> (If we in the U.S. were allowed to take home our machine
> guns after serving in the armed forces universal military
> service would probably be much more respectable) ...
> [ ... ]
> Sorry to be pedantic ...
One good instance of pedantry deserves another. By "machine gun" I presume you mean fully-automatic rifle; it's my understanding that if you want to keep your issued rifle after your period of service is over in the Swiss Militia, the full-auto feature is disabled.
/jordan