Czech Government Endorses Human Right to Armed Self-Defense Constitutional Amendment
The Czech Republic continues to be at the forefront of the battle for gun rights in Europe. On July 13, the Czech government announced that it endorsed a plan to enshrine the right of individuals to use a firearm to defend themselves and others in the central European nation’s constitution. The move comes three years after another pro-gun constitutional amendment passed the Czech Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of the Czech Parliament) but failed to receive final approval.
Last September, 35 members of the Czech Senate introduced legislation to amend the Czech Constitution’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. The proposal would alter the charter to include language that roughly translates to the following, “The right to defend one's life or another's life and weapons is guaranteed under the conditions laid down by law.”
In a document explaining the forwarded change, the senators noted, “The current proposal… strengthens the fundamental rights of individuals. The proposal itself introduces a constitutional enshrinement of the right to defense with arms.” The item goes on to explain, “Given the importance of the right to life, which is the most basic right, because without life other human rights cannot be fulfilled, the proposal considers it appropriate to symbolically elevate this right to the constitutional level.”
According to European news source Euractiv, the Senate proposal came about in part due to a grassroots gun rights effort akin to those that have made Second Amendment supporters such a political force in the U.S. Pro-gun activists had presented senators with a petition containing more than 100,000 signatures in support of greater protection for gun rights.
According to a report from the Czech News Agency (CTK), the Czech government was expected to remain neutral on the self-defense amendment, but changed its position after “an intense debate.” The proposal earned the support of Czech Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar, who cited “security developments” as a reason to back the measure.
More at: https://www.nraila.org/articles/2020...onal-amendment
