The Czech Parliament’s lower house approved by a landslide vote of 139-9 a constitutional amendment recognizing the right of law-abiding gun owners to defend the nation. This move is intended to circumvent the European Union’s recent ban on certain types of semi-automatic firearms—Czech citizens could be considered exempt if their guns serve a state purpose.
The amendment, which was introduced by a multi-party group of legislators, still needs to be approved by the upper house. The Czech government has also announced its intention to file a complaint against the EU semi-auto ban, which it views as an overreaction to terrorist attacks that unfairly targets the nation’s more than 300,000 licensed gun owners.
