Gun licence for sport shooting in Switzerland

Acquisition permit

Acquiring a pistol, a revolver, a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun, or a lever- or pump-action rifle needs a Waffenerwerbsschein (acquisition permit) from the Waffenbüro of your canton of residence, whether you buy it, inherit it, are given it or borrow it. A sport shooter need not give a reason.WG Art. 8 Abs. 1 and 1bis, Art. 9 Abs. 1; WV Art. 19 Abs. 2; Kantonspolizei Thurgau

Bolt-action sport rifles

A bolt-action sport rifle for the usual military or sport calibres, a Swiss ordnance bolt-action rifle, and a single-shot or multi-barrel hunting gun need no permit: the two parties sign a written contract, and the seller sends a copy to the canton within 30 days.WG Art. 10 Abs. 1, Art. 11; WV Art. 19 Abs. 1

Who is refused

No permit for anyone under 18; under general deputyship (umfassende Beistandschaft) or represented under a precautionary mandate; who gives reason to fear they would endanger themselves or others with the gun; or whose private criminal-record extract shows an act revealing a violent or publicly dangerous disposition, or repeated felonies or misdemeanours.WG Art. 8 Abs. 2

Large magazines

A semi-automatic centre-fire handgun with a magazine of more than 20 rounds, a semi-automatic centre-fire long gun with one of more than 10, and a full-automatic converted to semi-automatic are verbotene Waffen (banned weapons). A sport shooter can get an Ausnahmebewilligung (exceptional authorisation) for them.WG Art. 4 Abs. 2bis, Art. 5 Abs. 1, Art. 28c–28d

Proof of shooting

An Ausnahmebewilligung covers acquiring and keeping the gun. You show that you are a member of a shooting club or shoot regularly, and show it again 5 and 10 years after your first one: membership, or at least five shoots on different days in each five-year period. Without the proof, the gun is seized, and the bill behind the 2019 change says you are prosecuted for unauthorised possession.WG Art. 28c–28d, Art. 31 Abs. 2bis, Art. 33 Abs. 1 Bst. a; WV Art. 13e; Botschaft, BBl 2018 1881, p. 1894

No licence term

A Waffenerwerbsschein or a contract is for acquiring the gun. A gun acquired that way may be kept with no licence term, no renewal and no activity requirement.WG Art. 12; Botschaft, BBl 2018 1881, p. 1906

Army loan weapon

A persönliche Leihwaffe (personal loan weapon) from the army must be shown at least every three years with proof of four Bundesübungen (federal exercises) in the last three calendar years, or the army withdraws it.Schiessverordnung des VBS Art. 45–47

Number of guns

The law sets no maximum. Each acquisition needs its own permit or contract; if you ask, the office can issue one permit for up to three guns bought at once from one seller.WG Art. 9b Abs. 1; WV Art. 13c Abs. 2, Art. 16

The large-magazine ban is for centre-fire guns: a rimfire semi-automatic, such as a .22 LR, needs a Waffenerwerbsschein whatever its magazine (WG Art. 4 Abs. 2bis, Art. 5 Abs. 1 Bst. c). A centre-fire semi-automatic counts as equipped with a large magazine not only when one is inserted, but also when it is stored or transported together with a magazine that fits it (WV Art. 5b). A long gun is one longer than 60 cm, or one usually fired with two hands or from the shoulder; every other firearm is a handgun (WV Art. 4a).

A large magazine itself may be acquired only by someone entitled to acquire the matching gun. The seller checks for an Ausnahmebewilligung or a confirmation of possession for a matching gun; a magazine of 11 to 20 rounds that fits both a long gun and a handgun may also be sold on a Waffenerwerbsschein or a European Firearms Pass for a matching handgun (WG Art. 16b; WV Art. 24a).

If you inherit a gun, the heirs’ representative, named by the deceased or by the heirs, has six months from the death to apply for a Waffenerwerbsschein, or an Ausnahmebewilligung for a banned gun, or to report a contract gun to the canton. An heir who receives the gun when the estate is divided has six months from the division to do so in their own name. For a banned firearm, the representative must meet the collectors’ conditions: proof of safe storage and an up-to-date list (WV Art. 11, 17 and 22; WG Art. 28e). For a Waffenerwerbsschein gun or a contract gun, the duty falls away if the gun is passed on to someone entitled to it within the six months. Missing it is punishable by a fine (WG Art. 6a, Art. 8 Abs. 2bis, Art. 11 Abs. 4, Art. 34 Abs. 1 Bst. j).

Foreign nationals without a C settlement permit need a Waffenerwerbsschein for every weapon, a bolt-action rifle included, and an official confirmation that they may acquire the gun: from their home state if they live in Switzerland, from their state of residence if they live abroad (WG Art. 9a Abs. 1 and 1bis, Art. 10 Abs. 2; WV Art. 9c and 21).

Nationals of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Sri Lanka, Algeria and Albania may not acquire, possess or carry weapons, or shoot with firearms. The Kantonspolizei St. Gallen states that Swiss citizens who also hold one of these nationalities count as Swiss and are not affected. The canton can grant a time-limited exception, which may carry conditions, to someone taking part in hunting or sport events, for a fee of CHF 150 (WG Art. 7; WV Art. 12 and Anhang 1). Acquiring, possessing or carrying a weapon without that exception, and offering, transferring or brokering a weapon or ammunition to such a person, is punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment or a monetary penalty (WG Art. 33 Abs. 1 Bst. a and g).

1. Find out which document the gun needs (see the table above). For a bolt-action sport rifle, no application is needed: you and the seller sign a written contract.
2. Fill in the federal form for a Waffenerwerbsschein, or for an Ausnahmebewilligung for sport shooting, and send it to the Waffenbüro of your canton of residence with a copy of your passport or identity card and, if you are a foreign national without a C permit, the official confirmation from your home state. For a Waffenerwerbsschein you name the kind of gun; for an Ausnahmebewilligung, the kind and the category (WV Art. 13d and 15).
3. For an Ausnahmebewilligung, add your proof of club membership or of regular sport shooting (WG Art. 28d Abs. 2). In Bern, a club member’s proof given with the application counts as the proof for the first five years.
4. The Waffenbüro checks the obstacles in WG Art. 8 Abs. 2 and first asks the cantonal security authority for its view (WG Art. 9 Abs. 2). The Kantonspolizei Thurgau’s leaflet of January 2023 gives about two to four weeks until you receive the permit.
5. Pay the fee: CHF 50 for a Waffenerwerbsschein or an Ausnahmebewilligung for a firearm, and CHF 20 to extend a Waffenerwerbsschein (WV Anhang 1).
6. Acquire the gun within six months; the office can extend that by up to three months. One permit is for one gun; if you ask, the office can issue one for up to three bought at once from the same seller (WG Art. 9b; WV Art. 13c and 16).
7. The seller sends a copy of your permit, or of the contract, to the canton within 30 days (WG Art. 9c and 11 Abs. 3). Both parties keep a contract for at least ten years (WG Art. 11 Abs. 1).

Since 15 August 2019, when Switzerland took over the EU’s 2017 change to its firearms directive, acquiring or possessing a centre-fire semi-automatic with a large magazine, or a full-automatic converted to semi-automatic, has been banned: they are verbotene Waffen (WG Art. 5 Abs. 1 Bst. b–c). Sport shooting is one of the achtenswerte Gründe (legitimate reasons) for an exception, and the canton grants a sport shooter an Ausnahmebewilligung when no obstacle under WG Art. 8 Abs. 2 stands in the way and the proof in WG Art. 28d is given (WG Art. 28c; WV Art. 13c Abs. 1). The Kantonspolizei Zürich calls it a right.

• It covers keeping the gun as well as acquiring it, and keeping it depends on the 5- and 10-year proof (WG Art. 28c Abs. 1, Art. 28d Abs. 3; see the activity section).
• For sport shooters, the Ausnahmebewilligung covers only converted full-automatics and centre-fire semi-automatics with large magazines, and only the guns, parts and accessories actually needed for sport shooting (WG Art. 28d Abs. 1). The bill behind the change reads that as a gun meeting the specifications of a discipline recognised by an international shooting federation (Botschaft, BBl 2018 1881, p. 1913).
• A semi-automatic long gun that can be shortened below 60 cm, and a full-automatic, are not open to sport shooters (WG Art. 28d Abs. 1).
• You must show the Waffenbüro that you are a member of a shooting club or, without membership, that you use your firearm regularly for sport shooting (WG Art. 28d Abs. 2). Membership is not required: the bill gives a confirmation of several visits to a private range as an example of other proof (Botschaft, p. 1913).
• The permit is valid in all of Switzerland for six months, extendable by three, and is for one gun; if you ask, the office can issue one for up to three bought at once from one seller. If you move to another canton, tell its Waffenbüro and send it a copy of the permit (WV Art. 13c).
• A converted army rifle acquired from someone else needs it too; only the owner who took it over directly from the army is exempt (WG Art. 5 Abs. 1 Bst. b).
• A gun of this kind owned before 15 August 2019 had to be reported by 15 August 2022, unless it was already in a cantonal register or had been taken over from the army (WG Art. 42b; Kantonspolizei Zürich).

Some cantonal offices, such as Bern and Thurgau, call it the Ausnahmebewilligung klein. The fee is CHF 50 (WV Anhang 1).

Switzerland has no activity requirement for guns acquired with a Waffenerwerbsschein or a contract. The Waffengesetz asks nothing about how often you shoot to keep such a gun: you may possess what you acquired lawfully (WG Art. 12), and a sport shooter need not even state a reason when applying (WG Art. 8 Abs. 1bis). The bill behind the 2019 change explains that a Swiss permit is issued for acquiring a firearm, not for possessing it, and that the cantons review holders on a specific occasion rather than at fixed intervals (Botschaft, BBl 2018 1881, p. 1906).

Two kinds of gun carry a recurring proof of shooting. The first is a gun held under an Ausnahmebewilligung: five and ten years after it was granted, you send the Waffenbüro one of these, unasked (WG Art. 28d Abs. 3; WV Art. 13e–13f):

• If you hold several Ausnahmebewilligungen, the proof is due only 5 and 10 years after the first was granted (WV Art. 13e Abs. 1).
• The proof is yours to send by the deadline, without being asked. In Bern, the two periods cannot be proven together, and a club member can give the proof for the first five years with the application (Kantonspolizei Bern; the federal application form).
• The first proofs fell due from 15 August 2024, five years after the rules took effect (Kantonspolizei Zürich).
• The law names only these two proofs, after 5 and after 10 years (WG Art. 28d Abs. 3).

The federal form asks for the place and date of each shoot, the event and its organiser, and the signature of the person in charge on site, such as the Schützenmeister (range officer). It has no field for the gun. The law speaks of using “your firearm” regularly; the ordinance counts five shoots and does not say with which gun.

The second is a persönliche Leihwaffe (personal loan weapon) from the army. You show it at the nearest army logistics centre at least every three years, unasked, with proof of four Bundesübungen with the corresponding weapon in the last three calendar years, entered in SAT-Admin and in your Schiessbüchlein or military Leistungsausweis. Without that proof, the army withdraws the weapon; you can ask for a review within 30 days (Schiessverordnung des VBS Art. 45–47).

Taking over the army rifle at the end of service asks for four Bundesübungen in the last three calendar years once, at the takeover (see the army rifle below).

A Waffenerwerbsschein or an Ausnahmebewilligung lets you acquire the gun within six months, extendable by three (WG Art. 9b Abs. 3; WV Art. 13c Abs. 3). A gun acquired with a Waffenerwerbsschein or a contract then needs nothing renewed: possession follows lawful acquisition (WG Art. 12). A gun held under an Ausnahmebewilligung needs the 5- and 10-year proof, and a persönliche Leihwaffe its three-yearly check (see the activity section). The canton seizes a gun if an obstacle arises later (see below).

To take guns to shooting in another Schengen state, you need the European Firearms Pass from your canton. It lists every gun you are entitled to hold, and is valid for five years, extendable twice by two years (WV Art. 46).

Neither the Waffengesetz nor the Waffenverordnung sets a maximum number of guns. Each acquisition needs its own Waffenerwerbsschein, Ausnahmebewilligung or contract; if you ask, the office can issue one permit for up to three guns bought at the same time from the same seller (WG Art. 9b Abs. 1; WV Art. 13c Abs. 2 and Art. 16). For an Ausnahmebewilligung, the canton grants only what is actually needed for sport shooting (WG Art. 28d Abs. 1).

Sturmgewehr (assault rifle)

When you leave the army, you can keep your Sturmgewehr if you are entitled to your personal equipment, have shot four Bundesübungen with the corresponding weapon in the last three calendar years, recorded in the army’s off-duty shooting information system, and show a valid Waffenerwerbsschein. It costs CHF 100, and the army converts it to semi-automatic first.VPAA Art. 29

Pistol

The army pistol needs no shooting record: you need the right to your equipment and a valid Waffenerwerbsschein, and it costs CHF 30.VPAA Art. 30

Who may not

Nothing is handed over to those excluded from service or from the army, or admitted to civilian service; and no one declared unfit for service on certain listed medical grounds may own a personal weapon.VPAA Art. 28

The Bundesübungen are the obligatory programme and the Feldschiessen, at 300, 50 or 25 metres. Subaltern officers, NCOs and soldiers obliged to shoot fulfil the duty in a recognised club, with one obligatory exercise a year until the year before discharge, at the latest until the end of the year they turn 35 (Schiessverordnung Art. 4 and 9).

A Sturmgewehr taken over this way stays outside the ban, whatever its magazine: the exception is for an ordnance weapon its owner took over directly from the army (WG Art. 5 Abs. 1 Bst. b; Botschaft, BBl 2018 1881, p. 1892). To buy large magazines for it, you show your Ausweis über die Erfüllung der Militärdienstpflicht (record of military service) (WV Art. 24a). Acquired from someone else, the same rifle needs an Ausnahmebewilligung.

Its bolt must be kept apart from the rest of the rifle and locked away (WV Art. 47). A shooter entitled to one can instead borrow an army weapon as a persönliche Leihwaffe, on showing four Bundesübungen with the corresponding weapon in the last three calendar years and, outside the army, a valid Waffenerwerbsschein, and must show it again at least every three years (Schiessverordnung des VBS Art. 45–47).

• Air guns: see Air rifles below.
• Hunting: single-shot and multi-barrel hunting guns, and bolt-action rifles approved for hunting, need no Waffenerwerbsschein, and a hunter needs no carrying permit while hunting. The 2019 changes did not affect hunters (WG Art. 10 Abs. 1 and Art. 27 Abs. 4; WV Art. 19; Botschaft, p. 1883).
• Collectors: an Ausnahmebewilligung for collecting needs proof of safe storage for the collection, and the collector keeps an up-to-date list of every banned firearm held (WG Art. 28e). The Kantonspolizei Zürich asks for a Sicherheitskonzept (security plan) with the first application.
• Ammunition: you may buy it only for a gun you are entitled to acquire, but at a club’s shooting event you may buy what you need for it freely (WG Art. 15–16).

Licence-free

No air or CO2 gun needs a Waffenerwerbsschein (acquisition permit), except for some foreign nationals (see Foreign nationals). One that develops less than 7.5 joules at the muzzle and does not look like a real firearm is not a weapon under the Waffengesetz, which sets no age, contract or permit for acquiring it. The line is drawn by muzzle energy and look, not by calibre.WG Art. 4 Abs. 1 Bst. f, Art. 10 Abs. 1 Bst. d

Age

You must be 18 to acquire an air or CO2 gun that is a weapon. The law sets no separate age for owning one: you may keep what you acquired lawfully. Under 18, you may borrow one, as set out below.WG Art. 8 Abs. 2 Bst. a, Art. 10a Abs. 2, Art. 12; fedpol, Prüfung Nichtschusswaffenhandel

Checks before a transfer

Whoever transfers an air or CO2 gun that is a weapon checks your identity and age on an official ID and, if you live abroad, your state of residence’s official confirmation that you may acquire it. They may transfer it only if they can assume nothing bars you (see Who is refused); in doubt, they must ask for your criminal-record extract, under three months old, or your written consent to ask the authorities.WG Art. 8 Abs. 2, Art. 9a Abs. 1, Art. 10a; WV Art. 18 Abs. 3

Foreign nationals

A foreign national without a C settlement permit needs a Waffenerwerbsschein for an air or CO2 gun that is a weapon, as for every weapon (see Which gun needs what). Nationals of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Türkiye, Sri Lanka, Algeria and Albania may not acquire, possess or carry one without a cantonal exception for hunting or sport events; their ban on shooting is for firearms only.WG Art. 7 Abs. 1–2, Art. 10 Abs. 2; WV Art. 12 Abs. 1, Art. 21 Abs. 1; fedpol, Nichtfeuerwaffen; fedpol, Prüfung Nichtschusswaffenhandel

Younger shooters

Under 18, you may borrow an air or CO2 gun that is a weapon from your shooting club or legal guardian if the ISSF has approved it for sport shooting or hunting-sport competitions, you belong to a recognised club and the guardian consents in writing. The rest is as for any sport weapon lent to a minor, the report to the canton and keeping it at home included (see Under 18).WG Art. 11a; WV Art. 23 Abs. 1

Above the limit

An air or CO2 gun that develops 7.5 joules or more at the muzzle is a weapon, acquired by most buyers with a written contract instead of a permit (see Foreign nationals). fedpol’s 2010 leaflet counts match air pistols and rifles as weapons, without saying whether for their energy or their look. Pellets are not ammunition in the law’s sense and are not subject to it.WG Art. 4 Abs. 1 Bst. f and Abs. 5, Art. 10 Abs. 1 Bst. d; fedpol, Matchluftpistolen und Matchluftgewehre

The contract

The written contract names both parties, with their dates of birth, addresses and signatures; the gun’s kind, maker, model, calibre and serial number; the date and place; and the type and number of your official ID. Each party keeps it for at least ten years. It is not sent to the canton, as one for a firearm is.WG Art. 11 Abs. 1–3; fedpol, Nichtfeuerwaffen; fedpol, Matchluftpistolen und Matchluftgewehre

Look-alikes

An air or CO2 gun counts as verwechselbar (liable to be mistaken for a firearm) if at first sight it resembles a real firearm, whether or not an expert or anyone else would see through it after a short look. It is then a weapon whatever its energy, and every rule here for one of 7.5 joules or more applies, the contract, the carrying permit and the import permit included.WG Art. 4 Abs. 1 Bst. f, Art. 10 Abs. 1 Bst. d, Art. 25 Abs. 1, Art. 27 Abs. 1; WV Art. 6

Bringing one in

Bringing an air or CO2 gun that is a weapon into Switzerland, ordering one from abroad included, needs a permit from fedpol’s Zentralstelle Waffen (Central Office for Weapons), and fedpol asks you to order only once you have it. Doing without the permit is a crime (see Penalties), and not declaring the gun at customs is punishable by a fine.WG Art. 25 Abs. 1–2, Art. 33 Abs. 1 Bst. a, Art. 34 Abs. 1 Bst. f; fedpol, Waffen / Munition; fedpol, Einfuhr Waffen / Munition

Carrying and transport

An air or CO2 gun that is a weapon is carried and transported as any gun is (see Carrying and transport to the range), but keeping gun and ammunition apart, with empty magazines, is required for firearms only. A Waffentragbewilligung (carrying permit) is granted only to someone who needs a weapon for protection from a real danger, and fedpol considers a match air gun unsuitable for protection.WG Art. 27 Abs. 1–2, Art. 28; WV Art. 51; fedpol, Matchluftpistolen und Matchluftgewehre

Storage

An air or CO2 gun that is a weapon falls under the same duty of careful storage, and of reporting its loss, as any gun (see Storage).WG Art. 26

Where you may shoot

The Waffengesetz says where you may shoot with firearms, not air guns; cantons and communes set the rest. Aarberg’s and Steffisburg’s police regulations, for example, ban shooting on public ground, allow practice with an air gun that is a weapon only on a facility set up for it, and allow air guns on private ground only where no one else can be endangered or, in Steffisburg, disturbed. Check the local rules.WG Art. 5 Abs. 4–5; StGB Art. 335 Abs. 1; Polizeireglement Aarberg Art. 4 Abs. 1–3; Polizeireglement Steffisburg Art. 5 Abs. 1–3

Hunting

Hunting with an air rifle or air pistol is forbidden, unless a canton allows specially trained game wardens or hunters to use one, for instance to prevent damage by wildlife.JSV Art. 2 Abs. 1 Bst. g, Art. 3 Abs. 1

Penalties

Acquiring, possessing, transferring, carrying or bringing into Switzerland an air or CO2 gun that is a weapon without being entitled to is punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment or a monetary penalty, or by a monetary penalty if negligent. fedpol’s report on the 2026 draft counts more than 1,000 criminal proceedings a year over look-alikes of every kind, among them for bringing them in without a permit.WG Art. 33 Abs. 1 Bst. a and Abs. 2; fedpol, Erläuternder Bericht, 24 June 2026

Fines

A fine of up to CHF 10,000 applies to a transferor who skips the checks on the acquirer; to either party who does without the written contract, does not keep it or gives false or incomplete details on it; and to a guardian who does not report a loan to a minor.WG Art. 34 Abs. 1 Bst. c, d and i; StGB Art. 106 Abs. 1

Not yet law: the revision of the Waffenverordnung in consultation until 26 October 2026 would count an air or CO2 gun as a look-alike only if it copies a firearm so exactly that an expert cannot tell the difference at first sight. fedpol’s report on the draft says that many look-alikes would then no longer count as weapons (draft WV Art. 6; fedpol, Erläuternder Bericht, 24 June 2026).

The same draft would state expressly that anyone who borrowed a sport weapon as a minor must, on coming of age, return it to its owner, or within three months apply for a permit or conclude a written contract. fedpol’s report calls this a clarification (draft WV Art. 23 Abs. 5; fedpol, Erläuternder Bericht).

The revision of the Waffengesetz planned for consultation in 2027 is to bring more proportionate penalties for minor cases involving look-alikes, such as ordering one from abroad without a permit (Fedlex, planned consultation on the WG; fedpol, Erläuternder Bericht).

More on air rifles on the Shooter blog →

Under 18 you cannot get a Waffenerwerbsschein or acquire a gun (WG Art. 8 Abs. 2 and Art. 10a). You can borrow a sport weapon from your club or your legal guardian if you shoot regularly with it and no obstacle under WG Art. 8 Abs. 2 Bst. b or c applies to you; the guardian, or the club with the guardian’s knowledge, reports the loan to the canton within 30 days (WG Art. 11a).

• With a guardian’s written consent, a minor who is a member of a recognised club may borrow an ISSF-approved firearm, or a firearm approved for off-duty military shooting (WV Art. 23 Abs. 1).
• Air and CO2 guns: see Air rifles above.
• Keeping the borrowed gun at home needs the guardian’s written consent, and the guardian must have no obstacle under WG Art. 8 Abs. 2; otherwise the club stores it. The club also keeps the army loan weapons lent to anyone under 17 (WV Art. 23 Abs. 2–4).
• Under 18, you may buy ammunition only to fire it at once and under supervision (WG Art. 16 Abs. 2).
• Jungschützen courses (young shooters, 300 m) are open to Swiss nationals from the year they turn 15 until they start recruit school, at the latest the year they turn 20 (Schiessverordnung Art. 15). The club borrows a Sturmgewehr 90 for each course member; a young shooter may take it home, without its bolt, only from the 17th birthday, and the club sees to safe storage (VBS, Merkblatt für das Schiesswesen ausser Dienst 2026).
• Pistol juniors in a training course can be admitted to the 25 m Bundesübungen from the year they turn 17; loan pistols may not be left with them to keep (Schiessverordnung des VBS Art. 18; VBS Merkblatt 2026).
• The Confederation can support youth shooting events from the age of 10 (Schiessverordnung Art. 8).

Guns, essential parts, accessories and ammunition must be stored carefully and protected from access by unauthorised people, and a lost gun must be reported to the police at once (WG Art. 26). Federal law sets no safe standard. The bolt of a full-automatic converted to semi-automatic, such as an army rifle taken over, is kept apart from the rest of the gun and locked away (WV Art. 47). A centre-fire semi-automatic kept together with a large magazine that fits it counts as equipped with it, and so needs an Ausnahmebewilligung (WV Art. 5b). Careless storage is punishable by a fine (WG Art. 34 Abs. 1 Bst. e).

Carrying a gun in public places needs a Waffentragbewilligung (carrying permit), granted only to someone who shows a need to protect themselves, others or property from a real danger and passes an exam, for at most five years (WG Art. 27). A sport shooter does not need one to take guns to shooting:

• No permit is needed to transport a gun to and from a shooting club’s courses, exercises and events, to and from a gun dealer, or when you move house (WG Art. 28 Abs. 1).
• When you transport a firearm, gun and ammunition must be kept apart, and no ammunition may be in the magazines (WG Art. 28 Abs. 2; WV Art. 51 Abs. 2). Transporting a firearm without keeping gun and ammunition apart is punishable by a fine (WG Art. 34 Abs. 1 Bst. n).
• A gun may be transported only for as long as the activity that justifies it reasonably needs (WV Art. 51 Abs. 1).
• Shooting with firearms in public places is allowed only at authorised shooting events and on ranges (WG Art. 5 Abs. 4).
• Air guns: see Air rifles above.

The Waffenbüro refuses a permit when an obstacle under WG Art. 8 Abs. 2 exists, and revokes one whose conditions are no longer met (WG Art. 30). It seizes the guns of anyone with such an obstacle, or not entitled to acquire or possess them (WG Art. 31 Abs. 1 Bst. b).

If you do not send the 5- or 10-year proof for a gun held under an Ausnahmebewilligung, the canton seizes it. You then have three months to apply for a new Ausnahmebewilligung or to transfer the gun to someone entitled to it; if you do neither, or your application is refused, it is confiscated for good (WG Art. 31 Abs. 2bis and Abs. 3 Bst. c). The bill behind the 2019 change says that missing the proof also leads to prosecution for unauthorised possession, which is punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment or a monetary penalty, or a monetary penalty if negligent (WG Art. 33 Abs. 1 Bst. a and Abs. 2; Botschaft, BBl 2018 1881, pp. 1894 and 1915).

A persönliche Leihwaffe whose shooting proof is missing is withdrawn by the army (Schiessverordnung des VBS Art. 47 Abs. 2). The canton takes in guns handed over to it free of charge (WG Art. 31a).

The Shooter app counts, for each gun, the days you shot it in a window that ends on the gun’s Next activity deadline, against a number of sessions you set. A day counts only when the shots you logged with that gun reach the Shots for an approved session setting. That setting is empty outside Sweden, and while it is empty the app counts nothing per gun. There are no Swiss defaults: you set the numbers.

For the Ausnahmebewilligung proof, enter the date it is due, five years after your first Ausnahmebewilligung was granted, as each such gun’s Next activity deadline. Then set Shots for an approved session (the ordinance sets no number of shots, so 1 counts every day you shot), the Activity window to 60 months and Sessions per gun to 5. Those three settings are one each for all your guns. The app counts days with each gun on its own, so a shoot with another gun does not count towards this one, although the ordinance does not say with which gun the five shoots must be. It does not replace the federal form either: each shoot on it still needs the signature of the person in charge on site, or another competent person. It exports a PDF logbook of your sessions.

Shooter is not affiliated with any cantonal Waffenbüro, fedpol or the army, or with any shooting association. The permit is the Waffenbüro’s decision.

Do I need a licence to own a gun in Switzerland?

Not for most guns. You need a document to acquire a gun, and may keep one acquired with a Waffenerwerbsschein or a contract (WG Art. 12). A centre-fire semi-automatic with a large magazine is different: its Ausnahmebewilligung covers keeping it too, and depends on proof of shooting after 5 and 10 years (WG Art. 28c–28d).

Is there an activity requirement for sport shooters?

Not for guns acquired with a Waffenerwerbsschein or a contract. A gun held under an Ausnahmebewilligung needs club membership or at least five shoots on different days in each five-year period, shown 5 and 10 years after the first one (WG Art. 28d Abs. 3; WV Art. 13e). A persönliche Leihwaffe from the army needs four Bundesübungen in the last three calendar years, shown at least every three years (Schiessverordnung des VBS Art. 45–46).

Do I have to be a member of a shooting club?

No. Membership is one way to prove regular sport shooting for an Ausnahmebewilligung; the others are a record of five shoots on different days in each five-year period, or copies of your military shooting records (WG Art. 28d Abs. 2; WV Art. 13e–13f). A Waffenerwerbsschein needs no membership at all.

What happens if I miss the 5-year proof?

The canton seizes the gun. You then have three months to apply for a new Ausnahmebewilligung or to transfer the gun to someone entitled to it; if you do neither, or the application is refused, it is confiscated (WG Art. 31 Abs. 2bis and Abs. 3). The bill behind the 2019 change says that missing the proof also leads to prosecution for unauthorised possession (WG Art. 33 Abs. 1 Bst. a; Botschaft, BBl 2018 1881, pp. 1894 and 1915).

Can I keep my army rifle after service?

Yes, if you have shot four Bundesübungen with the corresponding weapon in the last three calendar years and show a valid Waffenerwerbsschein. It costs CHF 100 and is converted to semi-automatic before you get it (VPAA Art. 29). Taken over this way, it needs no Ausnahmebewilligung (WG Art. 5 Abs. 1 Bst. b).

Do I need a permit for a bolt-action sport rifle?

No Waffenerwerbsschein, but a written contract with the seller, which both of you keep for ten years; the seller sends a copy to your canton within 30 days (WG Art. 10–11; WV Art. 19). Lever- and pump-action rifles need a Waffenerwerbsschein, and so does every gun acquired by a foreign national without a C permit.

How many guns may I own?

The law sets no maximum. Each acquisition needs its own permit or contract, and an Ausnahmebewilligung is granted only for guns actually needed for sport shooting (WG Art. 28d Abs. 1).

Can I take my gun to the range without a carrying permit?

Yes. Transport to and from a shooting club’s courses, exercises and events needs no Waffentragbewilligung, but a firearm must be kept apart from its ammunition, with its magazines empty (WG Art. 28; WV Art. 51).

How much does a Waffenerwerbsschein cost?

The federal tariff is CHF 50 for a firearm, the same for an Ausnahmebewilligung, and CHF 20 to extend a Waffenerwerbsschein (WV Anhang 1). It is valid for six months.

Do I need a licence for an air rifle in Switzerland?

Most buyers need no permit. An air rifle or air pistol that develops 7.5 joules or more at the muzzle, or looks like a real firearm, is a weapon: you must be 18 to acquire it, with a written contract both parties keep for at least ten years (WG Art. 4 Abs. 1 Bst. f, Art. 10–11). fedpol counts match air guns as such weapons. A foreign national without a C settlement permit needs a Waffenerwerbsschein (acquisition permit) for one, nationals of eight states a cantonal exception (WV Art. 12 and 21). Bringing one into Switzerland, ordering it from abroad included, needs a permit from fedpol (WG Art. 25 Abs. 1).