Switzerland remains safe despite passionate gun culture

Switzerland's gun culture makes it one of the most heavily armed nations in the world, but despite its relatively high gun ownership rate it still remains one of the safest countries in terms of gun crimes, with mass shootings or other related incidents being a rarity.

Best known for its watches, chocolate, and mountains, the Alpine country also surprisingly ranks as 14th highest in the world for the level of gun ownership, with 28 out of 100 inhabitants possessing a firearm. However, experts say weapons here are more often used for sport shooting, hunting, compulsory military service or by collectors, and rarely for the purposes of self-defense.

Countless towns across Switzerland are now gearing up to host the "Feldschiessen", or field shooting, which is the world's largest annual shooting festival and takes place across the country at the end of May. It offers firearms fans in Switzerland, including experienced handlers or first-timers, to gather together and indulge in their shared passion.

With the event now a little over a month away, many Swiss gun users have headed to the picturesque central city of Lucerne, which is currently hosting the largest gun fair in Switzerland.

Taking place every spring for nearly 50 years, the event offers a wide range of pistols, rifles and other accessories and attracts some 10,000 visitors, many of whom are looking to pick out an ideal weapon for the upcoming shooting festival.

"This is not a new one, it's used. But I buy it because I need a cheap, not expensive gun only for a hobby. I think it's a part of Swiss culture. We have the 'Feldschiessen' [field shooting festival] and the 'Obligatorische' [mandatory gun training for ex-military members], I don't know in English. It's two times a year, and all the people can go there. So it's part of us, I think," explained a gun enthusiast named Sascha Danzer. Shooting is a popular sporting activity across the country, and the high gun ownership level can also be linked to the compulsory military service in Switzerland, where ex-servicemen are allowed to keep their military arms for shooting range activities.

But while adults are eligible to apply for gun ownership, authorities insist that strict vetting procedures are in place to determine who can legally own a gun.

"We check this person before they can legally buy the gun. We check that there are no reasons against having a weapon, no psychological problems, no alcohol, no drugs, no violent crimes. And if this check is OK, then he receives the permission from us. It's forbidden in Switzerland to carry a weapon, except for hunting," said Manuela Frey, chief of the Lucerne Police Office of firearms.

Despite the high gun ownership, these thorough checks help ensure Switzerland ranks as one of the safest countries in the world and it is prohibited to carry a weapon on the streets, except for hunting.

However, some experts warn the availability of weapons in private homes does increase the risk of suicide. In 2022, 220 deaths were caused by firearms, of which 200 were suicides, leading to calls for a national database of registered weapons' holders, though this was later rejected by the Swiss parliament.

Switzerland remains safe despite passionate gun culture

China has opened a new chapter of lunar exploration with the successful launch of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft on Friday.

A Long March-5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 spacecraft, blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the coast of China's southern island province of Hainan at 17:27 (Beijing Time).

Approximately 37 minutes after liftoff, the Chang'e-6 spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its planned Earth-moon transfer orbit, which had a perigee altitude of 200 kilometers and an apogee altitude of about 380,000 kilometers, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The launch of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft was a complete success, the CNSA announced.

The Chang'e-6 spacecraft, like its predecessor Chang'e-5, comprises an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner.

Regarded as one of the best open view sites, the beach at Qishui Bay in Longlou, a coastal town in Wenchang, attracted tens of thousands of people from all over the country to watch the launch.

"China is becoming more and more strong, and our technology is becoming more and more advanced," said one spectator.

"This is another exceptional, flawless launch, and I believe we have made a great start with a highly precise and accurate orbit insertion. We also wish the Chang'e-6 mission all the best," said Wang Jue, a technician at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

"The entire set of parameters for today's launch is excellent, laying a solid foundation for us. We will carry out trans-lunar injection, followed by lunar landing on the far side of the moon, sampling, takeoff from the far side of the moon, rendezvous and docking, and finally, the return from the moon to Earth," said Zhang Gao, another technician at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

China opens new chapter of lunar exploration with launch of Chang'e-6