The Krakow shooter used a semi-automatic rifle to kill his victims As Poland comes to terms with its worst mass shooting in modern history, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michał Pycio, a former member of Poland’s Special Forces, answers questions on Polish gun laws. What do I have to do to own a firearm in Poland? If you want to own a firearm in Poland, you need to define why you want it, because there are different types of licenses. We have ones for sport shooters, hunters, personal protection, and people who collect weapons. Each license is different and has different requirements. For a sports license, you need to take tests to show you know how to use the weapon. You also need to know the laws governing firearms ownership. What sort of checks are carried out? To get any license, you need to pass medical and psychological tests. But if you are a hunter, collector, or sport shooter, you only take the tests once. For personal protection, you need to pass the tests every five years. I believe this will change because of the shooting, and everyone will have to take the tests again. Why is someone allowed to own a semi-automatic rifle? You can get this rifle for hunting, for sports shooting, or as a collector, if you have a collector license. I believe there is some kind of fashion for military-style rifles at the moment because of the situation in Ukraine. Are there any additional requirements? You need to join a shooting club, and you need to undergo training, which you pay for. You need to pass some internal exams, and after that, you have to pass an official exam to demonstrate that you are familiar with the weapon. After that, you can apply to the police for a sport shooter license. You can only use the weapon at a shooting range. As with a pistol, you cannot carry it with ammunition in the magazine. How could the laws be tightened? I think the only thing we need is to make the psychological tests a requirement for every shooting license every five years. They could maybe even be held every three years. But I think that’s not going to be a 100% solution, because people can still cheat on tests, and they will pass if they have the training.
There are different types of firearms licenses in Poland, depending on the purpose. Photo: Envato/FabrikaPhoto
