Caught in the Temu trap Pink water pistols earn SVP politician a steep fine
Expensive gift for the children of the gods: an internet order from SVP politician Marc Jaisli caught the eye of customs. The mayor of Buchs AG was convicted of violating the Weapons Act.
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- SVP politician Marc Jaisli was convicted of violating the Weapons Act.
- He had ordered two pink water pistols on Temu. These looked deceptively similar to real weapons.
- The public prosecutor sentenced the mayor of Buchs to a conditional fine and a fine.
A child's toy is costing the mayor of Buchs Marc Jaisli dearly: The SVP politician ordered two pink water pistols from the Chinese online platform Temu and now has to pay a hefty fine. He was also sentenced to a conditional fine.
Jaisli, president of the local council in Buchs AG, ordered the toys in August 2024, according to the "Aargauer Zeitung" newspaper. He had wanted to give his godchildren a present. However, customs inspected the shipment and Jaisli received a penalty order for "negligent unlawful import of weapons into Swiss territory without a permit".
Deceptively real despite bright colors
All because of pink water pistols? Yes. And it's all legal. Because, as the public prosecutor's office is quoted in the "Aargauer Zeitung": "These imitation weapons are weapons according to the Weapons Act, as they can be mistaken for real firearms due to their appearance." In fact, real weapons in bright colors are very popular, especially in the USA.
According to Jaisli, he did not know that buying the toy would make him liable to prosecution. The politician should have informed himself about the applicable import regulations, argues the public prosecutor's office. His failure to do so cost Jaisli a fine of 1,300 francs. In addition, the public prosecutor's office imposed a conditional fine of 20 daily rates of CHF 260 each, i.e. a total of CHF 5200.
"Ignorance is no defense against punishment," admitted Marc Jaisli. He therefore accepted the penalty order and paid it.
Toy weapons are always in the spotlight
Jaisli is not the only person from Aargau to fall into the Temu trap. Every month, public prosecutors issue several penalty orders relating to fake firearms, throwing knives, knuckledusters, laser pointers and pepper sprays. If the imports are discovered at customs, the penalties are steep.
Incidentally, imitation weapons made of transparent material are not subject to the Weapons Act. Weapons that are recognizable as toys at first glance are also legal, writes the Federal Office of Police fedpol in the "Information sheet for the trade in imitation, alarm and soft-air weapons"
