Certain parts of the world—sadly, without any specifically recognized right to arms—have been moving closer to accepting the fact that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens is not the inherently dangerous concept promoted by anti-gun extremists. We’ve seen indications that Finland may be moving in the right direction, and Argentina and Poland may be heading there, too.
We previously covered Poland mandating the teaching of safe firearm handling to students, but there also seems to be a growing interest in self-defense among that country’s citizens.
According to one media report, Poland saw a record number of carry permits issued last year, nearly reaching 46,000. This comes after steady increases in the number of permits in the preceding two years, according to the article; going from 37,400 in 2022 to nearly 41,000 in 2023. It is also reported that the number of firearms owned by Polish citizens has nearly doubled—closing in on 1 million—since 2017.
Admittedly, these are modest numbers considering Poland’s population of more than 37 million, but they are notable increases, nonetheless.
There are various suggested reasons for these rising numbers. Poland is said to have “relaxed its gun laws in 2011;” easier accessibility to firearms will predictably lead to increases in ownership by the law-abiding. Then there is mention of the general increased tensions felt in Europe, especially Eastern Europe, ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
But the article also quotes a security expert who refers to gun ownership as being “trendier since the easing of regulations (on firearms) in Poland in 2011.” A criminologist further notes “concerns about our own safety and the protection of private property.”
Unfortunately, the article does what many media reports do and unnecessarily injects negative stereotypes about firearms into its reporting. It refers to the rise in carry permits as “a troubling trend.” “Troubling,” perhaps, for criminals or those with an inherent hatred of firearms, but nobody else should be concerned about law-abiding citizens carrying firearms for personal protection.
This is true here in the US, and it should be just as true in Poland.
“With more individuals seeking to acquire licenses,” the article also claims, “concerns about the potential for increased crime rates naturally arise.” No, they do not “naturally arise.” In fact, as has been shown time and time again here in the US, when laws change to make it easier for the law-abiding to carry firearms for self-defense, crime rates tend to go down.
At least the article includes a comment from a lawyer that dispels the notion about alleged concerns.
“The number of crimes committed with legally held weapons has not increased due to the sharp rise in gun licenses,” noted Andrzej Turczyn. In fact, since 2011, when Poland reportedly loosened its restrictions on firearms, crime has been trending downward.
We’d love to see more countries join the ranks of Poland, Argentina, and Finland in making access to firearms or the safe, responsible use of firearms easier for their law-abiding citizens. And even short of action like these countries have taken, we are glad to report on situations where attitudes are changing, as we recently saw in the US Virgin Islands.
Of course, we’ll also continue to report on the countries that still labor under the misconception that the answer to violent crime is increasing restrictions on the law-abiding. Stayed tuned, for example, for a “Ninja sword” update from reliably tyrannical Great Britian.
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