Czech government comes down hard in support of gun rights and against terrorism.

Firearms surrendered in a gun buyback in the UK. Reuters/Washington Post. 

The Czech Republic has pushed back against recent gun control moves in Europe and is considering legislation that would allow gun owners to respond to terror attacks. Washington Post. The colorful Czech President, Milos Zeman had asked Czech citizens to arm themselves against a possible "super holocaust" caused by Muslim immigrants in the future, despite the fact that the Czech Republic has largely been spared from the migrant crisis and has only 4,000 Muslims in the country of 10 million people. The interior ministry has proposed legislation, which has yet to pass, that would allow citizens to use their guns to fight back against terrorists if police were unable to respond in time or overwhelmed. The Czech Republic has some of the most pro-gun laws in Europe and a strong gun culture, which puts them at odds with the UN, who has passed more gun control, including more background checks and bans on popular rifles, which will directly restrict gun rights in the country.

My Comment:

It sounds as though the Czech Republic is the only country in the EU making any sense at all. After the horrible terror attacks where either the terrorist had no problem getting fully automatic rifles and explosives, or used other techniques such as using a truck as a weapon, it's pretty clear that gun control won't work to stop Europe's terrorism problem. Indeed, gun control is probably doing more harm than good. If more Europeans carried firearms then they might have been able to prevent or at least lessen the damage caused by these terrorists attacks. 

Remember, we have had a terror attack stopped by a good guy with a gun recently and in Pakistan, a hero professor used a gun to protect and save some of his students during a terror attack by the Taliban. And there are more examples as well. CCW helps stop terror attacks and mass shootings. 

I have long advocated carrying a concealed firearm as a preventive measure against terrorist attacks. Unfortunately that is not an option for most of Europe. You know where you can carry a handgun? The Czech Republic. You know which country hasn't had any terror attacks in recent memory? The Czech Republic. 

Though is probably pretty dishonest of me to say that the prevalence of concealed carry in the Czech Republic is the reason they haven't had a terror attack, the almost complete lack of Muslims in the country probably has way more to do with it, but think of it this way. If you were a terrorist and you had multiple choices in Europe to attack, which would you target? A country like the Czech Republic where someone could shoot back, or anywhere else in Europe where you know damn well that unless the police/military are on the ball you will have quite a bit of time to shoot/explode/run over people before you face resistance. I know if I was a terrorist the Czech Republic would be the last place I would attack in Europe. 

I am kind of surprised to hear the kind of rhetoric about gun rights and Islam coming from Milos Zeman. From what I understand he is a far left leader and was a former communist during the bad old days of the Cold War. Perhaps the horseshoe theory is true in Europe? Only the far right and far left support gun rights, in Europe at least (I do know a few leftist gun rights proponents here in the United States, but they are pretty rare). If I have any Czech readers, let me know what the situation is there. 

As for the specific law itself, it seems to make a fair bit of sense. Though there is always the fear of some untrained person going half cocked and getting him or herself killed or worse, I doubt that would happen in the Czech Republic. From what I understand you have to train to get a CCW licences there so everyone that could fight back should at least have a bit of training. That could be all the difference in a terror attack. Remember, it's not just the potential to stop terror attacks cold, you are also buying time for police and/or military to arrive and allow other people to escape. 

Are things so dire in Europe that such a law is necessary though? Don't get me wrong, self defense is the most basic human right and I support the Czech law, but is the threat from terrorism in Europe so bad that people should be arming up? Is the law needed regardless of the right to self defense? 

I think it is. The massive migrant crisis has created a huge population of disenfranchised and angry young men who are ripe for recruitment into terror groups like ISIS. Plus, dozens if not hundreds or thousands of ISIS and other fighters have infiltrated Europe and the governments of the EU is having a very hard time tracking these people down. As the wars in Syria and Iraq start to wind down with ISIS losing territory, it's very possible that the problem will get much worse before it gets better... if it ever does. 

I have a vision of what the future of Europe is and it is not a pretty picture. Right now they have an all but declared insurgency throughout the whole continent where ISIS terrorists are striking wherever they can reach. This problem will get worse with time as the migrant waves fail to integrate and the 2nd generation is even more vulnerable to radicalization.

And there is no easy solution either. It's probably economically and politically impossible to just deport everyone and even if it was, it would be fought tooth and nail by the left. An integration program is likely to fail as well. Allowing citizens to own firearms and respond to terrorist attacks isn't a panacea. Indeed, and forgive the metaphor here, it's like putting band-aid on a bullet wound. 

But I don't see anyone else in Europe doing anything that would help. Europe seems destined to devolve into civil war and nobody seems to realize what is going to happen. I know if I lived there I would be begging for gun laws like we have in the States. Even in California where guns are practically banned, you still have a better chance to defend yourself and you family if things go south than you do in Europe. 

I think the Czech Government is thinking the same thing and they are at least doing something about the problem, even though the threat they face is much less then the threats Germany, the UK, France and Sweden all face. For that I say good on them and I hope that they succeed in passing more laws that protect the human rights of their citizens...