Snejdarek
Member
I have read in past couple of months about US gun buy back programs or UK's gun surrender program, so I thought I might share some information about the Czech Republic's 2014 gun amnesty program.
As an introduction: one needs a license in order to purchase, possess and carry a firearm in the Czech Republic. Licenses are shall issue and getting them is very similar to getting a driving license. Purchase of auto-loaders and repeating firearms requires prior shall issue permit, other guns registration within 10 days of purchase; full autos require may-issue permit ("police exemption"). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_Czech_Republic
The recent gun amnesty ran from July till the end of the year and it was a fourth one after 1996, 2003 and 2009. Over 3.000 weapons were brought to police stations by the middle of December, however it is expected that most of firearms were brought just before the year-end with final numbers not yet being public.
What might be of interest is the difference from the buy-back/surrender programs: The police conducts inquiry whether each of the firearms was used in a commitment of a crime and after the guns are cleared, they are registered and given back to the original owners if they have firearms license. The process may be more problematic with prohibited weapons (e.g. full-autos, RPGs), and especially in case of persons who don't have license and don't plan on getting any - then the guns must be permanently disabled before being given back.
The most interesting weapons brought to police include an anti-tank canon, semtex, grenades, inter-war heavy machine guns.
Unlike elsewhere, the main purpose is not taking the guns away, but having the otherwise illegal firearms registered and returning them to their owners. It may also somewhat encourage firearms license holders to tap into the black market and legalize themselves some interesting pieces.
I understand the main argument against gun registration - that once a gun is registered the government may seize it - and I support it, but considering that the system is already in place, and looking at other places, I think that it runs here as well as it can.
As an introduction: one needs a license in order to purchase, possess and carry a firearm in the Czech Republic. Licenses are shall issue and getting them is very similar to getting a driving license. Purchase of auto-loaders and repeating firearms requires prior shall issue permit, other guns registration within 10 days of purchase; full autos require may-issue permit ("police exemption"). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_Czech_Republic
The recent gun amnesty ran from July till the end of the year and it was a fourth one after 1996, 2003 and 2009. Over 3.000 weapons were brought to police stations by the middle of December, however it is expected that most of firearms were brought just before the year-end with final numbers not yet being public.
What might be of interest is the difference from the buy-back/surrender programs: The police conducts inquiry whether each of the firearms was used in a commitment of a crime and after the guns are cleared, they are registered and given back to the original owners if they have firearms license. The process may be more problematic with prohibited weapons (e.g. full-autos, RPGs), and especially in case of persons who don't have license and don't plan on getting any - then the guns must be permanently disabled before being given back.
The most interesting weapons brought to police include an anti-tank canon, semtex, grenades, inter-war heavy machine guns.
Unlike elsewhere, the main purpose is not taking the guns away, but having the otherwise illegal firearms registered and returning them to their owners. It may also somewhat encourage firearms license holders to tap into the black market and legalize themselves some interesting pieces.
I understand the main argument against gun registration - that once a gun is registered the government may seize it - and I support it, but considering that the system is already in place, and looking at other places, I think that it runs here as well as it can.
