In 2005, more than 621,000 firearms were registered in the Czech Republic, while by 2015, the figure had already increased to 800,000.
The next few years will see even more Czechs looking to obtain a gun license, Radio Prague said. The station cited the growing number of people seeking training at the country's shooting ranges.
In an interview with Czech television, Jiri Otta from the Kapslovna shooting range said that "they face a real invasion of people who are eager to be trained," according to Radio Prague.
"Of course, I do not want to pose as a political forecaster but it seems that this increased interest in weapons was caused by people's fear over refugees," Otta said.
He pointed specifically to the fact that professional examinations for firearm licenses are administered to people between 21 and 85 years of age. The license they obtain is related to the so-called B group of firearms, which are normally sought out by those who intend to use their guns for sporting purposes.
In reality, however, the situation has nothing to do with sports, according to Otta.
"This certificate allows a person to buy absolutely any weapon — from a small revolver to a hefty rifle. People prefer to obtain similar documents for self-defense, which is a normal practice nowadays. Listening to all those people prompts me to believe that I must buy a firearm too," he said.
In October 2015, the Czech Defense Ministry said that they were deploying about 650 servicemen to the country's border with Austria to provide assistance to police officers in the event of an unprecedented influx of undocumented immigrants.
"Austrians are arming themselves at record rates in an effort to defend their households against feared attacks from Muslim invaders; and those arming themselves are primarily women," according to the US news website WND.
In Germany, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands, obtaining a working firearm and ammunition is practically impossible for the average citizen because of strict laws, the WND said.
