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Security of army guns to be improved

Swiss soldiers who do not want to keep their military-issue guns at home are to be allowed to store them for free at an army logistics centre.

This content was published on November 27, 2009 - 15:14

The new rule, which comes into force on January 1, was adopted by the Swiss government on Friday as part of its amendments to the regulations on firearms.

The cabinet also called for earlier detection of soldiers who represent a potential threat.

Under another amendment, men who wish to keep their gun after completing their compulsory army service will now have to present a weapons acquisition permit.

Although it is a long-standing tradition for Swiss men to keep their army-issue weapon at home, the practice has come under increasing criticism.

There have been a series of highly publicised killings with army weapons in the past few years, including the random shooting of a young girl at a bus stop in 2007. Suicides with army guns are also a relatively frequent occurrence.

swissinfo.ch and agencies

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