Politics Council of States wants fewer procedures for buyers of toy weapons
In the opinion of the Council of States, it happens too often that people have to answer to the courts after buying a banned imitation weapon in an online store because they were unaware of the ban. He is calling for amendments to the law.
16.06.2025, 18:04
SDA
On Monday, the Council of States approved a motion by Beat Rieder (center/VS) without opposition. Rieder complained that illegal imitation weapons were being offered on online platforms in Switzerland, but without any reference to the ban. Online retailers were making millions with such imitation weapons, at the expense of unsuspecting citizens.
Rieder spoke of water pistols or even slingshots, which the authorities would consider to fall under the weapons ban. If the legal basis were adapted, numerous proceedings could be avoided, said Rieder.
The Federal Council rejected the motion and referred to ongoing work by the Federal Office of Police to adapt the definition of imitation weapons. According to this, imitation weapons should in future only be treated as such and banned if they look so similar to real firearms that only experts can tell the difference.
Once the new definition is in force, there should be significantly fewer criminal proceedings than at present. According to Justice Minister Beat Jans, the competent federal authority has to deal with around 2,000 inquiries every year to clarify whether or not certain imitation weapons are banned due to the risk of confusion.
