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Wednesday, May 17, 2000
Shopkeeper's killing of alleged thief sparks debate on new gun law By Suzanne Smalley But despite the peacefulness of the scene on this typical day at Svoboda's store, the 29-year-old shopkeeper has the weary look of a man facing hard time. And he might be. On April 3, Svoboda shot and killed one of three people alleged to have robbed the store he owns with his brother in Prague 3 -- Zizkov. Svoboda said the shooting happened on the street after he chased the armed robbers as they fled his store with about 350,000 Kc ($8,750) of merchandise. Svoboda was indicted in early May for "intending to cause bodily harm with a resulting death." He faces anywhere from 5 to 12 years in prison. His case has garnered special attention at a time when the Social Democrat-led government is proposing a new law aimed at making it harder for guns to end up in the wrong hands. "The government wants tighter gun control with this law," said Cabinet spokesman Libor Roucek. "We will regulate who can carry weapons and obtain weapons more tightly. We want to adjust our laws with European Union standards. Before this, we were too liberal." The new law would separate weapons into four categories and create a stricter permit system for determining who may carry which type of firearm. Roucek said the new law is necessary because of the explosive growth of gun ownership in the Czech Republic. During the past 10 years, the number of guns has multiplied from less than 100,000 to more than 500,000 nationwide, he said. According to Czech Police Presidium statistics, 1,649 crimes were committed with firearms last year in the Czech Republic. Of those crimes, 1,212 were committed with "legally possessed" guns. Passionate response Supporters of stricter gun control say Svoboda's case shows that crime begets crime. But fellow shopkeepers in Svoboda's neighborhood view him as a victim and say they are incensed that he might face jail time. Svoboda's store had been the target of armed robbers twice before. Burglars also attempted to break into his business after hours on seven occasions and succeeded once, Svoboda said. "I fully support Antonin," said Blanka Sukova, the manager of another neighborhood electronics shop. "It's no wonder that someone who was being robbed for the third time was defending himself. I think that every thief determined to steal should expect it from their victim." Svoboda's family members have pooled their assets to pay his attorney's fees. "Honestly, we don't know yet how much it will cost," Svoboda said. "We can afford to put the money together within the family somehow. And I can't afford not to get a lawyer." "If we want to enter the EU we have to change this trend. But this is also in our more general interest. I want to emphasize the new proposal does not limit ownership or possession, but makes the conditions for carrying a firearm stricter." Regulating firearms According to Capt. Roman Reich of the Czech Police Presidium, the main innovation of the proposed law is the stricter permit system it would introduce. Certain types of firearms would be subject to permission and registration, but which weapons would be included in the permit process has not been decided. The government proposal still must gain approval from the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate before it can become law. Skeptics already are expressing dismay about some aspects of the legislation. They argue that the decision on who receives a permit will fall into the hands of a few people, making corruption a viable possibility. Like Svoboda, Milan Kriz, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, isn't certain the new proposal will stop crime. In fact, he says it could empower criminals at the expense of the average citizen. "I think it appears that we support criminals in the Czech Republic," Kriz said. "We don't give any rights to victims. Personally, I think what that shopkeeper did was equivalent to the situation. If the government hopes that the new gun law will help, I say they are crazy. Everyone knows there is a black market for guns that cannot easily be stopped." As for Svoboda, he is biding his time and worrying about the toll the events have taken on his family. "It's not that I'm not scared myself," he said. "But my entire family is even more scared. They hear 5 to 12 years and they go crazy." Svoboda also worries about the timing of his case. "Now with the new bill, I'm in the column with people who used a legal gun to commit a crime," he said. "If they want to push the new law through, it's to their benefit to use me as an example." Suzanne Smalley's e-mail address is ssmalley@praguepost.cz EXPLOSIVE GROWTH The number of people who hold gun permits nationwide has grown significantly from 1990 to 1999: Total people with firearm permits
Total number of guns held with permits
Crimes committed with legally held guns
With illegally held guns
Total
Source: Czech Police Presidium
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