Key to Freedom

[airwrench]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nf1OgV449g

This is the truth..Not political..Just the facts

[Bruiser 160]

I had heard about this a few years ago and I have to say that I like how they do things there. I also think it`s pretty cool that you get to keep your weapon when you are done with your service.

[wyohman]

I was a bit skeptical when it comes to most things being apolitical but this truly was. I appreciate the well-crafted thoughtfulness without any unnecessary emotional baggage. Fantastic argument and super video.

Cheers.

[tony357]

great vid...

[rodfair]

This video should be compulsory watching for everyone. End of story.

[mp3mogul]

Makes you want to move doesn't it?

[chuck_in_texas]

This last Spring I had a super treat - - - my son, who is currently living in Switzerland, invited me over to stay with him for a few weeks. But my travel is not interesting - - - - - let's stick with the guns.

The video is right on. Every male does a mandatory military training, and takes his rifle home. there's an annual Summer training time, plus monthly drills, which are focused on marksmanship.

As you take a train around Switzerland, everywhere you go you see target butts. Literally every few miles. They're used by the military and also by the civilian population for Sunday "schutzenfests", where the best shots in a village compete with their couterparts in another village. The ranges go out to 600 meters or longer if the terrain permits. (Shorter distances are "kid stuff'). My son took me to a couple of these and we both had a fantastic time. He's waiting for a permit to buy his own long rifle (handguns are VERY difficult for resident aliens), and join in the competition.

If you get on a train on a weekend, you'll often find soldiers carrying their weapons. Walk around a village on a Sunday, and half the adult males are carrying target grade rifles over their soldiers.

So - - - - it's shooting culture.

Here's an interesting point, and then I'll shut up. Seated at a restaurant 6000 feet up on one of the higher peaks in the Alps, having ridden a cable car up, we ran into a Swiss Army officer who recognized us as Americans (my Texas ball cap was the giveaway) and came over to chat.(BTW, his group of trainees had WALKED up 6000 feet) My son is obviously fluent in German or he couldn't live there, but the officer was fluent in English and wanted a chance to practice. We talked about the issue of issued guns at home, and he told us this: the real military strength of Switzerland is in the older men. At 55, everyone turns in their automatic rifle and receives a scoped bolt action. Which they continue to practice with - - - - - somebody's got to be the village champ, right?

Now, in the very unlikely event that someone would invade Switzerland, the task of the older men would be to take to the hills around wherever they live and act as snipers. Now, invading a hilly terrain where the hills contain upwards of 300,000 of these snipers (who, BTW, spend Sundays shooting at 600 meters for laughs) would be a big mistake for any country. According to this officer, the need for any pitched battles probably would never come up.

I'm an American by birth, and a former Marine, and I plan on sticking around the USA. But I will tell you that we could learn a lot from the folks in Switzerland about how to KEEP FREEDOM.

[rodfair]

Makes you want to move doesn't it?

And the chocolate!

[seabear1500]

I like the last line. "the tool for that is guns"

[BigSkiff]

Good video. I just typed a fairly lengthy reply here, but after reading it, I deleted it as it was somewhat political. Suffice to say, the Swiss are very good at taking care of themselves, always have been. They have a good work ethic and take a personal responsibility for their own success. We could learn a lot from them.