Unfortunately, the issue of universal (not to be confused with uncontrolled - this we do NOT support) access of civilians to weapons and ammunition returns in our country like a boomerang. We have been trying to follow the situation since the times of the infamous Commissioner Bieńkowska and her attempts to introduce numerous restrictions on this issue together with the European Commission. The restrictions at that time concerned, among other things, limiting the capacity of long and short weapons magazines and the elimination from the market of automatic weapons, which had been legally converted to semi-automatics.

Fortunately, the implementation of Bieńkowska's ideas was never successful in Poland and we can still enjoy 30+ round magazines and "castrated" but original AKs. It is more a result of the abandonment and marginalization of the shooting community by the rulers than their deliberate, straightforward action.

Meanwhile, with the increasing threat to the integrity of Polish borders, first caused by provocations from Belarus, and now by Russian aggression against Ukraine, MPs of the Republic of Poland once again want to focus on the Weapons and Ammunition Act.



The initiative came from Kukiz'15 MPs with the support of the ruling PiS party, and Kukiz himself called for a change in the regulations in order to facilitate access to firearms by a wider group of Poles on February 24 from the parliamentary rostrum: "We should help Ukraine with all our strength in the fight against the Russian aggressor, because otherwise Poland, the Baltic Republics and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe may become another prey to Putin's Russia. The Parliament should process the Kukiz'15 law on easier access to weapons and shooting education."

A question can be asked whether it is not too late and why so slowly, since the smaller Czech Republic (although in this country the traditions and culture of shooting is slightly different), entered into its constitution the right to use weapons under certain conditions, in self-defense or in defense of others. It is estimated that in the Czech Republic and Germany there are statistically ten times more pieces of weapons than in Poland. Yes, we know the argument that the definition of a firearm is different in Germany, but in our opinion it does not change the scale of the phenomenon. In war-torn Ukraine, before the Russian invasion, there were 1.2 million weapons in the hands of civilians. In Poland with a population of 38 million, it is about 658.4 thousand. pieces.

So how does the Polish Parliament want to "arm" Poles? The draft of changes submitted by MPs K'15 was based on the proposals prepared by Jarosław Lewandowski from the monthly "Strzał" magazine. It assumes the elimination of the current goals of owning weapons, i.e. personal, sports, collector's protection, etc. Instead, a citizens' firearms card would be created, available without an examination upon a properly motivated application. It would entitle the holder to possess less dangerous types of weapons, e.g. rimfire types, such as sports rifles. The next level would be a basic permit required to purchase a center fire weapon, e.g. a typical pistol. To obtain this permit, you would need an exam or several years of internship in possession of a citizenship card. The draft also provides for an extended permit entitling you to carry weapons.

In the opinion of the WMASG editorial staff (but probably not only), in order to really facilitate access, the changes should primarily include the elimination of the "important cause" of owning a gun, which usually means membership in a shooting club (fees, licenses, competitions - all for the glory of the PZSS) or collectors' association unless, of course, someone has a desire to compete in competitions or collect weapons. It creates absurd situations when a technically identical weapon is something completely different in the light of the law and, consequently, the obligations and limitations for the holder. Medical examinations and a criminal record certificate for a citizen who wishes to possess a gun should still be upheld. To ensure that a citizen knows how to use a weapon at a basic level (and will not harm anyone by accident, including himself), it would be advisable to maintain the practical exam covering handling and shooting but not as is the case now, where high scores are required. The issue of carrying a gun with you also requires debate and consideration of whether firearms can be used to allow a wider range of citizens to carry them responsibly. Another noteworthy project has been presented in he media a few years ago that allowed ownership of a weapon to defend one's home. It could be in the form of a permit for a single weapon, for example, a shotgun, which could only be used to repel an attacker in our home.

For the latter project, an amendment to the regulations on the situation when weapons can be used against an attacker would probably be needed, and as we know, they are quite strict in Poland and it often happened that the victim of an attack was also a victim of poor law.



Sporces: businessinsider.com.pl, rp.pl, wgospodarce.pl, bankier.pl, euractiv.pl