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NPR Online NewsDec 27, 2023
Prague: 24 Fatalities in University Shooting
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The Facts
Fourteen people were killed and more than 25 were injured by a lone gunman at a university in Prague on Thursday, in the worst mass shooting in the history of the Czech Republic.
The shooting took place at Charles University where the suspect, identified by local media as David Kozak, was a student. Authorities say that the gunman has been "eliminated."
The Spin
Narrative A
The Czech Republic has some of the most liberal gun laws in all of Europe, with nearly 3% of the country owning firearms. The suspect legally owned the weapons he used in this shooting. Clearly, laws must change to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.
Narrative B
Gun crime is relatively rare in the Czech Republic. In order to obtain a gun permit, Czech citizens must pass a test, undergo a medical observation, and have no criminal record. Authorities were unaware that the shooter intended to harm others and if they did, he would not have been able to obtain his firearms. This incident is a horrific tragedy within an overall well-regulated system.