History of Czech civilian firearms possession

This article is about historical aspects related to firearms possession in the Czech lands. For current legislation, see Gun law in the Czech Republic.
A replica of 1420s Hussite war wagon with embrasures for firearms.
Total number of gun license holders and registered firearms in the Czech Republic since the fall of communism[1][2][3]

The history of Czech civilian firearms possession extends over 600 years back when the Czech lands became the center of firearms development, both as regards their technical aspects as well as tactical use.

In 1419, the proto-Protestant Hussite revolt against Catholic church and Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor started. The ensuing Hussite wars over religious freedom and political independence represented a clash between professional Crusader armies from all around Europe, relying mostly on standard medieval tactics and cold weapons, and primarily commoners' militia-based Czech forces which relied on use of firearms. First serving as auxiliary weapons, firearms gradually became indispensable for the Czech militia.

The year 1421 marks a symbolical beginning of the Czech civilian firearms possession due to two developments: enactment of formal duty of all inhabitants to obey call to arms by provisional Government in order to defend the country and first battle in which Hussite Taborite militia employed firearms as the main weapons of attack.[4]

A universal right to keep arms was affirmed in the 1517 Wenceslaus Agreement. In 1524 the Enactment on Firearms was passed, establishing rules and permits for carrying of firearms. Firearms legislation remained permissive until the 1939-1945 German occupation. The 1948-1989 period of Communist dictatorship marked another period of severe gun restrictions.[5]

Permissive legislation returned in the 1990s. Citizens’ ability to be armed has been considered an important aspect of liberty. Today, the vast majority of Czech gun owners possess their firearms for protection, with hunting and sport shooting being less common.[6] 250,342 out of 307,372 legal gun owners possess licenses for the reason of protection of life, health and property (31 Dec 2020), which allows them to carry concealed firearms anywhere in the country.[7]

The "right to acquire, keep and bear firearms" is explicitly recognized in the first Article of the Firearms Act. On a constitutional level, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms includes the "right to defend one’s own life or the life of another person also with arms".

  1. ^ Šimek, Jiří (18 December 2012). "Statistika držitelů zbrojních průkazů a počtu registrovaných zbraní 1990-2010" (in Czech). Gunlex. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Gun license statistics between 2003–2012" (in Czech). Gunlex. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  3. ^ "V ČR loni mělo zbrojní průkaz 292.000 lidí, jejich počet klesl" (in Czech). ČTK. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  4. ^ Gawron, Tomáš (January 2021). "Unikátní české výročí: 600 let civilního držení palných zbraní [Unique Czech anniversary: 600 years of civilian firearms possession]". zbrojnice.com (in Czech). Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference zrizeni was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Eurobarometer, Directorate General for Communication (2013), Flash Barometer 383: Firearms in the European Union – Report (PDF), Brusselss, retrieved 26 March 2017{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ Gawron, Tomáš (10 January 2021). "Zbraňové statistiky 2020: Počet legálních držitelů se zvýšil o 0,63%, palnou zbraň pro osobní ochranu smí nosit čtvrt milionu lidí [Firearms statistics 2020: The number of legal gun owners grew by 0,63%, quarter million people can carry a gun for personal protection]". zbrojnice.com (in Czech). Retrieved 10 January 2021.