Since the origins of the Swiss Confederation in 1291, it has been the duty of every male Swiss citizen to be armed and to serve in the militia. Today, that arm is an “assault rifle,” which is issued to every Swiss male and which must be kept in the home. During Germany’s Third Reich (1933-1945),...
Post
The Firearm as a Symbol of Freedom
I am overwhelmed by the sight of the small monument shaped like a gravestone—inscribed Obetem Komunismu (“Sacrificed to Communism”)—surrounded by flowers and pictures of martyrs from the 1948-1989 period in Czechoslovakia’s history. Looking up, one sees the statue of St. Wenceslas and the Czech National Museum at the end of the wide boulevard forever seared...