Swiss reject ban on home gun possession

BERN, Switzerland, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Swiss voters Sunday soundly rejected a proposal to ban army weapons from people's homes.

Army officers hailed the 57 percent majority as an affirmation of Switzerland's tradition of a citizens' army, Swissinfo reported.

The referendum -- backed by a coalition of women's groups, unions, churches, pacifists and center-left parties -- found support in the cities of Geneva, Basel and Zurich but was voted down in rural cantons.

The proposal also called for a nationwide firearms database and stricter licensing to reduce suicides and incidents of domestic violence.

The government and a majority of Parliament argued that current laws were sufficient to stem violent crime.