You're not much good at history, either. Napoleon invaded Switzerland just 200 years ago!
The reason that Switzerland has not been invaded in recent history is the fact that it has the biggest armed militia in Europe, possibly combined with a) it has no mineral wealth, b) its terrain is such that invasion would be difficult and guerilla warfare against an invader would be easy and c) a long-standing policy of neutrality and peace-keeping.
In 1994, when the U.S. Congress debated whether to ban "assault weapons," a talk show host asked then-Senator Bill Bradley (NJ), a sponsor of the ban, whether guns cause crime. The host noted that, in Switzerland, all males are issued assault rifles for militia service and keep them at home, yet little crime exists there. Sen. Bradley responded that the Swiss "are pretty dull."
For those who think that target shooting is more fun than golf, however, Switzerland is anything but "dull." By car or train, you see shooting ranges everywhere, but few golf courses. If there is a Schuetzenfest (shooting festival) in town, you will find rifles slung on hat racks in restaurants, and you will encounter men and women, old and young, walking, biking and taking the tram with rifles over their shoulders, to and from the range. They stroll right past the police station and no one bats an eye. (Try this in the U.S., and a SWAT team might do you in.)
Shooting is the national sport, and the backbone of the national defense as well. More per-capita firepower exists in Switzerland than in any other place in the world, yet it is one of the safest places to be.
According to the U.N. International Study on Firearm Regulation, England's 1994 homicide rate was 1.4 (9% involving firearms), and the robbery rate 116, per 100,000 population. In the United States, the homicide rate was 9.0 (70% involving firearms), and the robbery rate 234, per 100,000.
[But] Switzerland, which is awash in guns...has substantially lower murder and robbery rates than England, where most guns are banned.
Here are the figures: The Swiss Federal Police Office reports that in 1997 there were 87 intentional homicides and 102 attempted homicides in the entire country. Some 91 of these 189 murders and attempts involved firearms. With its population of seven million (including 1.2 million foreigners), Switzerland had a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000. There were 2,498 robberies (and attempted robberies), of which 546 involved firearms, resulting in a robbery rate of 36 per 100,000. Almost half of these crimes were committed by non-resident foreigners, whom locals call "criminal tourists."
-- Stephen P. Halbrook, The Wall Street Journal (Europe), June 4, 1999
I haven't been able to find figures about gun accidents involving children but they are very small. About a year ago, a bloke went on a rampage and killed his wife and two children with a service rifle but, in the 35 years I lived there, I don't recollect any gun accident (as opposed to crime) involving children. I suppose there may have been. However, remember that all Swiss males have been carefully taught, in the army, about how to safely handle and store guns and ammunition under lock and key, in separate places. It is therefore unlikely that kids would have easy access to the wherewithal to shoot themselves or others.
