Word on the street: Gun ownership

Jan Vrbata

Andrea Kuželková
 

František Zahradník

Miloš Drozd

Jana Gregorová

Katka Svobodová

Miroslav Michaljanič

"It's not so easy to access guns in the Czech Republic; however, everyone has the right to possess one in case he believes he needs to defend himself. There is no reason for any stricter rules. What happened was a matter of pure coincidence. If you want a gun, you always find a way to get one."

Jan Vrbata, bike messenger

"I don't fear something similar happening here. If I worried too much, I could not go out into the streets of Prague. I think the incident is being discussed in the media too much, and that is why there is still such a fuss about it. It is still too recent, after all." Andrea Kuželková, student

"Of course it could happen here, but it is hard to judge whether we know why it actually happened. The issue is kept blurry at the moment, which happens every time minorities are involved, although I don't want to sound racist."

František Zahradník, Finance Ministry official

"Anything can happen. It is all about the morals of the society as such. Many people do not have guns, so there is no point in tightening the rules for gun possession. The existing laws are already sufficient. You can die anytime on the streets, and guns do not necessarily have to be involved."

Miloš Drozd, tax clerk

"It can happen anywhere. I am of Czech-Swiss origin, and from my experiences in Switzerland, I would say the rules on gun possession should be made much stricter. I would vote possibly even for a complete ban in this country. The problem is the morals of the people. Democracy has to have boundaries; otherwise, it doesn't work. Communism corrupted the morals of this country, and we thought it would heal in 20 years, but it seems it will take more time."

Jana Gregorová, engineer

"I don't worry that anyone here in Prague would use a gun on the street. However, precaution is a good thing, but people would always oppose a complete ban on gun possession. You can die any moment. You can die when crossing the street, or you can get hit by a shooting star, you never know."

Katka Svobodová, student

"People get stressed when terrorized by crazy neighbors. Then one neighbor freaks out, and things happen. It can happen to anyone. I once had Roma neighbors, and they were actually quite decent people. I was in trouble with a junkie neighbor, and it took us ages to move him legally out of our block of flats. I don't think easy access to weapons is a problem in the Czech Republic."

Miroslav Michaljanič, chauffeur

More on this story: Shooting stirs gun debate