Last year, over half of the people living in the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU). Many of those who supported the withdrawal argued that they wanted to leave because many of the policies were not in the country’s best interest. If the EU continues to pass ridiculous laws, other countries, like the Czech Republic, may follow the UK’s lead. This is because they’re currently leading the charge against the EU’s unnecessary and overburdensome regulations.

For example, as gun control measures continue to get passed by the liberal EU, the Czech Republic is one of the few countries standing up for gun rights. The government recently told their citizens to take up arms to defend against a potential Muslim invasion. This is extremely relevant considering a city in the Philippines was recently invaded by ISIS fighters and London had a terrorist attack where guns would have saved lives.

In the wake of all the recent terrorist attacks, Czech President Milos Zeman reportedly told his constituents that they should arm themselves for what he called a potential “super-Holocaust” carried out by Muslim invaders. He wants to make sure that people are able to defend themselves until help arrives. Shortly after he said this, the Czech government decided to show their support by proposing a law allowing citizens to fight back against terrorists using their own guns. They will vote on it later in the summer. If other countries did this, terrorist attacks would not be as widely devastating.

Earlier this week, for instance, knife-wielding terrorists killed seven people and injured countless others. Since the UK already has extremely strict gun laws, the pedestrians were largely helpless. To protect themselves, the best that some could do was throw bottles and chairs at the attackers. However, if any of the pedestrians had a gun, they could have easily stopped the attackers from hurting others.

And a week before the London bridge attack, terrorists invaded Marawi, a small city in the Philippines. Since the civilians were largely unarmed, the jihadists were able to break into jails and release captured extremists, steal guns and government vehicles, set fire to buildings, and kidnap helpless people. Undeniably, if the citizens were armed, the situation would have likely turned out much differently.

Despite the fact that the Czech Republic is actively pushing to expand gun rights in the country, the EU is trying to do the opposite. Back in 2015, the EU proposed legislation banning rifles like the Kalashnikov and AR-15. The bill also put a 20 round limit on magazines. Proponents of the legislation argued that these weapons should be banned because they are intended primarily for military use.

However, this is clearly ridiculous. Apart from being used for hunting and marksmanship, the guns are perfect tools for self-defense. Earlier this year, three intruders tried to break into a house and rob the people inside. Thankfully, since one of the residents had an AR-15, all three criminals were shot dead.

Fortunately, the Czech government understood precisely how absurd the EU’s proposal was and fought to have it changed. They claimed the measure would make it more difficult for the country to build “an internal security system” and make it virtually impossible to train army reservists. They also claimed that a complete ban on weapons like the AR-15 and Kalashnikov would create a black market, which terrorists could potentially take advantage of.

Despite their pushback, the EU recently passed legislation cracking down on gun rights. The new measure bans most military-style rifles, places limits on online sales, and requires potential buyers to undergo a psychological check before they can make a purchase. If they fail the psychological check, their name will be put in a database and they won’t be allowed to purchase a gun anywhere else in the EU.

The authoritarian left must not be allowed to place unnecessary restrictions on firearms. Doing so makes it more difficult for law-abiding people to purchase one, which puts their lives in danger. Without a gun, a person being attacked is largely helpless. Other countries need to join the Czech Republic’s fight for gun rights.