On September 25, during the opening of a sports shooting range in Boguty-Pianki, Masovia, President Karol Nawrocki called for a public discussion on access to firearms. In his speech, he also emphasized the importance of firearms training. Referring to the newly opened facility, he stated that firearms alone do not provide security; rather, security is provided by a “trained, responsible person” who uses them.
Nawrocki argued that in Poland only around 1 percent of citizens have access to firearms and know how to use them. He noted that he himself had completed the official procedure and belongs to this group. By comparison, he pointed to the Czech Republic and Austria, where, according to him, the figure is around 3–5 percent, as well as Finland and Switzerland, where, in his words, as many as 30 percent of people are able to use firearms. On this basis, the president stated that Poland remains at the bottom of the European Union in this respect.
In the case of Finland, however, the population’s high level of familiarity with firearms should be considered in the context of the country’s defense system. Finland bases its defense capabilities on universal military service and a trained reserve. In 2025, Finland’s Minister of Defence stated that the reserve consisted of approximately 900,000 trained personnel, of whom 280,000 form the force intended for wartime service. Starting in 2026, reservists remain in the reserve until the age of 65. The change is intended to increase the size of the reserve to approximately one million personnel by 2031. This means that a significant proportion of Finnish society undergoes military training that includes firearms use, regardless of whether they later own firearms privately.
At the same time, the number of legally held firearms in Poland has been steadily increasing. According to Police statistics, at the end of 2025 there were 411,769 firearms permits in force in Poland, with 1,037,778 firearms registered. In 2020, the corresponding figures were 234,916 permits and 587,853 firearms. The number of permits issued does not, however, correspond directly to the number of firearm owners, as one person may hold permits issued for several different purposes.
The president’s statement is not the first indication of interest from the Presidential Palace in changes to the current system. On September 4, the Council for Security and Defense at the President of the Republic of Poland discussed proposals to amend regulations concerning access to firearms and ammunition. Representatives of shooting organizations took part in the meeting, and the Council also finalized its position on proposed changes to access to personal firearms for Territorial Defence Forces personnel. So far, however, no comprehensive proposal has been presented outlining how the rules concerning the general public would be changed. The speech in Boguty-Pianki indicates, however, that the president wants a debate on the current model of access to firearms to begin.
Photos: Marek Borawski / KPRP, prezydent.pl, accessed: September 26, 2026
