Senate wants to ban silencers for short firearms from next year

The Czech Senate wants to ban recreational and sports shooters from purchasing silencers for pistols and revolvers for everyday use from next year. It has also proposed allowing gun users to borrow silencers at shooting ranges in order to reduce noise, therefore satisfying the most common objection of opponents of the ban.

The ban, which was supported by 44 of the 71 senators present on Wednesday, was included by the Senate in a set of amendments following the new Weapons Act. This will introduce, among other things, an obligation for doctors to check whether their potentially dangerous patients hold a firearms licence. The change will now be considered by the Chamber of Deputies, which rejected a stricter ban on silencers a month ago.