It has become a whole lot easier to get the Schützenschnur in the past 30 some years.
The Schützenschnur got into fashion after the 80 year war that ended in 1648 and left the Netherlands under the Spanish crown. The Spanish king ordered any Dutchman found with a musket to be hung and the Dutch mocked them by carrying their own rope attached to their coat on their left shoulder, providing their own rope to get hung - after taking the musket
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In 1720 the Prussian king started to give the Schützenschnur to the best marksmen.