[Gllug] [OT] Automatic weapons

[Stig Brautaset]

* David Damerell <damerell at chiark.greenend.org.uk> spake thus:
> On Tuesday, 13 Aug 2002, Tethys wrote:
> >Which is always nice to quote at people when they claim gun ownership
> >and violent crime are inexplicably linked. Switzerland has the world's
> >highest per capita ownership of firearms, yet they're hardly renowned
> >for massive outbreaks of violence.
> 
> This is getting _very_ OT, but the Swiss situation - where after
> undergoing military training you are issued with a fundamentally
> unconcealable firearm whose rifling pattern is known, and a very small
> number of bullets - and god help you if any of them go missing - is
> completely unlike the American one, and only in the minds of the NRA
> does Switzerland tell you anything about unrestricted gun ownership.

Ah, so that is how it is.. That seems very similar to the Norwegian
situation. Basically, the reason is that Norway have too few people to
sustain a professional army. Hence, all men are required to undergo
military training. The idea is that a vast army can be mobillised on
short notice. After finishing the compulsory year, a large part are
enlisted in the 'home guard' and get an automatic weapon of the type
AG-3 and about 200 rounds to have at home. The AG-3 is a beast; 92 cm
long, uses 7.62mm high-speed ammunition -- not easy to hide that thing.

Members of the 'home guard' have to go on 1-2 weeks training camps in
the local area every 4th year, I think, so as to not forget their
training. The idea is that they possess an expert knowledge of their
local area, they should be able to protect it better -- and they have a
fantastic response time since they live in the local area. 

Stig

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