The firearms – including assault rifles and pistols – went missing last year, the army confirmed on Tuesday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
Army guns disappear every year. According to the newspaper BlickExternal link, 70 army weapons were reported missing last year, including 57 assault rifles. Of these, 54 were stolen and one was destroyed in a house fire. The remaining 15 weapons could no longer be found. Army spokesman Stefan Hofer confirmed Monday’s report to the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA.
Between 1969-2021, a total of 5,519 army weapons were reported missing – 418 were later recovered.
Last year 22 lost weapons reappeared, with the vast majority being returned to the army by the police, who found them during operations. The rest were handed in by civilians.
The 2020 figure was lower than recent years, which had witnessed a steadily growing trend: 69 missing in 2016, 85 in 2017, 107 in 2018 and 102 in 2019.
In 2017, the army launched an awareness-raising campaign on the subject of lost weapons.
The loss of a weapon has consequences of varying severity for members of the army. These can range from disciplinary punishment to three years imprisonment.
Tradition
All able-bodied Swiss men must do military service and have the option of storing their army rifle or other weapons at home. This is a long-standing tradition for the Swiss army, which is supposed to be ready for a call to arms in times of crisis.
The army rifle must be kept in a burglar-proof location and any theft must be reported immediately, but missing weapons are usually only reported when the soldier goes on military exercise or when he leaves the army and can’t find his gun.
Switzerland has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, because of its militia army. The defence ministry estimates that over two million guns are in private hands, for a population of 8.6 million.
More
More
Regulating firearms in gun-loving Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland’s gun laws and high rates of gun ownership reflect the country’s deep-seated belief in the right to bear arms.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Swiss air traffic control upgrade slows tempo for safety reasons
This content was published on
The upgrade of Switzerland’s air traffic control system will take longer than anticipated following a series of malfunctions.
Switzerland remains ‘world’s most innovative country’
This content was published on
Switzerland remains the world's most innovative country, still ahead of Sweden and the US on the WIPO Global Innovation Index.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss army lost more than 100 firearms in 2019
This content was published on
A total 102 Swiss army firearms went AWOL last year. Among them were 81 assault rifles. The other missing weapons were pistols.
This content was published on
Last year, a total of 107 military weapons – assault rifles and pistols – were reported lost, the Swiss defence ministry said on Tuesday.
How do the Swiss deal with firearms? Your questions, answered
This content was published on
Amid US gun law debates, we answer your questions about guns in Switzerland, including why a place thought to have so many has few mass shootings.
Soldiers prefer to keep guns at home than in barracks
This content was published on
The vast majority of Swiss militia soldiers prefer to store their weapons at home rather than at a local military base. The government introduced this option in 2010 to improve firearm safety. As of the end of June 2016, only 789 army guns out of a total of 170,000 in circulation (0.5%) had been handed…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.