The state of things in Czech Republic.
I don't believe anyone wrote about the situation in Czech Republic... which is pretty good, imho. You can't carry without a CCW permit. And to get one, you need to demonstrate that you need it for your job (private eye, security, cop, etc), or somehow convince the officer in charge of issuing them.
You get into serious trouble, if you shoot and kill an unarmed physically not inferior person, even at your property. "Reasonable defence" is a hotly argued topic right now..
there are some precedents in favour of it, but given the lack of crime, it's not serious.
On to firearms.
Firearms are divided by law into several categories..
I won't enumerate them exactly, as I have not yet bothered with getting my weapon permit.. (not lazyiness, but first I get a DSLR camera, then a .22LR Margolina pistol, then a K100 pistol, then a select fire sa.vz 58, and after that, six years in the future maybe some precision H&K semi auto rifle, or AR-15, or Dragunov).
First category is at max 2shot muzzleloaders, crossbows, airguns. You need to be over 18 to buy those weapons and their ammo. Then there is a category of cumbersome .22Lr pistols, long repeating rifles, shotguns, muzzleloading revolvers.. You need at least a hunter's weapon permit to buy guns of that category, and you don't have to apply for a permit before buying a gun from that category.
Next category are pistols, revolvers, semi-auto rifles and shotguns.*
Before buying one, you need to apply for a permit at the local police department.
(I think you get it right away or wait at max three days).
Military weapons, that is all full auto guns including machineguns of up to .50 cal are only available to people with both a collector's weapon permit (not hard to get), and a necessary extemption for every full auto weapon from the department of the interior. In some places, it's easier to get it than in others, but mostly you need to prove to the department, that you are a sane adult in good financial standing, have a gun safe
(though I think you legally need one only if you own more than 5 guns of any type).
I also bet that if you were Muslim (very rare*) or gypsy, you won't get one. Czech police is corrupt, but not stupid, and machineguns are taken seriously.
I hasten to add that it's not expensive getting all those permits.. only a bit of time, and some token sum (20-30$) for the papers for each gun.
Silencers are gov't (and underworld. And everyone who can machine metal and has the guts to try it) only. Though maybe that'll change, the gun owners, though a relatively small community are quite vocal & reasonable.
*Islam has no chance in Bohemia. The national dish is roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, and mostly downed with some good lager, like the real Budweiser.
70% of Czechs are godless atheists, agnostics, and most educated people are supporters of a conservative, anti-multiculturalist party. Plus, there is a history of ethnic cleansing.. before WWII, 1.5 million Germans lived in Bohemia. Now, maybe 50 K. (only those who took part in the resistance were allowed to stay).
If you have all the paperwork in order, you can buy vintage MG-34 machineguns for
1000$, sa.vz 58's for 150$, vintage PPsh for cca 300$, etc, etc. Ammo is expensive though.. cheapest .22LR is 30 to a $, 7.62x39 is 4 to a $, and so on. If you don't believe me, check out
www.bvs.cz .
There are virtually no anti gun lobbies, and not many deaths from guns*. Violent crime is quite uncommon, and there are very few places where any adult male has to be afraid to go even at night. No war on drugs either..
*The only really obnoxious minority, gypsies, are too lazy and cowardly to be dangerous violent criminals. Czech mafia is remarkably stealthy, circumspect and civilized.. no drive by shootings and such barbaric acts. Last time someone tried to arrange a hit on a journalist, the hitman cooperated with the police.. and there was much rejoicing
...
I'll probably write about the process of getting a permit when I decide to apply for it, though first I have to apply for a permanent residence here in Prague.. I am originally from Slovakia and I can't apply for a permit without having residency here. I don't want to apply for it back home, it's more inconvenient, as I am a student here, and I would probably have to fudge a few psychological tests..
(Slovakia != Slovenia, and no, it was never seriously devastated by war since the Mongol invasion in 1200's. Even WWII eastern front just swiftly passed). If you wonder about language, the differences between Czech and Slovak are similar to those between 16th century and contemporary English. With little effort, one can almost master it. Most Czechs can't tell I am Slovak from the way I speak..
Imho, firearms freedoms in Czech Republic are quite good, judging from the fact that all .50 cal Browning M2HB's sold very quickly.. (though I don't think anyone shoots them much - too expensive)
Now, I should get back to what I was doing before, that is translating installation and maintenance instructions for industrial-type valves from English into Czech, so I'll get a few hundred crowns nearer to having the correct amount for to the DSLR. Last sentence probably explains why this post is so long.. I type pretty quickly.
