<p>Many of us imagine Sweden as a peaceful welfare state populated by beautiful blonde women and men. All of that has changed with the acceptance of over 60,000 Syrian refugees that has incited a surge in firearms and security systems purchases as well as the formation of vigilante groups. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;For the first time, I feel scared to live here,&rdquo; says Alexandra von Schwerin. Alexandra and her husband have been robbed three times and have lost a van, a quad bike, and a car. When they spoke with police, the von Schwerins were informed that the cops were too busy to help: ;&ldquo;All our resources are on loan to the asylum reception center in Trelleborg and Malmö;. We are overloaded right now. So I suggest you get in touch with the vigilante group in Eslö;v.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>You know things are bad when police recommend you turn to vigilantes for help. The group in question turned out to be a band of business owners who decided to take matters into their own hands after repeated robberies in 2013. ;&ldquo;On principal, I am totally against it,&rdquo; said Alexandra. &ldquo;What are the people who cannot afford private security to do? They will be unprotected. I&rsquo;m sure I will join, but very, very reluctantly.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>In regards to private security, business is booming. According to a security company salesman, people have lost confidence in Sweden&rsquo;s government and police forces. &ldquo;The police will not come anymore,&rdquo; he said during an interview with <em>Gatestone</em>. &ldquo;Truck drivers say that when they see a thief emptying the fuel tank of their trucks, they run out with a baseball bat. It&rsquo;s no use calling the police&hellip;&rdquo;</p>
<p>Each time the Immigration Service sets up a housing facility, security sales ramp up. &ldquo;The next day, half the village calls and wants to buy alarm systems,&rdquo; said another salesman. &ldquo;You have to understand that Swedes are really scared when an asylum house opens in their village. They can see what has happened in other places.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>According to <em>Gatestone</em>, there are reports almost every day of people setting fire to asylum houses (most allegedly caused by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats Party AKA <em>Sverigedemokraterna</em>). And violence at Immigration Service facilities is at an all-time high ;with brawls and threats occurring daily. ;</p>
<p>The desire for personal protection has also resulted in a rush to buy firearms. To obtain a gun permit in Sweden, one must be a well-behaved, law-abiding citizen of 18 years or more. You must also be a member of a shooting club or have a hunting license. In 2014, Sweden gave out 11,000 hunting licenses (that&rsquo;s a 10% increase from the previous year). ;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the country expects the arrival of 190,000 unemployed, unskilled migrants this year &ndash; that&rsquo;s equal to 2% of Sweden&rsquo;s population. To compare, consider what would happen if 6.4 million non-English speaking migrants arriving in the United States in a single year.  ;</p>
<p>Swedish commentators predict a grim future of anarchy and collapse. Even the country&rsquo;s Foreign Minister, Margot Wallströ;m, has lost hope. &ldquo;Most people seem to think we cannot maintain a system where perhaps 190,000 people will arrive every year. In the long run, our system will collapse. This welcome is not going to receive popular support. We want to give people who come here a worthy reception,&rdquo; she said during an interview with <em>Dagens Nyheter</em>.</p>
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