Polish interest in firearm permits “clearly began to grow in 2022,” the paper said citing police data and statistics.
Police data show 10,200 permits were issued in 2020, rising to 34,400 in 2022 and a record 43,400 last year. Poles held 367,000 permits and about 1 million firearms, it added.
Krzysztof Kuczyński, a firearms-law attorney and owner of the Gdańsk School of Shooting, told DGP that “Poles are the most disarmed nation in Europe,” despite growing interest and a developing shooting scene.
Portal Strzelecki’s figures cited by DGP show 2.5 firearms per 100,000 residents in Poland, last in the EU; Finland leads with 32.4, followed by Austria (30), Cyprus (29.1) and Malta (28.3). Germany ranks eighth at 19.6.
Easing measures began in 2023 with a law removing “unnecessary administrative and legal barriers,” allowing uniformed services to apply for permits to “strengthen Poland’s defense potential,” DGP said.
Personal-protection permits rose from 154 in 2022 to 6,200 in 2023 and 9,500 in 2024.
(jh)
Source: PAP, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna