Drumsticks

... but you should keep in mind that most guns in Switzerland are government owned: more than 260,000 in use by active soldiers, 1,600,000 by reservists. (Source: Statistical Office of the Swiss Federation)

Is it true that the Swiss regulate the ammunition?

The related law is very similar to any weapon law in any other European country: you can buy ammunition for those weapons you've got a licence for.

(Yes, I know they have to state the "reason" they are getting the gun, but that is no barrier. Just takes a second or two to write the words "self defense".)

Artikel 15
Rechtfertigende Notwehr
Wird jemand ohne Recht angegriffen oder unmittelbar mit einem Angriff bedroht, so ist der Angegriffene und jeder andere berechtigt, den Angriff in einer den Umständen angemessenen Weise abzuwehren.

Légitime défense
Quiconque, de manière contraire au droit, est attaqué ou menacé d’une attaque imminente a le droit de repousser l’attaque par des moyens proportionnés aux circonstances; le même droit appartient aux tiers.

Legittima difesa esimente
Ognuno ha il diritto di respingere in modo adeguato alle circostanze un’aggressione ingiusta o la minaccia ingiusta di un’aggressione imminente fatta a sé o ad altri.

I've already tried it, but I'll try it again: we here in Europe have a different understanding of self defense.
To quote from Swiss Criminal Code:

Quote:

Artikel 15
Rechtfertigende Notwehr
Wird jemand ohne Recht angegriffen oder unmittelbar mit einem Angriff bedroht, so ist der Angegriffene und jeder andere berechtigt, den Angriff in einer den Umständen angemessenen Weise abzuwehren.

Since you seemed to have difficulties to understand the German text before, I'll paste/copy that in the other Swiss languages as well:

Quote:

Légitime défense
Quiconque, de manière contraire au droit, est attaqué ou menacé d’une attaque imminente a le droit de repousser l’attaque par des moyens proportionnés aux circonstances; le même droit appartient aux tiers.

Quote:

Legittima difesa esimente
Ognuno ha il diritto di respingere in modo adeguato alle circostanze un’aggressione ingiusta o la minaccia ingiusta di un’aggressione imminente fatta a sé o ad altri.

Unfortunately, I don't have the official text in Rumantsch.

Article 16 then says (similar as other European Criminal Codes) when you get punished less.

All that is taught in the first semester at law faculties, in Switzerland, Austria, Germany ...

But officer, you can't use the legal definition which is actually written into the law. You have to use my traditional understanding.

That's not a different understanding. That's the traditional understanding of self defense.

oralloy wrote:

That's not a different understanding. That's the traditional understanding of self defense.

Good! So you understand, why someone gets imprisoned in Switzerland, Germany, Austria .... when she(he shoots e.g. a burglar.

But if the burglar, upon finding that people were home, decided to branch out into rape and/or murder, I would think it highly questionable if anyone were prosecuted for shooting to prevent a direct attack on them or their family.