BERN, SWITZERLAND – Court records of soldiers who may be potentially dangerous to themselves or others will in future have to be shared by public prosecutors directly with the Swiss military department, Bern announced Wednesday 5 September. The move is part of an effort to reduce the abusive use of military arms, carried by all soldiers who serve in the country’s citizen militia.
Civilian and military authorities have had access to the Armada database but in future they will need to be actively informed if a gun permit has been refused or withdrawn. The army currently establishes whether recruits or active soldiers should not have access to arms, but the new rules will ensure better communication between justice authorities and the military, the Federal Council says. Parliament in January 2012 asked the council to draw up plans to tighten security, following growing public concern over incidents involving the use of military arms and incomplete records about the location of some soldiers’ arms.
Swiss soldiers keep their military arms at home, but ammunition is kept in armories.
