Zug

The Zug massacre was a mass shooting that took place on 27 September 2001 in the parliament of the Canton of Zug, Switzerland. 57-year-old Friedrich Leibacher shot and killed 14 people in the parliament before killing himself. He was armed with an assault rifle, a pump-action shotgun, two handguns and a homemade bomb and had entered the building disguised as a police officer. All of the weapons used were legally obtained. It was the first time a Swiss politician was killed since the 19th century. Leibacher had a long history of criminal actions, among them several instances of assault, illegal importation of guns and child molestation, as well as violent threats. Despite this, his criminal record was expunged and he was approved to buy firearms. Three years before the massacre, he was sued for threatening a man with a gun. Afterwards he was under police surveillance and became embroiled in a legal battle with the Canton of Zug. He became aggrieved against the legal system, particularly blaming Cantonal Minister Robert Bisig. He left a letter with these accusations, titled "Day of Reckoning for the Zug Mafia". Bisig himself survived the attack. In the aftermath of the shooting, there were changes in building security policies in Switzerland, which had previously been lax. In addition, new practices on how to handle people who make threats were instituted in several cantons. There were no changes in gun laws as a result of the shooting, with the discussion in the aftermath having focused more on building security. After the shooting and several other violent incidents, a 2011 federal initiative for more severe gun laws was rejected by 56.3% of voters.