Arrr, the Czech Republic be raisin' anchor on stricter gun laws after a wretched mass shootin'. Onward to the Senate!
2024-01-26
Arrr, ye scurvy landlubbers! Word be reachin' me ears that the Czech Parliament's lower house has passed a cursed amendment to their gun law. They be demandin' stricter requirements for layin' hands on a weapon. Shiver me timbers!
The Czech Parliament's lower house has approved an amendment to the country's gun law, which aims to tighten requirements for owning a weapon. This comes in response to the recent mass shooting in Prague, where a lone shooter killed 14 people before taking his own life. The shooter had a license to own eight guns and had no criminal record, which did not raise any red flags with the authorities. The legislation will now go before the Senate and, if approved, will need to be signed by President Petr Pavel to become law.The new rules would allow authorities to seize weapons from private owners for preventative reasons. It also introduces measures such as requiring businesses to report suspicious gun and ammunition purchases to the police. Doctors will also have access to databases to check if their patients are gun owners. Additionally, gun owners will now have to undergo a medical check every five years instead of every ten years.
At the end of 2022, there were 314,000 gun license holders in the country, who collectively owned almost a million weapons. Interior Minister Vit Rakusan has stated that it is hard to say whether these new rules would have prevented the recent shooting if they had been in place earlier.
The amendment was approved overwhelmingly in the lower house, with a 151-0 vote. It is expected to pass through the Senate easily, as the ruling coalition government holds the majority. Once signed by President Petr Pavel, the stricter gun regulations will become law in the Czech Republic.