Can I shoot an air rifle in my garden in Czechia?
Yes — with common sense and a solid pellet trap. Air rifles up to 6.35 mm calibre sit, also under the new Firearms Act (90/2024, in force from 2026), in the free category NO: anyone 18+ may buy and keep one, with no authorisation and no registration. Shooting outside a range is legal for guns with muzzle energy up to 50 J — which is exactly your garden. But the condition is strict: no danger to life, health, property or public order, meaning a firm backstop or trap and no pellet leaving your land. More powerful air rifles (above 50 J, per categorisation) belong on a range. A municipal decree may restrict shooting in built-up areas — check it.
📋 The rules
- Air rifles ≤ 6.35 mm: category NO — 18+, no registration
- Outside ranges: shooting legal up to 50 J muzzle energy
- Condition: no endangerment — pellets stay on your property, solid backstop
- Minors: only under adult supervision (sport clubs from age 10)
- Stronger guns: ranges only, or per category with authorisation
🔓 Exceptions
- Municipal decrees may further restrict shooting in built-up areas — check locally
- High-power hunting air rifles: hunting only under game-management rules
- Minors: they may shoot only under adult supervision (club sport shooting commonly from age 10)
⚠️ Penalties & fines
As long as the pellets stay on your land, nobody gets involved. The moment you endanger the neighbours or a pellet leaves the plot, it is a misdemeanour against civil coexistence with fines in the tens of thousands of crowns — and no damage need occur, endangerment is enough. A broken window adds compensation, and if a person is injured criminal liability follows regardless of the gun being free-category. Shooting at animals is the costliest of all: hitting a neighbour's cat or a bird is animal cruelty, a crime, plus damage to another's property.
📎 Official sources
- Interior Ministry · Firearms changes from 2026 (CS) →
- Svět zbraní · Category NO explained (CS) →
- Zbraně Šubrt · Guide to the 2026 act (CS) →
❓ Frequently asked
Do I need a licence for an air rifle?
No, air rifles up to 6.35 mm calibre fall into the free category NO and are sold openly to anyone over 18, with no registration. You need no firearms licence or possession permit — what you must watch is the shooting itself.
May I shoot in a village garden?
Yes, up to 50 J muzzle energy and provided nothing and nobody is endangered: a firm trap, no pellets beyond your land. A municipal decree can restrict or even ban shooting in built-up areas, so check it beforehand.
Can children shoot?
Under adult supervision yes, and club sport shooting commonly starts around age ten. A minor cannot buy or keep an air rifle independently, though — that threshold sits firmly at 18. Supervision must be continuous.
What about powerful PCP rifles?
Above 50 J muzzle energy (per the gun's categorisation) they belong on a range, not in the garden behind the house. Hunting use of powerful air rifles is also governed by game-management rules, not just the Firearms Act.
Can I shoot at the neighbour's cat?
Absolutely not — that is animal cruelty and damage to another's property at the same time, so a criminal offence. Besides prosecution, expect to compensate the neighbour for the harm you caused.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
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