The Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, a part of the Czech constitution, should anchor the right for people to use a weapon to defend themselves and others in accordance with conditions set by law, a group of 35 senators has proposed.
The group is led by former police chief Martin Cervicek (Civic Democrats, ODS). The Senate might start discussing their draft amendment to the constitution in late October.
If approved by the upper house, the draft will be forwarded to the cabinet and the lower house for discussion.
To make it through the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies, it would need support from the constitutional (three-fifth) majority of MPs.
"The right to use a weapon to defend one's own life or another person's life is guaranteed under the conditions set by law," the draft says.
By their initiative, the senators react to a petition signed by 102,000 people, including a number of elected officials.
The petition was launched by hunters, gamekeepers and sport shooters in reaction to the EC's effort to restrict the possession of weapons, including legally possessed ones. Among the reasons for its step, the EC cited the need of anti-terror measures.
Critics, nevertheless, pointed out that terrorists mostly use illegally-possessed weapons and that the current Czech law addresses the issue sufficiently.
The draft amendment's goal is to promote the right to defend one's life to the constitutional level.
Cervicek said two weeks ago that the draft does not apply only to firearms, the possession of which has been regulated, and that it would not result in uncontrolled armament of people. The draft should prevent the threatening disarmament of potential victims, its initiators said.
