page_title: Gun law in the Czech Republic
hierarchical_section_title: Gun law in the Czech Republic
caption_attribution_description: English: Proarms Armory gun shop in Prague, Czech Republic
context_page_description: Gun laws in the Czech Republic in many respects differ from those in other Member states of the European Union. A gun in the Czech Republic is available to anybody subject to acquiring a shall issue firearms license. Gun licenses may be obtained in a way similar to a driving license – by passing a gun proficiency exam, medical examination and having a clean criminal record. Unlike in most other European countries, the Czech gun legislation also permits a citizen to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense – 248,278 out of 305,452 legal gun owners have a concealed carry permit. The vast majority of Czech gun owners possess their firearms for protection, with hunting and sport shooting being less common.
  Historically, the country was at the forefront of spreading of civilian fireams ownership, as firearms became indispensable tools for the mostly peasant Hussite armies, whose amateur combatants, including women, fended off a series of invasions of professional crusader armies of well armored warriors with cold weapons in the 1420s and 1430s. The English term pistol originated in 15th-century Czech language.
context_section_description: Gun laws in the Czech Republic in many respects differ from those in other Member states of the European Union (see Gun laws in the European Union). A gun in the Czech Republic is available to anybody subject to acquiring a shall issue firearms license. Gun licenses may be obtained in a way similar to a driving license – by passing a gun proficiency exam, medical examination and having a clean criminal record. Unlike in most other European countries, the Czech gun legislation also permits a citizen to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense – 248,278 out of 305,452 legal gun owners have a concealed carry permit (31 Dec 2019). The vast majority of Czech gun owners possess their firearms for protection, with hunting and sport shooting being less common.
  Historically, the country was at the forefront of spreading of civilian fireams ownership, as firearms became indispensable tools for the mostly peasant Hussite armies, whose amateur combatants, including women, fended off a series of invasions of professional crusader armies of well armored warriors with cold weapons in the 1420s and 1430s. The English term pistol originated in 15th-century Czech language. Mariánská skála in Ústí nad Labem is Europe's oldest continually-open shooting range, established in 1617.  The Czech lands have been the firearms manufacturing center (including weapons industry) of Central Europe for over two centuries. Firearms possession was severely restricted during German occupation and the subsequent communist dictatorship, with ownership rates gradually rising ever since the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
caption: A gun shop in Prague. Pistols, modern sporting rifles and standard capacity magazines are all shall issue.
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