President Karol Nawrocki calls for a debate on access to weapons in Poland

During Friday's visit to Boguty-Pianki in Masovia, President Karol Nawrocki drew attention to the need to engage in a public discussion regarding access to weapons in Poland. During the ceremonial opening of the new sports shooting range, he emphasized that weapons alone do not guarantee the safety of citizens.

Safety comes only from a trained, responsible person who uses weapons, the president noted.

In his speech, President Nawrocki referred to the differences in approaches to access to weapons around the world.

We live in a transatlantic culture with different approaches to weapons. On the one hand, in the United States, the right to access to weapons is enshrined in the constitution, on the other hand, in the European Union there is a much more restrictive approach to possessing weapons, but even in the EU, Poland remains at the very end of access to weapons, he pointed out.

According to the data cited by the president, only about 1 percent of Polish citizens have access to weapons and know how to use them. Fortunately, I am in that 1 percent, I went through the entire official procedure for access to weapons, added Nawrocki.

The president also compared the situation in Poland to other European countries, such as the Czech Republic, Austria, Finland and Switzerland, where the percentage of people who own weapons and know how to use them is much higher. In his opinion, Poland should start a broad social debate on responsible access to weapons.

We must engage in a public discussion about responsible access to weapons in the Republic of Poland, concluded President Nawrocki, encouraging reflection on the current regulations and practices regarding possession of weapons in the country.

The clergy who consecrated the facility also took part in the celebration of the opening of the new sports shooting range.