. They argued "With no effect on the fight databases. He also said the
tacks in France, Belgium, registry of their gun collec- the proposal cracks down against terrorism, it will only country had an important
Germany and Britain. tions. mainly on lawful gun own- hit honest, law-abiding say in negotiations with the
The vote was part of Swit- Supporters of the measure, ers in Switzerland and rams citizens who possess legal European Union.
zerland's regular referen- who included the Swiss through what they see as weapons," he wrote on his "It is Switzerland, as a mem-
dums that give citizens a parliament and executive the latest diktat from Brus- website. "It's the epitome of ber state, that has partici-
direct say in policymaking. branch, said similar mea- sels. injustice." pated at every level the
It had stoked passions in a sures adopted by the EU Jean-Luc Addor, a popu- Carmelo Lagana, project work to modify this Euro-
country with long, proud after deadly extremist at- list Swiss People's Party manager for foreign trade pean directive and it was
traditions of gun ownership tacks are needed to ensure lawmaker from the south- at economiesuisse, the exactly able to introduce
and sport and target shoot- strong police cooperation western Valais region, said country's top business fed- some exceptions to pre-
ing. Switzerland, unlike and economic ties with adopting the EU directive eration, insisted Switzerland serve Swiss shooting tradi-
many other European na- Switzerland's partners in Eu- would be "unjust, freedom- would suffer if Swiss police tions," he said. q