Swiss Story

 I noted off Twitter today....someone making an observation over Switzerland not having a mass shooting in 21 years.

I paused over the comment.  First, it's not true....the last episode in Switzerland, was in Zurich in 2016.  Some nutcase who shot up a Muslim center...wounding 3, and police arriving to kill the guy.

The year prior....some guy went nuts over his relatives...in the Aargau area.  He killed four, and then killed himself.

Around a decade ago...in Lucerne....some guy went 'postal' at his business....killing 4, wounding 5, and later killing himself.

If you go over 100 years....there's probably three to five shootings...every decade.  Most of these involve killing relatives, for some reason.  

Switzerland, for the record, operates with mandatory military service and mandated weapon training.  If you are mentally-challenged (my meaning being nuts)....then this won't apply for you, and you won't be trusted with a weapon.

I had a history professor once (German history class) who got asked what made Swiss a bit different from Germans, and he paused over answering it.  Then he said something to the effect....the Swiss are 'special'.  They have more expectations (than Germans) while in school, or in the local society...you need comprehend the rules and challenges (even as a kid).  They've never been taken over by anyone....so they regard their insistence on things working correctly...as part of the reason they survive as an independent nation.

I've probably spent four weeks of my life in Switzerland....all on vacation.  It's not a cheap place.  Things are set into a pattern, and they've spent a lot of time/effort to ensure things look right.  There just aren't ghettos or crappy parts of town to avoid.  There just aren't no-go areas.

As for the weapon safety business....they go as far as you can....to insist on gun/weapon safety.  Where they generally fail?  If you review the past twenty-odd episodes....it involves people who've had a mental breakdown, people who've been troubled by relatives criticism, or job-frustration.