Danko Wants Constitutional Protection for Right to Carry Handgun 

Danko Wants Constitutional Protection for Right to Carry Handgun 

BRATISLAVA – The right to carry a weapon should be enshrined in the Slovak Constitution, said Parliamentary Chairman and Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko on RTVS’s programme ‘O 5 Minut 12’ (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday.

“We’re working on an amendment to incorporate the right to carry a handgun in the Constitution,” said Danko.

Meanwhile, he recalled SNS’s bill from several months ago to grant constitutional protection to Slovak land and also praised the constitutional ban on water exports approved three years ago.

Danko added that the right to carry a firearm now also needs to be included in the Constitution, reasoning that the Constitution is the only document that may incorporate safeguards for rights and freedoms in areas in which Slovakia feels uncomfortable in relation to the European Union.

“We do honour our EU membership and do our utmost to stand side-by-side with the leading countries, but there are issues, such as some legislation, that may affect our hunters. If we don’t incorporate the right to carry weapons and the protection of land or water in the Constitution, problems may arise when it comes to our functioning within the EU,” said Danko.

He went on to attach great importance to the legal protection of marriage, adding that additional measures are needed to protect the family. To this end, he suggested that a Government council for the family should be set up and that a concept for the development of the family be drafted.

In addition, Danko admitted the importance of addressing the problems that Roma encounter in finding a job due to their ethnicity.

As far as the Roma population is concerned, he said that a number of issues arise that stem from their mentality, travelling for work and working habits, but he added that everything comes down to motivation.

“If the Labour Ministry were under my remit and if I had 76 MPs [i.e. enough MPs for a majority of votes] in Parliament, I would introduce the ‘Hungarian model’, according to which unemployment and welfare benefits come under the authority of local administration,” he said.