GENEVA 19 May (ANA) - Voters in Switzerland have backed a tightening of gun laws to conform with European Union regulations, early projections suggest.

The projections indicate that 67% of voters in Sunday's referendum supported tougher restrictions on semi-automatic and automatic weapons.

Switzerland is not a EU member, but risked removal from the open-border Schengen Area if it had voted "no".

Switzerland has a long tradition of gun ownership. 

Nearly 48% of households there own a gun, putting it among the highest rates of private ownership in Europe.

The EU had urged the country to tighten its laws in line with rules adopted by the bloc following the 2015 Paris terror attacks. 

The rules restrict semi-automatic and automatic rifles and make it easier to track weapons in national databases.

The EU's initial proposal sparked criticism in Switzerland, because it meant a ban on the tradition of ex-soldiers keeping their assault rifles.

Swiss officials negotiated concessions, but some gun activists argued that the rules still encroached on citizens' rights.(ANA)

FA/ANA/19 May 2019------