Majority of Swiss favour stricter gun control: survey

A clear majority of the Swiss population is in favour of tightening gun legislation, according to a survey.

There is broad support for compulsory psychological assessments before purchasing firearms.

This is the finding of a representative survey carried out by the LeeWas institute on behalf of 20 Minuten and Tamedia.

Some 70% of those surveyed favour more restrictive access to firearms and stricter regulations on their possession. Half of respondents said they were clearly in favour of these changes and a further 20% were “somewhat in favour”.

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Demographics

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By contrast, 27% said they were “somewhat opposed” to tightening the law, of whom 18% responded to the survey with a clear and unequivocal “no”.

The public debate on this issue has resurfaced following several murders in Switzerland and the shooting that took place in early September in Aarau during a rave party, which claimed the life of a 22-year-old Italian woman.

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According to the survey, the introduction of a compulsory psychological assessment for the purchase and possession of firearms enjoys very broad support.

Some 80% of those surveyed said they were in favour of the idea of having to present such a medical certificate to own a firearm.

More specifically, when asked whether they considered such a rule necessary, 58% answered with a firm “yes”, 22% with a “somewhat yes”, while 17% were opposed.

Public opinion on the matter, however, varies according to gender and age. Tighter gun control laws are supported by 78% of women, compared with 61% of men.

Support rises from 62% among 18–34-year-olds to 79% among the over-65s. Geographically, support stands at 72% in both cities and urban areas, compared with 67% in rural areas.

The survey was conducted from September 24 to 27 and involved 10,858 people from all of Switzerland’s linguistic regions. The margin of error for the overall results is 2.5 percentage points.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist