Gun culture in the Czech Republic

(Baonghean.vn) - Governments of European Union (EU) countries have passed stricter gun control laws following the shootings by Islamic extremists in France and Belgium, despite opposition from some countries that believe gun control will hurt law-abiding enthusiasts.

Gun culture in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic has been among the most vocal critics, arguing that the measures will not stop criminals buying weapons but will wrongly penalize hunters and gun collectors.

Since the January 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine by men armed with Kalashnikov rifles purchased in central Europe, France has stepped up its crackdown, redoubled its efforts after the attacks in Paris on November 13.

Shooting at a shooting range in the Czech Republic.

Prague is among those seeking to scrap the original proposals to ensure hunters, sport shooters, collectors and museums can store weapons, including semi-automatic guns capable of firing multiple rounds per minute.

Switzerland, which is outside the EU, is working on these issues with Finland and others to find an exemption for civilian defence groups.

The new rifle was assembled at the Ceska Zbrojovka arms factory.

The Czech Republic has liberal gun laws by European standards, with around 775,000 legal guns in the country of 10.6 million people.

Despite the fact that the initial proposals have been changed somewhat, gun owners in the Czech Republic are still frustrated with the ongoing changes.

“The terrorists do not use legally purchased weapons, but buy them on the black market, mainly from Balkan countries,” said Jan Vurbs, 30, as he fired two shots from his rifle at a shooting range in a forest near Visnova, 50 km south of Prague.

“We have to meet certain regulations on firearms storage, safes, every weapon is registered and the police know exactly what we have in our homes,” he said. “Prohibiting civilian use and preventing terrorist threats are two unrelated issues.”

A salesman demonstrates a rifle produced at the Ceska Zbrojovka arms factory.

The proposal will go to the European Parliament, and then introduce for the first time EU-wide rules to ban the sale of firearms.

While the Brussels executive initially proposed a complete ban on the possession of semi-automatic guns capable of firing multiple rounds in civilian areas, several exceptions were approved, such as guns for museum storage and shooting practice.

The Visnova area outside Prague allows people to carry rifles, but they must be legal: a sporting version of a Czech military rifle, and one used by the British army in the 1960s and 1970s.

A worker finishes a pistol at the Ceska Zbrojovka arms factory.

Czech Interior Minister Josef Chovanec said the changes could affect 40,000 guns in the Czech Republic.

“We have no objection to those laws, but we want them to not affect Czech citizens too much,” Chovanec said.

David Karasek, a member of the Czech gun owners' lobby group, said the proposals would lead to a huge increase in illegal gun ownership.

“The gun trade may be banned, but it is undeniably growing,” he said. “People who own guns certainly don’t buy them to hand them over after a ban is enacted.”

The workbench where the guns are made.

The plan aims to control and legally register guns in EU countries and reduce the risk of weapons being used for malicious purposes.

Others say adopting the new rules would send an important signal since the Charlie Hebdo attackers are believed to have bought guns illegally in Slovakia and then redesigned them to fire live ammunition.

Central South

(According to Reuters)