This is how heated the debate was No ammunition returned to Swiss households

Members of the armed forces should still not be able to be issued with ammunition for their personal weapons. The Council of States has rejected the demand from the SVP to prepare the distribution of pocket ammunition.

Foreign countries are always surprised: how can it be that Switzerland has such a low crime rate even though every member of the armed forces has an assault rifle at home? In 2018, the popular US show "The Daily Show" even devoted an entire program to the topic.

According to the latest estimate by the Geneva-based NGO Small Arms Survey, around 2.3 million firearms were owned by the population in 2022 - out of a population of just over 8.9 million. This means that there is one gun for almost every third inhabitant.

Switzerland, a neutral country that is considered peaceful, is therefore one of the most heavily armed countries in the world. Only Austria, Norway and Finland have comparable figures.

Swiss soldiers keep their service weapons at home and can buy them back for a small fee when they leave the army. Since January 1, 2010, they have also been able to deposit their service weapons at a return office free of charge.

For a long time, members of the armed forces also kept some of their ammunition in the cupboard - the so-called pocket ammunition, a tin can with 50 cartridges for use at home. In September 2007, parliament ordered the withdrawal of pocket ammunition. The main argument at the time was that suicides and homicides with army weapons were a recurring problem.

The conservative majority in the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States (SiK-S) wants to give Swiss soldiers ammunition to take home again. The Federal Council should prepare everything so that pocket ammunition can be reintroduced.

In the eyes of the conservative majority, the reintroduction of pocket ammunition is a necessary reaction to the war in Ukraine: "The security situation in Europe has fundamentally changed," argued Bernese SVP member of the Council of States Werner Salzmann in the lower chamber on Wednesday.

In the opinion of the majority of the committee, the return of ammunition would increase the security of army personnel in the event of mobilization and strengthen the army's overall ability to defend itself.

In the event of general or partial mobilization, conscripts would have to go to the ammunition drop-off points and ensure their own and their comrades' safety on the way there: "In addition to their personal weapon, they also need ammunition very quickly," says Salzmann.

According to Salzmann, handing out pocket ammunition would also be the ultimate vote of confidence in the members of the armed forces, "who would risk their lives for our country in an emergency". It would also clearly show that Switzerland has a strong will to defend itself.

The majority of the committee is also convinced that the distribution of pocket ammunition would not lead to more homicides or suicides with the ordnance weapon. The army invests considerable resources, including in a thorough psychological examination during recruitment. "This determines whether there are reasons why a personal weapon should not be issued," says Salzmann.

Five out of 12 committee members are against the issue of pocket ammunition. During the discussion in the Council of States, it quickly becomes clear that this opinion is broadly supported in the small chamber: six speakers campaigned for the motion to be rejected.

Daniel Jositsch (SP) from Zurich emphasized: "An operational firearm in the cellar is a danger." In addition, the availability of weapons and ammunition increases the risk of them being used in the heat of passion: "The danger of firearms lies in so-called reflex acts, for example in a relationship crisis combined with alcohol."

The same also applies to suicides: "To prevent people from harming themselves in desperate situations, they should not have operational firearms in their homes," argues Jositsch.

The effectiveness of pocket ammunition is also questioned: "Can we really use pocket ammunition to fend off cyber attacks, counter disinformation or prevent sabotage?" asks Mathias Zopfi (The Greens) from Glarus rhetorically.

In the event of mobilization, ammunition would be distributed at the mobilization site, quickly and safely, adds Andrea Gmür-Schönenberger (Centre/Lucerne). And: If there was a homicide with an army weapon after the ammunition was returned home, this would damage the army.

Flavia Wasserfallen (SP) from Bern refers to studies that show a connection between firearm fatalities, the assault rifle at home and pocket ammunition. And suicides with army weapons have decreased since pocket ammunition was no longer issued to soldiers.

"By handing out pocket ammunition again, we are accepting that we are causing more suffering and grief. We are also destroying a great deal in terms of suicide prevention," says Wasserfallen.

The Federal Council acknowledges the changed geopolitical situation, but considers a large-scale attack by a hostile army to be rather unlikely according to the annual threat assessment report.

"The surrender of the homeland cannot be justified from a military point of view," explains Defense Minister Martin Pfister in the Council of States. There is no conceivable situation in which a soldier would shoot his way out on the way to his unit or use his weapon without having the corresponding orders.

On the other hand, the Federal Council believes it is important to store sufficient ammunition for emergencies.

The decision to abolish pocket ammunition was preceded by an emotional discussion at the time. Prior to this, there had been several homicides, assassinations and suicides with army weapons.

In February 2002, for example, a 25-year-old man fired his army weapon into the audience at a sex movie theater in Lausanne. Two people were killed and two others seriously injured. In April 2007, a gunman shot wildly with a service weapon in a hotel in Baden. The sad result: one dead and four seriously injured.

According to a survey by the Federal Statistical Office, the number of deaths caused by firearms in Switzerland has fallen significantly between 2007 (291 deaths) and 2023 (194 deaths).

However, Nora Markwalder, professor of criminal law at the HSG, puts this into perspective in an interview with SRF: "It's difficult to say whether ammunition was the reason for this development." Even before the abolition of pocket ammunition, there had been a decline.

It is therefore not possible to precisely quantify the extent of the impact of the withdrawal of pocket ammunition on the decline in firearm fatalities.

A federal study on homicides with firearms in the home shows that of the 41 firearms used in domestic homicides between 2015 and 2022, five were former army weapons used by the perpetrator.

The strong opposition to the Commission's decision ultimately prevailed: By 31 votes to 9 with 3 abstentions, the Council of States said no to the motion on Wednesday. Yes votes came mainly from the SVP and occasionally from the center and FDP. The no vote means the motion is off the table.