Nope.
Pope Francis likes machine guns not legal in America.
Dressed to Kill
Strangely, the seemingly historic blue, red and orange striped uniform of the Swiss Guard is a fairly recent creation. The regiment’s distinctive baggy tunic and trouser look was designed in 1914, although to be sure, the current outfit was inspired by the group’s original 16th century garb. The entire ensemble, each piece of which is custom tailored to fit its wearer, is topped by a large black beret or a Renaissance-style
morian helmet.
While the Swiss Guard carries 16th Century halberds on the parade square, the unit has a fully equipped 21st Century arsenal. (Image source: WikiCommons)
Tools of the Trade
Almost as famous as the Swiss Guards’ colourful uniform are its notorious Medieval-era
halberds. These fearsome seven-foot-long pole arms are topped with a combination steel axe-head, spear tip and billhook. First appearing in central Europe in the 14th Century, the halberd was commonly used on battlefields of the late Middle Ages as a stabbing and hacking weapon. In the hands of a skilled soldier, the halberd’s downward-curved rear blade could be used to get in behind the neck of an attacker, even one on horseback, deliver a lethal slash. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the guard added bolt-action rifles, like
the German K98 Mauser, and early
automatic pistols to the arsenal. Guardsmen later trained on
SIG submachine guns. Today, the soldiers have access to an assortment of compact automatic weapons like the
HK MP-5 and, as well as
SIG assault rifles and
Glock pistols.
He's also got his own private police force with more fully automatic weapons.
The Vatican’s Blue Line
In addition to the Swiss Guard, Vatican City has its own police, known as the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City State. They help augment the Pontifical Swiss Guard during the Pope’s appearances, especially those in Saint Peters Square and abroad, as well as providing general security, traffic direction and investigative duties for the Vatican City State.
This unit, which will be 200 years old in 2016, is roughly the same size as the Swiss Guard. The small but highly trained force includes a counter-assault team and a anti-sabotage unit which deals with explosive ordinance disposal (EOD). Think of them loosely as the Capitol Police while the Swiss Guard is like the Secret Service Protection Division, just on a much smaller level.
The Gendarmerie Corps are equipped with a full range of modern weaponry, include Glock pistols and Heckler & Koch and Beretta sub-machineguns. Their tactical teams use Carbon 15 machine pistols and Heckler & Koch/FABARM shotguns.
