The Swiss Shooting Sport Federation, ''German'': Schweizer Schiesssportverband (SSSV), is an association for

sport shooting Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. It was founded in its current form in 2001, but has roots as far back as in 1824. It is associated with the

International Shooting Sport Federation The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is the governing body of the Olympic shooting events in rifle, pistol and shotgun (clay target) disciplines, and of several non-Olympic shooting sport events. ISSF's activities include regula ...

and the

European Shooting Confederation The European Shooting Confederation (ESC) is an association of the International Shooting Sport Federation's member federations from Europe, the Caucasus, Cyprus, Israel, and Turkey. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ISSF banned ...

History

The Schweizerischer Schützenverein (SSV) was founded in 1824 during the Swiss Restoration, in the wake of the collapse of the

Helvetic Republic The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...

seen as a means to return to the martial prowess of the

Old Swiss Confederacy The Old Swiss Confederacy or Swiss Confederacy (German language, Modern German: ; historically , after the Swiss Reformation, Reformation also , "Confederation of the Swiss") was a loose confederation of independent small states (, German or ...

, e.g. in

Gottfried Keller Gottfried Keller (19 July 1819 – 15 July 1890) was a Swiss poet and writer of German literature. Best known for his novel '' Green Henry'' (German: ''Der grüne Heinrich'') and his cycle of novellas called ''The People from Seldwyla'' (''Die Leu ...

s ''Das Fähnlein der sieben Aufrechten'', where before the background of the ''

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shooting ...

'' of 1849 in Aarau, the shooting clubs are portrayed as a vigorous "

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

grass roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

movement vital for the preservation of

direct democracy Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate decides on policy initiatives without legislator, elected representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently establishe ...

in the young

Swiss federal state The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on 12 September 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution in response to a 27-day civil war, the ''Sonderbundskrieg''. The constitution, which was heavily influenced by the United Stat ...

. The SSV became a member of

Swiss Olympic Association Swiss Olympic (also known as german: Schweizerischer Olympischer Verband, french: Association Olympique Suisse, it, Associazione Olimpica Svizzera, rm, Assiociaziun Olimpica Svizra) is the National Olympic Committee and the umbrella organisati ...

in 1941. In 1995, the SSV merged with the ''Swiss Revolver and Pistol Shooting Association'' (German: ''Schweizerische Revolver-und Pistolen-Schützenverbandes, SRPV''). In 2002 the Swiss Shooting Federation was founded in its current form through the merger of the ''Swiss Shooting Association'' (Schweizerischer Schützenverein, SSV) with the formerly independent ''Swiss Sport Shooting Association'' (Schweizerischer Sportschützenverband, SSSV) and the ''Swiss Workers Shooting Association'' (Schweizerischer Arbeiterschützen-Bund, SASB). The ''Swiss Clay Shooting Federation'' (''SCSF'') is also a part of the SSPF.

Demographics

The SSV has about 133,000 members, including about 60,825 licensed members. Its current president (as of 2016) is Dora Andres. The SSV is a member of the

, the

, and the

. From its "

" origins, the Swiss shooting clubs have evolved into a staunchly

right wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

milieu with considerable political leverage, although the 2002 fusion with explicitly

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

shooting associations (''Arbeiterschützen'') tends to emphasize the purely sportive character of the contemporary SSV, with lobbyist activity contained to issues directly connected with

gun laws Gun laws and policies, collectively referred to as firearms regulation or gun control, regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Laws of some countries may afford civilians a right to ...

Schützenfest

The SSV organizes the '' Eidgenössische Schützenfeste'', currently in intervals of five years. *1834 Zurich *1838

St. Gallen , neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach , twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic) , website ...

*1843

Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), ...

*1849

Aarau Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the dis ...

*1861

Stans Stans () is the capital of the canton of Nidwalden (Nidwald) in Switzerland. The official language of Stans is German (spoken there in the variety of Swiss Standard German), but the main language is the local variant of Alemannic Swiss German. ...

*1867

Schwyz The town of Schwyz (; french: Schwytz; it, Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the '' ...

*1874

*1885

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

Kirchenfeld *1890

Frauenfeld Frauenfeld (Alemannic: ''Frauefäld'') is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. The official language of Frauenfeld is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Sw ...

*1901

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

*1904

*1907 Zurich *1910

Wankdorffeld *1924

*1929

Bellinzona Bellinzona ( , , Ticinese ; french: Bellinzone ; german: Bellenz ; rm, Blizuna )is a municipality, a historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its three castles (Castelgrande, Montebell ...

*1947

*1954

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

*1958

Biel , french: Biennois(e) , neighboring_municipalities= Brügg, Ipsach, Leubringen/Magglingen (''Evilard/Macolin''), Nidau, Orpund, Orvin, Pieterlen, Port, Safnern, Tüscherz-Alfermée, Vauffelin , twintowns = Iserlohn (Germany) B ...

*1963 Zurich *1969

Thun , neighboring_municipalities= Amsoldingen, Heiligenschwendi, Heimberg, Hilterfingen, Homberg, Schwendibach, Spiez, Steffisburg, Thierachern, Uetendorf, Zwieselberg , twintown = , website = www.thun.ch Thun (french: Thoune) ...

*1985

*1990

Winterthur , neighboring_municipalities = Brütten, Dinhard, Elsau, Hettlingen, Illnau-Effretikon, Kyburg, Lindau, Neftenbach, Oberembrach, Pfungen, Rickenbach, Schlatt, Seuzach, Wiesendangen, Zell , twintowns = Hall in Tirol (Austria), La ...

*1995

*2000

Bière Bière is a municipality in the Swiss canton of Vaud, located in the district of Morges. History Bière is first mentioned in 1177 as ''Beria''. Geography Bière has an area, , of . Of this area, or 38.3% is used for agricultural purposes, ...

*2005

*2010

*2015

Raron Raron (french: Rarogne) is a municipality in the district of Raron in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. History Raron is first mentioned around 1101–1200 as ''Rarogni''. In 1146 it was mentioned as ''Rarun''. A settlement on the Heidnisch ...

Disciplines

The Swiss Shooting Sport Federation administers several shooting disciplines. Among the most popular are the 300 meter rifle competitions, which also have some of the longest traditions within Swiss shooting.Department of Rifle 300m (G300) , Swiss shooting sport federation
/ref> Competitions can be either individual or team events, and each year several sectional and national championships are held. There are also separate events for the youth (''Jungschützen'') and the elderly (''Veteranen''). ; Fullbore rifle (''Gewehr 300'') * ISSF 300 meter standard rifle (''Standardgewehr'') * 300 meter army rifle (''Armeewaffen'') * Rifle

field shooting Field-Shooting or Terrain-Shooting (Danish: ''terrænskydning'', Norwegian: ''feltskyting'', Swedish: ''fältskytte''{{Cite web , url=http://www.sandvikensskyttegille.se/fs_info.php , title=Swedish: Fältskytte gevär förklarat {{! Sandvikens Sk ...

(''Feldschiessen'') ; Smallbore rifle (''Gewehr 10/50'') *

ISSF 10 meter air rifle 10 metre air rifle (N.B. For "Meter" in this article – read "Metre") is an International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) shooting event, shot at a bullseye target over a distance of using a calibre air rifle with a maximum weight of . It ...

(''Luftgewehr'') *

ISSF 50 meter rifle prone 50 meter rifle prone (formerly known as one of four free rifle disciplines) is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle (5.6 mm) caliber rifle. The time limit is ...

(''Kleinkalibergewehr'') ; Pistol (''Pistole 10/25/50'') * Service pistol (''Ordonnanzpistole), shot at either 25 or 50 m *

ISSF 10 meter air pistol The 10 meter air pistol is an Olympic shooting event governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). It is similar to 10 meter air rifle in that it is shot with 4.5 mm (or .177) caliber air guns at a distance of 10 m ...

(''Luftpistole'') *

ISSF 25 meter pistol 25 meter pistol, formerly and unofficially still often known as sport pistol, is one of the ISSF shooting events. It was devised as a women's event in the 1960s, based upon the rules of ISSF 25 meter center-fire pistol, 25 meter center-fire pisto ...

(''Randfeuerpistole'') *

ISSF 25 meter center-fire pistol 25 meter center-fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events, and is normally a men-only event. Its origin lies in competitions with military-style service pistols, and as such its history dates back to the 19th century. 25 meter pistol (forme ...

(''Zentralfeuerpistole'') *

ISSF 25 meter rapid fire pistol 25 meter rapid fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events and is shot with .22 LR pistols. The event has been a part of the Olympic program ever since the beginning in 1896, although its rules changed greatly before World War II, after which ...

ISSF 50 meter pistol The 50 meter pistol, formerly and unofficially still often called Free Pistol, is one of the ISSF shooting events. It provides the purest precision shooting among the pistol events, and is one of the oldest shooting disciplines, dating back to th ...

(''Freipistole'') ; Shooting combined with physical sports *

ISSF Target Sprint The Target Sprint is a summer shooting sport discipline that combines running and air rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants running 3 x 400 meters with two rifle shooting sessions in between. The shooting rounds are not timed pe ...

TargetSprint , Schweizer Schiesssport Verband
/ref>

Field shooting

The annual field shooting organized by SSV is the largest shooting event in the world with around 135,000 participants in decentralized locations, and has been held early in the summer every year for over 130 years. The development of field shooting in the 20th century was largely related to compulsory shooting training in the Swiss army. The annual target shooting for teams was introduced in 1850, but the shooting results were deemed unsatisfactory with only 15% managing to hit a man sized target at 300 meters, while the remaining 85% missed the target. Based on these results, Twannberg in the canton of Bern arranged a mandatory civilian field shooting competition in 1872. There is evidence that field shooting events have been held regularly in the cantons of Bern and Solothurn since 1879. However, field shooting spread slowly in the beginning, and only gained popularity in a few other cantons until 1899 when SSV established common national competition rules and started to provide financial support. Field shooting gained much popularity from the turn of the century, and from 1919 pistol field shooting was also included in addition to rifle field shooting, albeit at a much shorter distance. In 1926, all the cantons of Switzerland were represented at the field shooting for the first time. The field shooting has been held annually since 1940. While firearms long have been closely linked to Swiss traditions, clubs have been struggling to recruit younger members in the last years and experienced a steady fall in the number of participants. In 2018, the number of participants in the field shooting event were 20 000 less compared to ten years earlier.Swiss shooting event draws fewer gun enthusiasts - SWI swissinfo.ch
/ref> According to Walter Harisberger in the Swiss Shooting Sport Federation, major reasons for the decline are that Swiss soldiers finish their military service earlier and some choose to hand in their firearms earlier, resulting in fewer marksmen, as well as that the shooting sports now are competing with several other recreational activities for the attention of Swiss youth.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Society of Switzerland Sport in Switzerland Shooting sports organizations