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Women are the victims of most domestic shootings in Switzerland

Firearm homicides at home: perpetrators are often over 60 years old
Firearm homicides at home: perpetrators are often over 60 years old Keystone-SDA

Domestic homicides involving firearms in Switzerland are largely femicides, with Swiss men over 60 often the perpetrators and Swiss women the primary victims.

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Firearms are a significant factor in domestic homicides, with most perpetrators being Swiss nationals over 60, according to a study commissioned by the Swiss government.

Swiss women over 60 are particularly at risk of being killed by firearms at home, the government announced on Wednesday. The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive body, reviewed a report from the Federal Office for Gender Equality, prepared in response to a parliamentary mandate.

+Domestic violence in Switzerland: the suffering behind the stats

The study also reveals that, between 2015 and 2022, only one of the 41 perpetrators of domestic firearm homicides was female. This means the vast majority of these cases were femicides, according to the press release.

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The study also shows that firearm use in homicides has generally declined in Switzerland over the past three decades. However, this decline has been much smaller in domestic settings.

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Translated from German with DeepL/sp

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