New rules for gun licenses

THE HORRIBLE shooting rampage in the Devínska Nová Ves part of Bratislava that left seven people dead in August 2010 led to the adoption of new legislation introducing stricter criteria for possessing weapons in Slovakia. A requirement that all holders of licenses for category A and B weapons undergo a psychological examination was introduced and holders of these licenses must have the examination by the end of April this year or their gun licenses will be withdrawn, Michal Slivka, the spokesman for the Police Corps Presidium, told the SITA newswire in late January.

THE HORRIBLE shooting rampage in the Devínska Nová Ves part of Bratislava that left seven people dead in August 2010 led to the adoption of new legislation introducing stricter criteria for possessing weapons in Slovakia. A requirement that all holders of licenses for category A and B weapons undergo a psychological examination was introduced and holders of these licenses must have the examination by the end of April this year or their gun licenses will be withdrawn, Michal Slivka, the spokesman for the Police Corps Presidium, told the SITA newswire in late January.

The amended law on firearms and ammunition became effective on May 1, 2011 and also requires the holder of any of type of a gun license to carry the license whenever he or she is carrying the weapon. Those who have already obtained the document proving their psychological capability to carry a weapon are required to have this document in their possession when armed. Current holders of licenses for automatic weapons (category A) or self-loading firearms, structurally modified or derived from an automatic weapon (category B) must carry the proof of psychological fitness after April 30 this year and no document certifying mental fitness may be older than 10 years.

The evidence of a person’s mental fitness to own or carry a gun and ammunition is issued by a clinical psychologist based on psychological tests.

Top stories

Janka, a blogger, during the inauguration of the first flight to Athens with Aegean Airlines at the airport in Bratislava on September 14, 2023.

A Czech rail operator connects Prague and Ukraine, Dominika Cibulková endorses Pellegrini, and Bratislava events.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad