Swiss committee backs temporary gun seizures in domestic conflicts

Switzerland’s Council of States Legal Affairs Committee has backed a proposal to require authorities to temporarily seize firearms during contentious separations or when domestic violence is reported. SRF reported that the committee approved the initiative by Social Democrat Jessica Jaccoud of Vaud by eight votes to three, with one abstention.

The decision allows the corresponding committee of the National Council to draft legislation. The initiative says temporary seizure should be mandatory in cases involving conflict-ridden separations, criminal complaints or reports of domestic violence.

The committee considers the presence of firearms during domestic conflicts a significant danger. Jaccoud says her proposal is intended to prevent firearm killings between partners. A federal study found that such killings occur during acute crises when a gun is immediately available, and that most are committed by older Swiss men.

The study’s authors recommend strengthening targeted prevention by temporarily restricting access to firearms when a relationship conflict exists. They said similar measures have been used successfully in other countries, citing Norway, where the seizure of military firearms from at-risk households significantly reduced domestic firearm killings.

The committee also backed a separate initiative aimed at preventing serial property crimes such as theft and robbery. It considers existing options for stopping known repeat offenders from committing further crimes inadequate. The proposal by Rémy Wyssmann of the Swiss People’s Party passed by seven votes to three, with one abstention, allowing the committee’s National Council counterpart to draft legislation.