Experience

The Czech Republic is debating implementing a constitutional guarantee in line with our second amendment:

A few years ago, the amendment passed through the lower house of the Czech parliament but was stopped in the upper house. The proposed language read as so: “The right to defend one’s own life or the life of another person with a weapon is guaranteed under the conditions laid down by law.”null

Since then, the center-right Civic Democratic Party has won a majority in the Czech Senate. And this week, the Czech government unexpectedly announced it would endorse the plan to add the language. The amendment now needs a 60 percent supermajority in both chambers to become — somewhat appropriately — only the second amendment to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.

Former president of the Czech Police — and the most vocal champion of the bill — Martin Červíček, says that it’s meant to counter the “disarmament tendencies” of the European Union. Which sounds like a worthwhile cause.

5 thoughts on “Experience

  1. Czechs know all about disarmament and inability to effectively defend themselves. Good for them and score one more for the good guys.

  2. The Czech Republic has historically been firearms friendly, dating back to the Hussites who deployed early rifles and “hand cannons” to turn back five Papal crusades intended to squelch the Bohemian Reformation (100 years before Luther, but that’s another thread). The Czechs also manufacture quite a few of the firearms sold in Europe and the world.

    When we were there we learned that while the Czechs don’t have anything like a Second Amendment, guns are simply considered legal personal property. In fact, the only two times in Czech history when guns were banned were under the Nazi and Communist regimes.

    That said, while owning a gun is pretty easy (especially by European standards), USING a gun is another matter. A friend there told me that if you shoot someone who has broken into your home, you better be sure his knife is sticking in your side when the police arrive, or you are going to jail, and even that isn’t a guarantee. Hence, the push for a self-defense amendment.

  3. Lessee….under the thumb of the Hapsburgs, under the thumb of Hitler, under the thumb of the Soviets and Russians…..and the left will wonder why Czechs might like to be able to shoot back.

  4. Interesting, NW. Thanks.

    That said, while owning a gun is pretty easy (especially by European standards), USING a gun is another matter.

    With certain exceptions and acknowledging a range of behaviors, this sounds to me to be pretty typical for Europe in general. Ownership of long guns, especially shotguns, is widespread. I seem to remember thinking how odd it was that the Scandi countries, especially Sweden, have high gun ownership levels. But I would expect that your comment about using those guns for anything other than hunting or skeet/trap is, as you put it, another matter.

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