Gun laws in Poland

The current text of the law (as of August 1st 2019) lists the allowable purposes (also known as permit types), important reasons entitling to possession and allowed gun categories. The law states that permits are shall issue, however the condition (important reason) for self-defense and protection of persons and property permits is vague enough to make it may issue in practice.

Additionally, individuals may apply for a gun possession permit which allows handling guns by employees or associates of a business owning them.

Institutions, businesses and other organizations may apply for permits if they operate in specific areas of business and fulfill specific business licensing regulations. These include:

• businesses which have organized their own internal security services (such as major factories),
• businesses with a valid concession in private law enforcement services,
• shooting ranges,
• schools; sports, hunting and paramilitary organizations (solely for training purposes),
• film-making and other artistic enterprises,
• entities which employees' duties involve high exposure to the risk of being attacked,
• entities which need guns for signalling for help, search and rescue activities, or signalling the start of sport competitions.

The first two types of business units and schools providing instruction in private law enforcement may acquire full-auto weapons. The guns owned by a business may be handled only by its employees or associates having a gun possession permit.

To obtain a firearms permit, the applicant have to:

• be at least 21 years old (or 18 in case of sports or hunting licence on special recommendation by sports or hunting association)
• not be addicted to alcohol or other psychoactive substances,
• be a permanent resident of Poland,
• have no criminal record,
• pass medical and psychological evaluation by appropriately certified practitioners,
• in the opinion of the police, does not present a threat to him/herself or public security and order (involves interview of the applicant and optionally applicant's family and/or neighbors by a police officer),
• provide appropriate documentation (such as hunting, sports, historical or collectors' association membership, sports or hunting license, company registration etc.),
• pass an exam appropriate for the purpose of possession of a firearm:
  • held by the Polish Sport Shooting Federation for a sports permit,
  • held by the Polish Hunting Association for a hunting permit,
  • held by the police for other types of permits.

Permit holder have to possess a certified gun safe (the police may pay a visit to check it up), and request a certification for buying guns of type and quantity according to the permit terms. This certification has to be handed to the person or business transferring gun(s) to the new owner. Acquired guns have to be registered with the police and recorded in the permit document within 5 days.

Permits are issued for an indefinite period, although self-defense, protection of persons and property and hunting ones require passing medical and psychological evaluation every five years. Additionally, sports permit requires the holder to maintain a valid shooting sports competition license, by taking part in two to four shooting competitions per year for each category of firearm owned: handgun, rifle and shotgun, in order to upkeep the firearms permit.

Each individual permit specifies the types (handguns, rifles, shotguns) and quantity of weapons the holder can own. The types allowed depend on gun permit type (see above), sports competition license and actual request by the applicant. Allowed quantities are determined at the discretion of the police, and vary greatly depending on permit type and documented needs, but it's an established practice to receive typically 5 slots for sports or hunting and 10 slots for collecting initially. The permit holder may apply for an increased limit after running out of slots. One may apply for multiple types of permits to increase the total number of slots, such as sports and hunting or sports and collecting permits.

All legal owners are allowed to use their guns at registered shooting ranges. Discharging a firearm for training or leisure out of a registered shooting range (even on a large private property) is prohibited.

Kbkg wz. 1960 – polish automatic rifle, can only be obtained for training purposes[4]

Currently only way to obtain working fully automatic firearm in Poland is via training permit. They also can be purchased for protection of persons and property (hard to get) and historical re-enactment purposes (only blank-firing ones).

A few automatic firearms permits have been issued for collection purposes after 2011 however in 2018 Supreme Administrative Court ruled than they are dangerous weapons and cannot be issued for collectors despite law allowing it de iure.[5]

Police is prohibited from issuing permits for firearms featuring a sound suppressor or capable of accepting a sound suppressor except for hunting permits. However, in practice only firearms with permanently attached suppressors are deemed to fall under this rule as almost any firearm is capable of accepting a sound suppressor. That's why only a solution specifically intended to mount a suppressor would fulfill the second condition.[6] Suppressors themselves are unregulated; obtaining, and owning is legal. Using a suppressor is not directly prohibited[7] apart from hunting, but different legal opinions exist and the case has not been tested in court.

In 2020 new amendment to Arms and Ammunition Act allowed police to issue permits for firearms with a sound suppressors for hunting permits. Hunters are allowed to use them only for sanitary shooting of animals[8]

Armor-piercing, incendiary, explosive, tracer, sub-caliber and other special ammunition is banned. Only valid firearms permit holders are allowed to buy or possess live ammunition, and only of the types exactly matching the guns they legally own; even a single non-matching round in possession may trigger a criminal prosecution or revocation of the permit. The quantity of matching ammunition in possession is not limited. Hunters, collectors and sports shooters are allowed to manufacture (reload) ammunition, but strictly for their own use.

There's no limit on magazine capacity, except when hunting: maximum 6 rounds total, including magazine and all chambers, however for semi-auto guns a hunter can load only 2 rounds into the magazine (not including chambered rounds).[9]

Only firearms owned for self-defense, protection of persons and property and sport shooting purposes can be carried loaded in public places. Firearms have to be carried concealed in a holster close to the body so other people cannot see them. Police can limit or forbid carrying while issuing the permit at its discretion.

Guns cannot be carried during public events and assemblies, in ports and on ships (with exceptions) and in courts and state's attorney offices. Person carrying must be sober. Guns carried in public transport must be unloaded (no round in the chamber, empty magazines) except on self-defense and protections of persons and property permits – in this case the magazine can be loaded and connected, but no round in the chamber.

Hunting guns can be carried loaded only on hunting grounds.[10]

There are no regulations regarding movement of unloaded guns, as long as they are under direct supervision of a licensed person. However the Ministry of Internal Affairs may forbid or limit carrying loaded and/or unloaded guns in certain places for a limited time. It has become a common practice to issue such limits during major events such as international conferences, visits of prominent political figures, mass public gatherings, significant sports championships or even on such occasions as National Independence Day.[11]

Black powder guns made before 1885 can be purchased and carried without permit in Poland

Replicas of black powder firearms designed before 1885 require no permit to own, and are therefore quite popular in the shooting community. Separate bill of law[12] allows businesses to sell black powder only to licensed customers. This legal loophole is often circumvented by obtaining a European Gun Card for your black powder firearm, asking a colleague (there's no restriction on private sale or just giving out of black powder) or by buying powder in neighboring countries, mostly the Czech Republic.

Black powder firearms can be carried loaded in public places (but not in public transport) without permit.[13]

Other types of unrestricted weapons include:

• Airguns up to 17 Joules of muzzle energy. More powerful airguns need to be registered with the police, but no permit is required;
• Alarm guns with caliber less than 6 mm;
• Deactivated weapons (certificate of deactivation is required);
• Pepper sprays;
• Electroshock weapons with current not exceeding 10 mA.

Other types of weapons that require permit according to the law include:

• Specific cold weapons, including hidden blades, brass knuckles, nunchakus, wooden or metallic batons;
• Crossbows;
• Electroshock weapons with current exceeding 10 mA.