Swiss gun control referendum, 2011

Switzerland

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A referendum was held in Switzerland on 13 February 2011 on the federal popular initiative "For the protection against gun violence" ("Für den Schutz vor Waffengewalt"/"Pour la protection face à la violence des armes"/"Per la protezione dalla violenza perpetrata con le armi"). It was rejected by 56% of voters and a majority of cantons.

Initiative

The initiative foresees that guns can no longer be kept at home, but must be stored at the arsenal (Zeughaus) instead, that possession of a gun should be linked to a screening of the ability and necessity of the gunholder, and that all guns should be registered. Left-wing parties (SP, Greens, CSP) and the GLP are mostly in favour of the proposal, with right-wing parties (SVP, FDP, CVP, BDP) opposed.

Opinion polls

According to polls from January 2011, the initiative was favoured by 45% of respondents, with 34% opposed and a relatively high amount of undecideds at 21%.^[1] A second poll from two weeks before the referendum saw a closening of the polls, with 47% to 45% in favour.^[2]

Results

More than half, 56.3%, of all voters were against the initiative, with only the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Zurich, Geneva, Jura, Vaud and Neuchâtel in support; this meant the initiative would have narrowly passed in western Switzerland, but clearly failed in the German-speaking parts.^[3] In Switzerland, the passing of a constitutional amendment by initiative requires a double majority; not only must a majority of people vote for the amendment but also a majority of cantons give their consent.

Choice	Popular vote		Cantons
Choice	Votes	%	Full	Half	Total
For	1,083,312	43.70	5	1	5.5
Against	1,395,812	56.30	15	5	17.5
Invalid/blank votes	22,136	–	–	–	–
Total	2,501,260	100	20	6	23
Registered voters/turnout	5,091,652	49.12	–	–	–
Source: Direct Democracy

External links

Official website

References

↑ Befürworter der Waffeninitiative liegen klar vorn Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 9 January 2011
↑ Gegner der Waffenschutzinitiative holen auf Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 2 February 2011
↑ Waffenschutzinitiative klar gescheitert Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 13 February 2011

Elections and referendums in Switzerland

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Referendums	1798 1802 1848 1866 1872 1874 1875 1876 1877 1879 1880 1882 1884 1885 1887 1889 1890 1891 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1902 1903 1905 1906 1907 1908 1910 1912 1913 1914 1915 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1933 1934 1935 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

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