Shotguns, canned ravioli, fishing rods and transistor radios. Although there is no looming threat, the Swiss have started stockpiling since the beginning of the war in Ukraine to be ready for any eventuality. In some cities and cantons, applications for firearms licenses have increased between 50 and 100%, according to public broadcaster SRF.
In the city of Zurich alone in March the number of applications submitted to the appropriate office was almost double compared to last year, in the Canton of St. Gallen in the first three months of this year requests increased by 60%. Similar situation in the canton of Aargau. But there are also cantons and cities where the arms race is not felt, at least until now, as they say in Basel and Solothurn. Obviously, obtaining a license to purchase weapons – around 90% of applications are approved – does not necessarily mean that a weapon will be purchased. to understand if there will actually be more rifles and pistols in circulation in the Confederation. But it is not just a race to arm itself: concerns about what is happening have triggered the “boom in emergency stocks” in Switzerland, as underlines Stephan Kurmann, spokesman for Digitec-Galaxus, the largest online retailer in the country, owned by Migros. “Sales of outdoor equipment saw enormous growth in March – the company says – on an annual basis the most significant growth in sales was that of water filters (+ 642%), vision devices night (+ 322%), camping stoves (+ 295%) and fishing accessories (+ 135%) “.
The emergency stocks of the Swiss – also urged by the Federal Office for Economic Supply of the country (FOE) – also include food and drinks to be stowed in fallout shelters. Never before has the Swiss e-commerce giant sold so many ready meals and preserves (+ 214%): “we are back to the frenzy for canned ravioli”, says Kurmann. Large quantities of sugar (+ 179%), mineral water (+ 133%) and long-life milk (+ 118%) ended up in the virtual carts. And at this juncture, the Swiss demonstrate that they do not forget their four-legged friends: pet owners have bought 80% more dog and cat food than in the same period in 2021.