By Sara Miller Llana

Marksmen fill the recreation hall of this sand-colored shooting club in the wooded hills outside Bern， capping off a weekend competition to commemorate the 1798 Battle of Grauholz in the French Revolutionary Wars.1

There is no shortage of patriotism here—there is even a yodeling club dressed in traditional redtrimmed black felt jackets—and indeed， for many Swiss citizens， guns are as central to their identity as the Alps.2 Switzerland has one of the highest per capita3 rates of guns in the world. “Every Swiss village has a range just like this one，” says Renato Steffen， a top official of the Swiss Shooting Sports Association，4 representing the group at the event. The association counts 2，800 such clubs across the country， with a youth wing5 for children as young as 10.

If this seems like a scene that belongs in gunloving America， there the similarities end.6 The Swisss historic relationship to their arms as members of a standing militia， their motives for keeping them， and the regulations around them diverge from the American experience.7 Its one reason that the prevalence of arms here is not accompanied by a scourge of gun violence.8

Yet Switzerland does provide clues for gun ownership in America. Here divisions also have emerged after gun tragedies and efforts to rein in use—and the story is not settled as a new gun-control directive comes from the European Union.9 But ultimately the two sides have found consensus， getting beyond polarization that paralyzes the American debate even after such tragedies as the school shooting in Parkland， Fla.10 Those who loathe guns here accept their deep-seated position in Swiss tradition as they push for more controls， while gun advocates have pushed back but ultimately accepted more rules and oversight in the past 15 years.11

“Sport and protection of country only”

There is no official count of guns in Switzerland. But according to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey， Switzerland has more guns circulating per capita than any country besides the US and Yemen.12 The most recent government figures estimate about two million firearms13 in Swiss households. Conscription is mandatory for Swiss males， and citizen soldiers store their weapons at home， making up the bulk of guns in households today.14

The militia， and the culture it has fostered， is seen as part of the common good， binding a nation together in a mission of national security.15 That differs widely from Americas individualistic gun culture. According to a Pew poll16 in 2017， 67 percent of those who own guns in the US cite their personal protection as a major motive.

And differences with the US dont end at cultural ones. In Switzerland， regulations have become much more stringent since the free-wheeling days before a Weapons Act was put into place in 1999.17 And they have steadily tightened over the past 15 years. Military guns， once given to members after their service and passed down for generations， can now only be acquired after service with a firearms acquisition license.18 Since 2007， army-issued ammunition cannot be kept at home.19 A gun under the bed for self-protection？ Impossible in Switzerland.

Loaded20 guns， whether military or for sport， cannot be carried on the streets here without a special permit which is rarely issued. Because of conscription， the Swiss are highly trained in weapons handling and storage. As he drives away from the shooting range， Mr. Steffen says he would never want the right to transport his army rifle21 loaded. “No， no，” he says，“that is crazy. For us， guns are for sport， and protection of our country， only.”

Switzerland does grapple with gun death rates higher than European neighbors， the vast majority of it suicide.22 Guns also play a troubling role in domestic disputes. But unlike the US， gun deaths out of self-defense are a rare phenomenon. Criminologist Martin Killias， at the University of St. Gallens law school， built a database looking at homicides committed in self-defense over a 25-year period ending in 2014.23 Of 1，464 homicides， in 23 cases defenders killed victims in self-defense or under duress24. In 15 of those cases， a firearm was used， nine of which were the weapons of on-duty police officers.

The homicide rate in the US is about six times that of the Swiss national average. But when comparing domestic violence that ends in death with a firearm， the ratio is just under two to one， a much smaller gap of gun deaths between American and Swiss households. “It is very illustrative，” Mr. Killias says. “Its not so much that American people are more aggressive， or Swiss are so terribly more peaceful， its simply that gun use in the street in the US is quite common，” he says. “That is why robbery quite often ends with a shooting in America， whereas in Switzerland it is practically never the case.”

Switzerlands gun debates

In 2006， after Swiss alpine skier Corinne Rey-Bellet and her brother were killed by Corinnes estranged husband with his military rifle，25 rules banning the storage of military ammunition at home were created. Today， military members can choose to also keep their weapons at a central arsenal26.

The battle hasnt always favored gun control. In a 2011 referendum27 voters would have， among other things， required military arms to be stored in a central arsenal. Fifty-six percent voted against it. Today， many feel satisfied with where Switzerland is on gun control. “Swiss laws give freedom to the citizen but at the same time they attempt to reduce abuse with guns，” says Luca Filippini， the president of the Swiss Shooting Sports Association.

Switzerlands reform history provides a lesson for the US， argues Erin Zimmerman， an American living in Switzerland who is a former US police officer and gun owner. While the country is vastly different from the US in demographics28 and population， she believes it shows the possibility of consensus for sensible gun regulations.

While some US states have been able to pass gun reform， she says Americans in the national debate are too often only presented with “zero-sum”29 options. They are cast as simply pro- or anti-gun， making middle ground choices more elusive30.“Switzerland has done a really good job of modeling that，” she says.

1. 在伯爾尼郊外樹木繁茂的山丘上有家射擊俱樂部，沙黃色的游藝廳里擠滿了射擊能手。他們剛結(jié)束了一場周末比賽，以紀念1798年法國大革命戰(zhàn)爭中的格勞侯爾茲戰(zhàn)役。marksman： 射擊能手；recreation hall：公眾游藝廳，娛樂室；Bern： 伯爾尼，瑞士首都；cap off： 結(jié)束；commemorate： 慶祝，紀念；Battle of Grauholz： 格勞侯爾茲戰(zhàn)役，1798年3月5日，在法國入侵瑞士的背景下，伯爾尼軍隊反對法國革命軍隊的一場戰(zhàn)役；French Revolutionary Wars： 法國大革命戰(zhàn)爭，指1792年到1802年間，新建立的法蘭西共和國和反法同盟之間的一系列戰(zhàn)爭。

2. 這里不乏愛國主義，甚至還有一伙穿著傳統(tǒng)紅邊黑氈夾克的唱約德爾唱腔的人——事實上，對許多瑞士公民來說，槍支就像阿爾卑斯山一樣，是他們身份的核心。patriotism： 愛國主義；yodel： 約德爾唱法，瑞士、奧地利山區(qū)流行的一種真假嗓音反復(fù)變換的唱腔；the Alps： 阿爾卑斯山，歐洲著名山脈，位于歐洲中南部，覆蓋了意大利北部邊界、法國東南部、瑞士、列支敦士登、奧地利、德國南部及斯洛文尼亞。

3. per capita： 人均。

4. range： 射擊場，靶場；Swiss Shooting Sports Association： 瑞士射擊運動協(xié)會。

5. youth wing： 青年團，青年派系。

6. 如果這個場景看起來像是發(fā)生在熱愛槍支的美國，那么瑞士和美國也就再沒有別的相似之處了。

7. 作為常備國民衛(wèi)隊的成員，瑞士人和槍支武器的歷史聯(lián)系、持有武器的動機，以及相關(guān)的法律法規(guī)，都和美國的情況迥然不同。standing： 常置的，常備的；militia： // 民兵組織，國民衛(wèi)隊；diverge：（意見、觀點等）存在分歧，相悖。

8. prevalence： 流行，盛行；scourge： 禍根，禍害。

9. 在槍擊慘案和管控呼聲之后，瑞士內(nèi)部也在槍支管制上產(chǎn)生了分歧；而且歐盟新出臺槍支管制的指令之后，矛盾也未能得到解決。rein： 開始對某種情況嚴加控制；directive： 指示，指令；European Union： 歐洲聯(lián)盟，簡稱歐盟，總部設(shè)在比利時首都布魯塞爾，由歐洲共同體發(fā)展而來。

10. 但最終雙方達成了共識，超越了兩極分化——而在美國，即便是在佛羅里達州帕克蘭校園槍擊事件這樣的慘案之后，兩極分化依然讓美國的槍支辯論陷入癱瘓。polarization： 兩極分化；paralyze： 使陷入癱瘓；school shooting in Parkland， Fla： 佛羅里達州帕克蘭校園槍擊案，發(fā)生在2018年2月14日，造成17人死亡，14人受傷。

11. 在瑞士，反對槍支使用的人士一方面推動槍支管控，另一方面也接受了槍支在瑞士傳統(tǒng)中根深蒂固的地位；而槍支使用的支持者們盡管奮起斗爭，但也在過去的15年中，接受了更多的規(guī)定和監(jiān)管。loathe： 反感，厭惡；oversight： 監(jiān)督，照管。

12. 然而，根據(jù)總部位于日內(nèi)瓦的小型武器調(diào)查（為一獨立研究項目），瑞士的人均持槍數(shù)量高于其他很多國家，僅次于美國和也門。Small Arms Survey： 小型武器調(diào)查，日內(nèi)瓦高級國際關(guān)系學(xué)院所進行的一項獨立研究，主要圍繞小型武器貿(mào)易等行為展開調(diào)查，旨在為政府、機構(gòu)和研究人員提供相關(guān)數(shù)據(jù)和信息。

13. firearm： 槍支，槍械。

14. 對于瑞士的男性來說，征兵是義務(wù)性的，公民士兵把他們的武器放在家里，這也是如今瑞士家庭中大部分槍支的來源所在。conscription： 征兵；mandatory： 強制的，義務(wù)的；bulk： 主體部分。

15. 瑞士的國民自衛(wèi)隊以及它所培育的文化，都被視為公共利益的一部分，正是這些將這個國家團結(jié)在一起，共同完成保衛(wèi)國家安全的使命。

16. Pew poll： 皮尤民調(diào)，由皮尤研究中心（Pew Research Center，美國一家獨立性民調(diào)機構(gòu)）發(fā)起的民意調(diào)查，旨在為那些影響美國乃至世界的問題、態(tài)度與潮流提供信息和資料。

17. 在瑞士，自1999年武器法案實施以來，隨心所欲的日子不復(fù)存在，槍支管控變得愈加嚴格。stringent： 嚴格的，嚴厲的；free-wheeling： 自由自在的，隨心所欲的。

18. 以前，軍人退伍后可以自動獲得軍用槍支并代代相傳，而如今，軍人要有槍支獲得許可證，才能在退伍后持有槍支。

19. army-issued： 軍隊發(fā)放的；ammunition：彈藥，軍火。

20. loaded： 上了膛的，槍炮等裝有彈藥的。

21. rifle： 步槍。

22. 瑞士確實在努力解決槍支致死率高于歐洲鄰國的問題，而其中絕大多數(shù)案件都是自殺。grapple with： 努力解決某困難問題。

23. 圣加倫大學(xué)法學(xué)院的犯罪學(xué)家馬丁·基利亞斯建立了一個數(shù)據(jù)庫，研究了截至2014年的過去25年間，以自衛(wèi)為目的的殺人案件。criminologist： 犯罪學(xué)者，刑事學(xué)家；University of St. Gallens： 圣加侖大學(xué)，位于瑞士圣加侖地區(qū)，是一所以經(jīng)濟、金融、法律和社會學(xué)為主的綜合性大學(xué)；homicide： 謀殺罪，殺人罪。

24. duress： 強迫，脅迫。

25. alpine： 高山滑雪賽的；skier： 滑雪者；estranged： 因夫妻不和而分居的。

26. arsenal： 兵工廠，軍械庫。

27. referendum： // 公投。

28. demographics： 用于社會分析和市場測算的人口統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)，如年齡、性別、家庭人數(shù)、家庭收入、教育狀況等。

29. zero-sum： 零和的，指在賭賽中，勝負雙方一方的得益會引起另一方的損失。

30. elusive： 困難的，難以實現(xiàn)的。