[Info-vax] [OT] Guns Was: Re: Nice printers for OpenVMS?

[David Froble]

Paul Sture wrote:
> On Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:53:51 -0400, David Froble wrote:
> 
>> But I have to wonder.  Until at least recently, Switzerland REQUIRED
>> people to have military training, and to keep their weapons at their
>> homes.  Why am I not hearing some huge denunciation of the Swiss?  If
>> you say that they don't have any problems, then you're also saying that
>> it isn't the guns, it's the people.
> 
> Because those people are part of the military and subject to military 
> discipline.  As I inferred in an earlier post, once they are retired from 
> the military they have to hand their weapons back.   I can't remember 
> whether they are allowed to keep ammunition at home, but you can bet your 
> bottom dollar that every round has to be accounted for.  In wartime 
> (Switzerland is land locked and was completely surrounded in WW II) and 
> perhaps during the Cold War, things would have been different.

Used to have a customer in Switzerland.  One evening we were talking to one of 
the guys, and the subject of military service came up.  Quite remarkable.  One 
of my achievements in the military was "expert marksman".  The "STANDARD" in the 
Swiss military is hitting targets at 300 meters, that's 900 ft.  I'll tell you, 
I wouldn't have been an expert marksman in the Swiss military.

They had to qualify periodically, maybe yearly.  If they didn't with the issued 
ammunition, then they had to buy their own until they did qualify.

Being subject to military discipline is no guarantee.  We've had people in the 
military crack.

> There's a good story going back to WW I.  Someone pointed out to a Swiss 
> diplomat that the Kaiser's army was twice the size of the then Swiss army 
> and asked what they would do if invaded.
> 
> The answer was "Shoot twice then go home".
> 
> Oh BTW, conscientious objectors who refuse to join the military aren't 
> thrown in jail or anything.  They get a tax surcharge because they 
> haven't contributed their time to the country's defences :-)
> 
> 
And that's a better choice.