Albanese announced that his government is prepared to review existing gun licenses and take further steps to tighten firearm regulations.
The move echoes a similar decision made earlier this year by Sweden, where the government vowed to strengthen gun laws after a school shooting in Örebro killed 11 people.
However, critics argue the focus should shift toward better screening of legal gun owners and cracking down on illegal arms.
Jarosław Lewandowski, editor-in-chief of Strzał.pl, told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that mental health evaluations and restrictions on access to weapons for individuals with psychological issues, substance addictions, or legal incapacities are more effective than blanket legal reforms.
“Many of the recent shootings in Europe involve illegal firearms,” Lewandowski said.
“These weapons are easy to obtain, especially with the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has increased the flow of unregistered arms across borders.”
In the European Union, firearm regulation is governed by Directive 2021/555. Lewandowski noted that while the directive sets minimum standards, implementation varies across member states. He criticized Poland’s legal framework for its rigid structure and poor adaptation to EU guidelines, pointing out that Poland often categorizes all licensed firearms under a single group, ignoring key distinctions based on the weapon’s design and function.
According to Poland’s police data, about 367,000 private gun permits were held at the end of 2024—covering fewer than 0.01% of the 37 million population. In other EU countries, that figure typically ranges from 2% to 3%, with Finland reaching 10%.
Lewandowski argued that Poland’s misalignment with EU regulations complicates international travel for sports shooters, citing an incident where Polish competitors were denied entry to Estonia due to a misclassification of their firearms.
While Australia already has some of the strictest gun laws in the world, Albanese’s latest proposal has sparked debate over the limits of legislative action.
“It’s hard to see what more they can do,” Lewandowski said.
(jh)
Source: PAP