Interest in firearms licenses on the rise due to security fears and amendment to law
Since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Czechs have been purchasing guns more frequently. Last year alone, according to police statistics, Czechs legally bought 30,000 firearms. People cite the global security situation and the upcoming amendment to the firearms law, which will come into effect in 2026, as contributing factors.
Zenon Sliwka is one of the Czechs who has applied for a gun license, and he is clear about his reasons for wanting to own one. He shared his thoughts with Czech Radio:
"If the security situation worsens, I would be ready to help defend our country or possibly our loved ones."
The number of gun licence holders in Czechia is increasing year by year. Last year, that number increased by 2,700, explained police spokeswoman Irena Pilařová.
"At the end of the year, there were 319 500 holders of firearms licences and the total number of weapons held by these persons was almost 1 046 000."
According to the police, the number of guns increased by less than 30,000 year-on-year. Most people in Czechia have self-loading pistols. Přemysl Spáčil, owner of the Camp Zero shooting range in Prague, describes the trend in the number of new applicants for firearms licences as steadily increasing.
"It is a continuous upward trend. It's a gradual steady increase of some percentage every month."
In practice, this means that his range receives just over 100 applications for firearms licenses each year. Although the police do not track the reasons for applying, the range owner believes the motivations are clear. He attributes it to the increasingly deteriorating security situation worldwide.
However, Spáčil adds that there might be another reason contributing to the number of people obtaining firearms licenses lately.
For instance, a new law will reduce the validity period of a gun holder’s medical fitness certificate. Previously valid for 10 years, the certificate will now be valid for only five years. Some of these changes have already been in effect since January 2025. The government implemented these stricter regulations in response to the shooting at the philosophy faculty in Prague in December 2023.
Police intensified their checks immediately after the tragedy, says Marcel Žurovec, the manager of the Petřvald shooting range in the Karviná region:
"The police are regularly and preventively calling, checking, stopping by shooting ranges, checking that the operating rules are being followed."
Vendors are now required to report suspicious purchases to the police. This includes situations where an individual attempts to buy a gun without a permit or appears to be under significant stress during the transaction. Starting in January, the police also have the authority to confiscate firearms from individuals they deem to be a security risk.
