Switzerland is "an armed nation", proclaims the country's federal constitution dating back to 1848. Almost every adult male is issued with a gun, to be kept at home oiled and ready for any possible foreign invasion. Switzerland is "an armed nation", proclaims the country's federal constitution dating back to 1848. Almost every adult male is issued with a gun, to be kept at home oiled and ready for any possible foreign invasion.The weapon, these days a semi-automatic, is supplied with 24 rounds. The ammunition comes in a sealed box, but it is easy to buy more on the open market.For shooting is Switzerland's national sport.

Swiss expertise with weapons dates back to the Middle Ages, when mercenaries were the biggest export item. These days there are shooting ranges in every town and village, and at weekends the sound of gunfire fills the valleys. When not in use, the family weapon is supposed to be locked up safely in a gun cabinet.One of the biggest sporting events is a national shooting day in the summer, when tens of thousands test the skills already learnt in childhood and carefully honed by the army in adult life.Reservists must report for target practice once every year. If they have neglected their shooting and consistently miss, they are punished by being forced to spend two days at an army barracks. Refusal to turn up for the annual shoot can result in a fine of 100 Swiss francs (about £40).But few refuse, because most Swiss think guns are fun.

"The attitude to guns in Switzerland is similar to that in America," said Johann Aeschlimann, a journalist working for the Berne newspaper Der Bund "When we were kids, we were always playing with the rifle. This is one of my childhood memories – going to a shooting range with my dad."The inalienable right of Swiss men to bear arms is jealously guarded by Pro-Tell, the equivalent to America's National Rifle Association.It is named after the national hero William Tell, who may not even have existed. Yet William Tell, and his talent with the crossbow, remains the sustaining myth of Switzerland's national identity.The alleged threat to the cherished gun culture has even been seized by nationalists opposing closer ties with Europe. Only last week, the government was forced to reassure citizens that signing the Schengen agreement with the European Union, which calls for the abolition of internal borders, would not affect Swiss gun laws.Despite the prevalence of guns, Switzerland has a low crime rate, and incidents of the kind which brought tragedy to Zug were unheard of until yesterday.. Western leaders rounded on Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, yesterday after he undermined the unity of the coalition against terrorism by asserting the superiority of Western civilisation over Islam.

Western leaders rounded on Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, yesterday after he undermined the unity of the coalition against terrorism by asserting the superiority of Western civilisation over Islam. European politicians publicly disowned Mr Berlusconi's apparent prediction of a clash of civilisations while much of the Arab world reacted with anger. Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the 22-nation Arab League, said the Italian Prime Minister had "crossed the limits of reason," adding: "We don't believe there is a superior civilisation and, if he said so, he's utterly mistaken."In Tehran, Mohammad Khatami, the reformist Iranian President, warned of "evil hands" trying to use the deadly attacks on the United States to create a clash of civilisations.America and its European allies have been at pains to stress that the coalition they are assembling is designed to combat terrorism and does not equate the actions of fanatics with the views of a wider Muslim world. Contradicting this carefully co-ordinated message, Mr Berlusconi argued that Western democracies observed superior standards to those of Muslim countries. After talks in Berlin with Gerhard Schr?, the German Chancellor, on Wednesday, Mr Berlusconi said: "We must be aware of the superiority of our civilisation, a system that has guaranteed well-being, respect for human rights and – in contrast with Islamic countries – respect for religious and political rights."He was then quoted as comparing Islamic terrorism to the anti-globalisation movement, saying that, while the former had tried to provoke a violent reaction from the West, the latter had tried to make it feel guilty for its economic policy.

Mr Berlusconi's spokesman said later the words had been taken out of context.While President George Bush has been criticised for a verbal slip in calling the war against terror a "crusade", Mr Berlusconi parted company with the West's co-ordinated political script. European leaders are adamant they are not about to embark on a clash of civilisations, and have criticised him with a ferocity rarely seen in diplomatic circles.Guy Verhofstadt, the Prime Minister of Belgium. which holds the EU presidency, said: "These remarks could, in a dangerous way, have consequences. I can hardly believe that the Italian Prime Minister made such statements."Chris Patten, the European commissioner for external relations, said: "It may be worth our while in Europe remembering with a degree of appropriate humility that the Islamic world has never been responsible for a holocaust."Although most reaction in the Arab world was indignant, Ahmed al-Baghdadi, the head of political science at Kuwait University, said that Mr Berlusconi's remarks were ill-timed but "relatively correct". While acknowledging that the Koran's principles were good, he said that Islamic civilisation had not encouraged freedoms.