According to Thursday's Rzeczpospolita, interest in gun training has risen as a result of government-supported programs, in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Free-of-charge training programs are already being provided by the Polish Territorial Defence Force. The Ministry of National Defence encourages participation, guaranteeing "professional training" and a "good time". However, the ministry also emphasizes that the training does not use live ammunition but computer simulation instead.
The Polish education minister Przemysław Czarnek is also keen to include shooting practice in the compulsory school subject "education for safety". Since September 1, school programs have included handling weapons and shooting practice.
This extended program is already being implemented in the Świętokrzyska Voivodship, as part of the program "We the young generation - for you, the fatherland."
The provincial governor, or "Voidvode", Zbigniew Koniusz, emphasized that shooting training is only one part of the program. "The most important thing is to know how to behave in a life-threatening crisis."
However, public opinion remains sceptical about guns. A recent survey carried out by IBRiS found that 57.3% of Poles would feel less safe if more people had access to guns.
In July, in Rzeszów, a 23-year-old woman was shot by a tenant in a flat owned by her family. The owner of the gun was a 24-year-old man from the Sub-Carpathian region of Poland who had a license for the gun. Radio Poland spoke to the mother of the victim:
"After a confrontation and quarrel about renting our place, one of our tenants attempted to kill my daughter. He shot at her from a distance of 2 metres, the bullets entering her arm and stomach. The other man used gas; both had gun licenses. Her arm and six internal organs were damaged, the second bullet lodged in her body close to her spine leaving her in a critical condition for several weeks. It was a miracle she survived the shooting and the subsequent operations. She is now slowly recovering. I am against facilitating access to guns: the tenant who shot my daughter was 24 years old and had a gun license. The police found several guns among his things - both sports guns and collectors' items, as well as a lot of ammunition. Was he tested for psychological problems before receiving the license? I don't know. We await the trial and sentence."
Poland is a very safe country by global measures. In 2022 it was placed 25th in the Global Peace Index, behind Germany (16th place in the world) but ahead of the UK (34th).
Sources: rp.pl, onet.pl, Global Peace Index, wp.pl
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