On 10-24-97 07:39 Re: STATISTICS Jim Dunmyer wrote: 
 
 > JD>And shot my .45 yesterday. It blows his mind, as no 
 > JD>European country allows private ownership of handguns, 
 > JD>period.
 > 
 > Not true, Jim. Switzerland allows private ownership of handguns with
 > minor paper work. France allows it with quite a bit of paperwork as 
 > do Germany and Italy with many permits and paperwork. 
JD>Brooks,
JD> Thanks for the clarification; I didn't realize that ANY country in Eur
JD>allowed private handguns at all. Of course, severe 
JD>restrictions is almost the same as 'doesn't allow at all'; 
JD>witness our own NYC. :-(
It's been 25 years since I was in Germany, but when I was there,
I saw many shooting clubs and knew people who owned their own pistols.
They had to apply to the police for a permit, and after a background
check that showed they did not fall in a prohibited category -
felon, drug user, mental incompetent, etc - the permit was 
routinely granted.
I was in Switzerland about eight years ago. I saw several Gun Stores
that stocked both rifles and pistols. The owners told me it was not
difficult for a Swiss citizen to own either rifle or pistol. 
(I had difficulty not drooling on the Hammerli's) :-)
 
Brooks Gelfand           gelfand@failurea.fail.com 
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 * PW * Hardware: The part you kick!
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