The lower house of the Czech parliament has agreed to alter the constitution so that firearms can be held legally when national security is threatened.The amendment gives Czechs the right to use firearms during terrorist attacks.
The move was passed by the lower house by a big majority, and is likewise expected to be approved by the upper house.
The move is a challenge to EU gun control rules which restrict civilians from possessing certain kinds of semi-automatic weapons. The EU argues its move is a much-needed counter-terrorism measure.But the Czech parliament took a different view, arguing that allowing people to bear arms enables them to defend themselves against terrorism.
"We don't want to disarm our citizens at a time when the security situation in Europe is getting worse," Interior Minister Milan Chovanec told parliament Wednesday. "Show me a single terrorist attack in Europe perpetrated using a legally-owned weapon."