Prague to miss deadline to introduce EU gun control directive

The Czech Republic will not manage to introduce a European Union directive tightening gun controls by the deadline of 14 September, the speaker of the lower house, Radek Vondráček, said on Thursday. A number of Czech agencies had objections to a draft government decree meant to implement the directive into Czech law. These must now be dealt with by Ministry of the Interior.

The European Parliament passed the directive, aimed at preventing terrorists getting their hands on arms, in spring last year. A number of Czech politicians objected to the provision as it would affect around 300,000 holders of gun licenses in this country.