The Czech Republic could add the right to armed self-defense to its document of fundamental rights. (Photo: Self-defense class in Czech Republic, Wikimedia commons)
The U.S. Constitution’s guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms is unique on the world stage. And while courts and legislators routinely ignore or warp the words of the Second Amendment, it has stood as a bulwark against the worst kinds of anti-gun policies in places like Canada, Australia, and Europe.
This year, one of those European counties may be taking a step towards what Americans have enjoyed since 1789 [When the Bill of Rights was created].
For several years, conservatives in the Czech Republic’s parliament have been pushing to add the right to armed self-defense as one of the “fundamental human rights and freedoms”, according to David Harsanyi writing in National Review.
The proposed Amendment reads: “The right to defend one’s own life or the life of another person with a weapon is guaranteed under the conditions laid down by law.”
Conservatives passed the amendment through the lower house of parliament, but it failed in the upper house. But now they’ve earned a majority in the senate, and the Czech government unexpectedly announced it would endorse the plan to add the language.
The Czech Republic was the only European country to challenge the draconian European Firearms Directive passed by the European Union in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terror attack in 2015. As GunsAmerica reported at the time, the Directive banned most types of semi-automatic firearms even in countries with high rates of firearm ownership and low rates of crime.
The Czech Republic lost its challenge to the directive in the European Court of Justice, but the Czech Senate first proposed a right to firearms several years ago after it had received a petition with more than 100,000 signatures. It’s unclear whether the pro-gun amendment will pass or if it will be able to override the EU’s Firearm Directive if it does. The amendment requires a 60% majority of both chambers of Parliament to join the country’s Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, but the center-right Civic Democratic Party may not be able to reach that threshold.
Czech Republic Firearms History
The Czech Republic ranks in the middle of the pack on the rankings of firearm ownership among European countries, but the country has a long history of firearm use and manufacturing. Rates of ownership have been increasing, and of course, the Czech Republic is also the home of the legendary firearms maker CZ.
The Czech Republic remains one of the safest countries in Europe and Prague remains one of the safest cities in the world. No doubt it would become even safer if every law-abiding citizen had protected right to keep and bear arms for self-defense.
Walmart is yielding to anti-gun forces one step at a time. First the national retail chain stopped selling handguns in 1993. Next in 2015, Walmart stopped selling “black rifles” — AR-15 platform firearms. Then in 2018 Walmart raised the age for gun purchases from 18 to 21. And the latest restrictions involve ammunition. Walmart announced it would not longer sell ANY pistol ammunition. And Walmart now won’t sell .223 Rem (5.56×45) ammunition commonly used in ARs and “modern sporting rifles”. What comes next? If a criminal uses a shotgun in a multiple-death incident, will Walmart stop selling shotguns?
1993 — Walmart halts sales of all handguns.
2015 — Walmart halts sales of AR-15 type rifles.
2018 — Walmart raises minimum age for firearm purchase from 18 to 21 years.
2019 — Walmart halts sales of all pistol ammunition.
2019 — Walmart halts sales of all .223 Rem (5.56×45) ammunition.
Walmart has been steadily rolling back its support of the Second Amendment since 1993 when it stopped the sale of all handguns in every state except Alaska. Then, in 2015 it ended the sale of AR-15 style MSR rifles, and any toy or airgun resembling any “military-style rifle used in mass shootings”. Last year, Walmart raised the minimum age for gun purchases from 18 to 21, two weeks after the Parkland, Florida school shooting. And Walmart rolled out another set of restrictions after the recent shooting at a Walmart Super Center in El Paso, Texas.
“Walmart may not sell the ammo you need, and more companies beholden to the pressure of the vocal minority may follow suit. Effectively, Walmart has been bullied into kowtowing to the social justice warriors, and woke-ninjas in the vocal minority.” — Midsouth Blog
In a memo to employees, Walmart CEO, Doug McMillon, stated: “After selling through our current inventory commitments, we will discontinue sales of short-barrel rifle ammunition such as the .223 caliber and 5.56 caliber that, while commonly used in some hunting rifles, can also be used in large capacity clips on military-style weapons.”
Walmart has also stated that it will no longer sell handgun ammo. McMillon previously said Walmart was responsible for 2% of firearm sales in the U.S. and 20% of ammunition sales. Walmart expects its share of ammunition sales to drop to between 6% and 9% as a result of the newly-announced changes. The company will continue to sell shotguns and rifles [But for how long? — Editor].
“In a complex situation lacking a simple solution, we are trying to take constructive steps to reduce the risk that events like these will happen again,” McMillon said in a memo. “The status quo is unacceptable.” In this 2015 video, McMillon explained the decision to stop selling AR-platform rifles.
Changes to Walmart Gun Carry Policies
Another rider on the new Walmart policy affects customers who open-carry in their stores. If shoppers openly carry guns into Walmart stores going forward, store managers may ask the shopper to leave and safely secure their gun in their vehicle before returning to the store. “The policies will vary by location, however, and shoppers who are openly carrying guns may not always be asked to leave the store,” a Walmart spokesman said.
“As long as a Hornady is at Hornady, we will never sell direct to Walmart. They are no friend of the industry.” — Jason Hornady, 2007
Walmart CEO Calls for More Gun Control
“We encourage our nation’s leaders to move forward and strengthen background checks and to remove weapons from those who have been determined to pose an imminent danger,” McMillon said. “We do not sell military-style rifles, and we believe the re-authorization of the Assault Weapons Ban should be debated to determine its effectiveness.”
Commentary from Midsouth Shooters
Walmart may not sell the ammo you need, and more companies beholden to the pressure of the vocal minority may follow suit. Midsouth will continue to sell the ammunition and reloading supplies you need, regardless. Our Second Amendment right is a sacred right, and for you to protect your family with the tools available, you need access to fairly priced ammunition and firearms.
Midsouth Shooters was founded on the tenants of honesty, family, and fairness, rooted in American and God. For a company, or organization, to be swayed by knee-jerk reactions sets a precedent of allowing the mob to dictate overreaching policies which put many in harms way. Effectively, Walmart has been bullied into kowtowing to the social justice warriors, and woke-ninjas in the vocal minority.”
Here’s an interesting statistic — according to an NSSF survey, the percentage of gun owners who are female has increased dramatically since 2005. Seven years ago (in 2005), just 13% of U.S. gun owners were women. By 2012 that number had risen to 23% — a huge increase in less than a decade.
The vast majority of first-time female gun buyers acquire a handgun for defensive purposes. However, the statistics also show that many new female gun owners are also getting involved in sport shooting and/or competitive shooting. That’s a good thing.
In the video below, NRA News host Cam Edwards interviews Celia Bigelow, who has written about the rise of gun ownership among ladies on the Townhall.com website. Celia explains why American women are arming themselves, and why the Second Amendment safeguards a key fundamental right.
Celia writes: “As the number of proposed gun-control measures increase rapidly across the country, the amount of women purchasing guns is increasing even faster. While folks in the media are blaming the spike on the guns-and-glam advertising, women — including myself — have a different reason. It’s self-defense, stupid. [T]he logic is simple: Women want to protect themselves and their family, and guns are the great equalizer between sexes[.]”
Celia notes that liberals propose that women defend themselves using “call boxes, ball-point pens, whistles, buddy systems … as long as it isn’t very sharp and doesn’t have a trigger.” Celia is not convinced: “As a young, 22-year-old, 140-lb woman, I know that call boxes, pens, and whistles won’t do much good if [I am] ever faced with a crazed man twice my size. What frustrates these male elitists the most is that women are arming themselves, and it’s working.”
In this essay from The Shooting Wire, Tom Gresham states that the anti-gun left seeks nothing less than the eventual confiscation and destruction of all privately-held firearms. The anti-gunners have revealed their goals, says Gresham, through radical legislation recently introduced in Congress, and suggestions that an Executive Order by a future by a Democratic Party President could halt ALL gun sales. Gresham says gun owners must wake up, and take action NOW. Otherwise our rights will be lost. We think every gun owner should read this.
Sometimes understanding what’s going on requires us to connect the dots on things that don’t immediately appear to be connected. Looking at recent events, it’s now possible to see the plans of the gun banners.
It’s much worse than almost anyone imagined.
First, what happened?
H.R. 8, a bill in the House, would end the private sales of guns, would end being able to give a gun to someone, and would criminalize even loaning a gun to someone — unless you got the permission of the FBI each time you want to buy, sell, loan, or borrow a gun. In other words, there could be no legal transfer of a gun in the U.S. unless the government approves each transaction.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened that a Democrat President could declare a national emergency on gun violence.
A separate bill — H.R. 1112 — would (according to the NRA-ILA) “…eliminate the 3-day safety-valve provision under the federal firearms background check system that prevents the government from enacting an indefinite delay of firearm purchases for law-abiding Americans.”
Currently, if a firearms retailer submits the background check to the FBI, and it is delayed, after three days the dealer is free to legally transfer the firearm. This provision in the current law is the safety valve. It guards against the government shutting down background checks (through incompetence, technical snafu, or even political activism) and stopping gun sales from dealers. (Private sales currently would be untouched.)
Pelosi’s threat didn’t just pop into her head. This idea has been in the works.
Consider those three actions.
The expanded background check provision requires that all gun sales, and gifts, and loans — any transfers — must go through the FBI NICS system.
H.R. 1112 would kill the protection of allowing retailers to sell guns when they don’t get a “denial” from the FBI in three days.
If those two provisions were in place I fully expect a Democrat president to act after a highly-publicized shooting to declare a national emergency and shut down the NICS checks for 90 to 120 days. Maybe even a year.
That would be so that we could have a “national conversation” about gun violence. America’s gun owners would suffer a “mere inconvenience” the banners will say. Except that most privately-owned gun stores could not survive three or four months with no gun sales.
This is not happenstance.
It’s not an accident.
It’s not coincidence.
The gun ban lobby is not dumb.
This has been the plan all along.
1. Kill off all private sales, forcing all legal gun sales to go though dealers.
2. Kill the provision in current law which protect gun owners from a government shutdown of the background check system.
3. Declare a National Emergency and close background checks, which stops all legal gun sales.
Make no mistake. This is part of the larger plan to confiscate (“mandatory buy-back”) your guns.
Naturally, there would be legal challenges. The current makeup of the Supreme Court favors — ever so slightly — the hope that the high court would stop such a thing. If it took months to work its way through the courts, however, massive damage would be done. Thousands of businesses would close and tens or hundreds of thousands of people would be thrown out of work.
Naturally, to the “if it saves one life” crowd, that’s a price they are willing to pay. Well, they wouldn’t pay it. We will. And that doesn’t even touch on the subject that no one wants to talk about … [resistance].
How do we stop this?
We stop it the old fashioned way. We beat it at the polls. We beat it by speaking up in our churches. We beat it with peaceful activism in the streets. We join every single gun rights group — even those which less “pure” by whatever standard is in vogue on any given day.
We spend money. A lot of money. We stop complaining about requests for donations. We donate annually an amount equal to the price of a new gun. How about a dollar a day? We actually do call the offices of our Congressional representatives monthly and talk politely with the staff there about our concerns on Second Amendment matters. We volunteer on campaigns. We go to school board, city council, and state legislature meetings and hearings. We show up.
Two things must happen.
First, you have to look in the mirror and admit you haven’t done enough/much/anything. No one else can do this. Each of us must have the conversation with ourselves and take an honest look at what we have and have not done. And what we can do.
This is a total lifestyle change. It’s a change in where you spend your money and your time.
Second, each of us has to bring along a friend into this activism. I’m not talking about taking someone to the range, though that’s always worthwhile. I’m talking about convincing or more friends that each of you really must donate a buck a day. A lot of dough? Less than many of us spend on coffee. Times a million gun owners.
With the Republican (GOP) Convention recently concluded in Cleveland, readers have asked: “What is the official Republican Party position on the Second Amendment and gun rights?” Here is the section of the Republican Platform concerning gun issues, quoted word for word:
The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms
We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a natural inalienable right that predates the Constitution and is secured by the Second Amendment. Lawful gun ownership enables Americans to exercise their God-given right of self-defense for the safety of their homes, their loved ones, and their communities.
We salute the Republican Congress for defending the right to keep and bear arms by preventing the President from installing a new liberal majority on the Supreme Court. The confirmation to the Court of additional anti-gun justices would eviscerate the Second Amendment’s fundamental protections. Already, local officials in the nation’s capital and elsewhere are defying the Court’s decisions upholding an individual right to bear arms as affirmed by the Supreme Court in Heller and McDonald. We support firearm reciprocity legislation to recognize the right of law-abiding Americans to carry firearms to protect themselves and their families in all 50 states. We support constitutional carry statutes and salute the states that have passed them. We oppose ill-conceived laws that would restrict magazine capacity or ban the sale of the most popular and common modern rifle. We also oppose any effort to deprive individuals of their right to keep and bear arms without due process of law.
We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and the current Administration’s illegal harassment of firearm dealers. We oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners, registration of ammunition, and restoration of the ill-fated Clinton gun ban. We call for a thorough investigation — by a new Republican administration — of the deadly “Fast and Furious” operation perpetrated by Department of Justice officials who approved and allowed illegal sales of
guns to known violent criminals.
Digital editions of all four issues of SHOT Daily, the magazine printed each day of the SHOT Show, are available free in both Web eZine and downloadable PDF formats. You’ll find many product features plus articles that can benefit shooting club directors and range managers. SHOT Daily is produced for NSSF by Bonnier Corp., publishers of Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, and many other magazines.
Highlights Day 1: New Handguns Lead Story, Footwear, Legal Defense of Traditional Ammo, Women of Outdoor Channel, Midnight 3-Gun. Highlights Day 2: New Optics Lead Story, New Ammunition, Outerwear, Christensen Arms, Volquartsen Custom, CZ Factory, SilencerCo.
Highlights Day 3: New Knives Lead Story, Shooting Accessories, Hunting Rights, Women Shooters, Proof Research, Ultra Light Arms. Highlights Day 4 eZine: Walt Berger Profile, Steyr Scout, Lena Miculek, Sara Palin Q&A, New Remingtons.
Guns & Ammo (G&A) recently ranked all the U.S. States (plus District of Columbia) in terms of their “gun-friendliness”. G&A looked at the freedoms available to gun owners in each jurisdication, as well as restrictions on specific types of firearms. States were ranked according to five categories: Right to Carry, Semi-Auto Rifles, NFA Rights, Castle Doctrine, and Miscellaneous. Each category has up to 10 points, for a maximum of 50 points. The NFA category relates to the availability of suppressors, short-barreled rifles/shotguns, and full-auto rifles, regulated by the National Firearms Act of 1934. The Castle Doctrine is a legal principle that allows a person to use force in the defense of his home.
Arizona Was the Top-Rated State for Gun Owners
So which state came out on top as the most “gun-friendly” of all? The top-rated state was Arizona, with 49 points. Second-best was Alaska, followed by Georgia in third place. Not surprisingly, the worst jurisdiction was the District of Columbia. The worst actual state was New York, while neighboring New Jersey was the next worst. CLICK HERE to See All State Rankings.
Separately, Guns & Ammo interviewed dozens of gun owners at the 2014 NRA Annual Meeting. You can hear what these folks had to say in the G&A Interview video below:
The U.S Supreme Court has declined to review two cases involving handguns and young adults in the 18 to 20 year-old age bracket. The first case, NRA v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, challenged a 1968 law which prohibits FFLs from selling handguns to any person under 21 (including adults 18, 19, and 20 years of age). Arguing that the Second Amendment protects all adult citizens, Petitioners argued that restrictions should be lifted for legal adults over 18 but under 21 years of age. The other case, NRA v. McCraw, sought to over-turn various Texas laws that prevent 18 to 20 year-olds from getting a handgun carry license.
Gun-rights activists have been pressing the nation’s highest court to accept the cases. Those advocates have cited various courts’ resistance to expanding gun ownership rights following the Supreme Court’s decision in 2008 in the Heller case that there is a Constitutional right to gun ownership for self-defense and in 2010 in the McDonald case that found the right applies to state and local gun-control efforts.
Writing in the SCOTUS Blog, Lyle Denniston observes:
The Supreme Court refused on [February 24, 2014], as it has done repeatedly in recent years, to settle the issue of whether Second Amendment rights to have a gun extend beyond the home. Since the Court first ruled nearly six years ago that the Second Amendment protects a personal right to have a gun, it has issued only one further ruling — expanding that right so that it applies nationwide, to state and local gun control laws, as well as to federal laws. But, without exception, the Justices have turned aside every potential sequel, essentially leaving it to lower courts to continue to sort out variations on the right.
One thing seemed clear from the denial of review of two of the new cases, the NRA’s challenges: the Court is not, as yet, ready to stop lower courts from creating an entirely new group in society with less than full gun rights. In those cases, it was youths aged eighteen to twenty years old.
Credit G. Salazar for story tip. We welcome reader submissions.
The NRA offers a website dedicated to the interests of hunters, particularly big game hunters. The NRAHuntersRights.org website offers current news items, gear reviews, and stories about hunts in the USA and abroad. There is also a Trophy Gallery and a state-by-state directory of Places to Hunt. The site also allows readers to share their views via a Hunters’ Blog and Forum.
Site Features More Than Politics
NRAHuntersRights.org might be better titled “Hunters’ News”. The site is more a general interest resource for hunters than a platform for gun rights advocacy. While it does have links to gun rights stories, most of the content covers the basics… where to hunt, how to hunt, and what equipment to hunt with. You’ll also find interesting historical stories. For example, the website offers a video about Teddy Roosevelt’s .405-caliber, lever-action 1895 Winchester, the rifle Teddy called “Big Medicine.”
In the video, National Firearms Museum curator Phil Schreier explains that the 1895 Winchester accompanied the former commander in chief on a 1910 safari in Africa, as well as Roosevelt’s famed 1915 expedition to Brazil to find the source of the Amazon River.
The 25th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) will be held this upcoming weekend, September 24-26, in San Francisco, CA. Ironically (or perhaps deliberately?) the conference convenes in one of the most gun-hostile cities in North America. Past GRPCs have covered the latest firearms trends and outlined strategic plans to expand gun rights. This year GRPC organizers will focus on critical issues such as: city gun bans, youth violence, “smart” guns, concealed carry, federal legislation, legal actions, gun show regulation, state and local activity. Noted legal experts will also preview the upcoming court cases and revisit the U.S. Supreme Court landmark decision in D.C. v. Heller.
The team of “distinguished experts” has not yet been finalized, but past speakers have included: Alan M. Gottlieb, Wayne LaPierre, Larry Elder, Ken Hamblin, John Lott, Sandy Froman, Massad Ayoob, Tom Gresham, Alan Gura, Reps. Bob Barr and Chris Cannon and many others. This event is co-hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation, which offers free online registration.
NOTE: Books, monographs and other materials — enough to start a Second Amendment library — are FREE, as are Saturday luncheon, Friday and Saturday evening receptions, and morning/afternoon snacks. Other meals, travel costs, and lodging costs must be paid by attendee.
Czech Republic Firearms History
Celia writes: “As the number of proposed gun-control measures increase rapidly across the country, the amount of women purchasing guns is increasing even faster. While folks in the media are blaming the spike on the guns-and-glam advertising, women — including myself — have a different reason. It’s self-defense, stupid. [T]he logic is simple: Women want to protect themselves and their family, and guns are the great equalizer between sexes[.]”
First, what happened?
The U.S Supreme Court has declined to review two cases involving handguns and young adults in the 18 to 20 year-old age bracket. The first case, NRA v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, challenged a 1968 law which prohibits FFLs from selling handguns to any person under 21 (including adults 18, 19, and 20 years of age). Arguing that the Second Amendment protects all adult citizens, Petitioners argued that restrictions should be lifted for legal adults over 18 but under 21 years of age. The other case, NRA v. McCraw, sought to over-turn various Texas laws that prevent 18 to 20 year-olds from getting a handgun carry license.
The 25th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) will be held this upcoming weekend, September 24-26, in San Francisco, CA. Ironically (or perhaps deliberately?) the conference convenes in one of the most gun-hostile cities in North America. Past GRPCs have covered the latest firearms trends and outlined strategic plans to expand gun rights. This year GRPC organizers will focus on critical issues such as: city gun bans, youth violence, “smart” guns, concealed carry, federal legislation, legal actions, gun show regulation, state and local activity. Noted legal experts will also preview the upcoming court cases and revisit the U.S. Supreme Court landmark decision in 
