| Popular initiative from 23 February 2009 'for protection against gun violence' | |
| Country: | Switzerland |
| Yes: | 1,083,312 |
| No: | 1,395,812 |
| Invalid: | 22,136 |
| Electorate: | 5,091,652 |
| Map: | Schutz vor Waffengewalt-Initiative.svg |
| Mapdivision: | canton |
A referendum was held in Switzerland on 13 February 2011 on the federal popular initiative "For the protection against gun violence". It was rejected by 56% of voters and a majority of cantons.
The initiative foresees that military guns can no longer be kept at home, but must be stored at the arsenal (Zeughaus) instead, that possession of a gun should be linked to a screening of the ability and necessity of the gunholder, and that all guns should be registered. Left-wing parties (SP, Greens, CSP) and the GLP are mostly in favour of the proposal, with right-wing parties (SVP, FDP, CVP, BDP) opposed.
According to polls from January 2011, the initiative was favoured by 45% of respondents, with 34% opposed and a relatively high amount of undecideds at 21%.[2] A second poll from two weeks before the referendum saw a closening of the polls, with 47% to 45% in favour.[3]
More than half, 56.3%, of all voters were against the initiative, with only the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Zurich, Geneva, Jura, Vaud and Neuchâtel in support; this meant the initiative would have narrowly passed in western Switzerland, but clearly failed in the German-speaking parts.[4] In Switzerland, the passing of a constitutional amendment by initiative requires a double majority; not only must a majority of people vote for the amendment but also a majority of cantons give their consent.
| Choice | Popular vote | Cantons | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Full | Half | Total | |
| For | 1,083,312 | 43.70 | 5 | 1 | 5.5 |
| Against | 1,395,812 | 56.30 | 15 | 5 | 17.5 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 22,136 | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 2,501,260 | 100 | 20 | 6 | 23 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 5,091,652 | 49.12 | – | – | – |
| align=left colspan=6 | Source: Direct Democracy | ||||