From: fcrary@ucsu.Colorado.EDU (Frank Crary)
Subject: Re: Gun Control: proud to be a Canuck
Nntp-Posting-Host: ucsu.colorado.edu
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Lines: 29

In article <1pqsruINNiae@hp-col.col.hp.com> dduff@col.hp.com (Dave Duff) writes:
>Does anyone really believe the Swiss have had no war within their borders
>because every adult male owns a rifle? I'm a great admirer of the Swiss, but
>500 years of peace on their turf has zilch to do with gun ownership. Can you
>picture Hitler, with Panzers and Focke-Wulfs poised on the border, losing
>sleep over a few thousand expert rifleman? Sure. 

The Swiss population is (and well was) far larger than that. I think
your question should be, "...losing sleep over a million expert
riflemen?" Certainly he could have conquered Switzerland, but
a million armed militiamen (especially in a mountainous area, 
where tanks' effectiveness is limited) would have made it a
real pain. The question a conqueror would ask, is "is it worth 
the trouble?" The more difficult an invasion is, the more likely
the answer would be "no." Certainly a million riflemen (as
opposed to a professional army of only ten or twenty thousand, the
best a country the size of Switzerland could support), makes
invasions more difficult.

>Hitler stayed out of Switzerland because the Swiss run the money in this
>world.

Really? In 1939? I'm not even sure you could prove that today (despite
the steriotype.) Certainly the Swiss bankers were not essential
to the German war-time economy.

                                           Frank Crary
                                           CU Boulder

