5 stycznia 2016

Pole, defend yourself!

(Fot. Jaroslaw Stachowicz / FORUM )

“Theoretically we have the right to life and self-defence, supported by the written law, but under Article 2 of the Polish Act on arms and ammunition, gun possession, besides certain exceptions, is in fact prohibited. This means that a weaker man stands no chance in a confrontation with the attacker”, said Jacek Hoga, a sporting shooter and the president of the Foundation Ad Arma in his interview with PCh24.pl.


What do ordinary citizens need guns for?

Wesprzyj nas już teraz!


A gun is a tool like any other. In the case of self-defence, we have the right to use what modern technology gives us. Each tool can be used to good or bad. The goal of the Foundation Ad Arma is so that Poles could really exercise their right to self-defence. It isn’t a privilege for some, but we all are entitled to have such an option, which results from the right to life.


It’s believed that only uniformed formations have the right to possess guns.


This approach is typical of post-communist states or those which have been ruled by the social democrats for decades. In other developed countries, such a belief is quite alien to people. A citizen with a gun in their hand is something normal in Switzerland and Finland, and we needn’t to refer to the United States in this context. The situation is similar, despite certain limitations, in Germany and the Czech Republic. As a camera isn’t the exclusive domain of a photographer, so arms aren’t the exclusive attribute of the uniformed services. They have it in order to perform certain functions and defend. We also want to have guns to protect: ourselves and our  loved ones. There is no difference.


Theoretically we have the right to life and self-defence, supported by the written law, but under Article 2 of the Polish Act on arms and ammunition, gun possession, besides certain exceptions, is in fact prohibited. This means that a weaker man stands no chance in a confrontation with the attacker.


And criminals don’t care about the Act.


Yes. Currently, the law makes a citizen defenceless. It’s a very comfortable situation for the criminal environment.


In response to it, the Foundation Ad Arma was established.


The Foundation was established in order to restore the right to self-defence to Poles – in practice. We had such an opportunity before World War II and before the Partitions of Poland. We want Poles to be again able to fulfil this natural need for security without administrative impediments. It’s not about increasing the number of gun permits issued, but ultimately to abolish licenses. It’s our main goal. That’s unacceptable that a clerk in the course of administrative procedures determines, whether a citizen is to have the technical possibility of saving their own life and the lives of close people.


What is the situation like now?


In practice, the existing law doesn’t restrict people in shooting sports, shooting for recreational reasons and hunting. Police officers don’t face limitations nor do wealthy individuals who hire a lawyer when they want to legally obtain a gun. The law limits, though, an ordinary Smith.


Today, a physically handicapped person can’t legally possess a gun for self-defence or for a sport. A wheelchair impedes the use of guns in no way. This is a scandalous situation: people who are ill or disabled aren’t allowed to exercise their right to defend their own lives. The main purpose, which the Foundation wants to serve, is to bring about such a legal situation in which every person who comes of age and doesn’t have criminal record could possess a gun.


It also should be kept in mind that a compromise, that is an increase in the number of gun permits issued, further registration of guns, may lead to a situation like the one that occurred in 1939. Before the war, Poles could take advantage of widely granted gun permits, and in autumn of 1939, those registration lists ended up in the hands of rulers in Moscow and Berlin. People whose names were on the lists of legitimate gun owners were physically eliminated in the first place. Therefore, our aim is to ban the registration of guns possessed by Polish citizens so that an aggressor had a difficulty in catching the Poles who are armed and can use weapons.


In the 1990s, it was revealed that one of the politicians of the Left had a gun Taurus. But he hadn’t applied for any license.


Yes, Leszek Miller. As typical of the whole Third Republic of Poland, it didn’t cause any scandal. We can find some theoretical “progress”. A year ago, a politician of the ruling party had problems, because he obtained the relevant papers, but not in an entirely legal way. And it was publicised. The “progress” consists in the fact that our rulers own guns legally. The situation of citizens, though, hasn’t improved.


In the 1990s, the Democratic Left Alliance party promised a gun to protect domestic peace. Of course, nothing came of it. Similar postulates to empower Poles were proclaimed by the Civic Platform party quite recently, shortly after 2000. At that time, as we all remember, Platform still presented itself as Christian democracy. And as it now turns out, it’s a party against the upbringing of children by their own parents, against the right to freedom to run one’s own business, and even against the right to life.


If someone is against exercising the right to self-defence, they want to make us slaves. Here comes an interesting fact, I think it’s important, too. In ancient Rome, in the days of the republic, slaves were called “speaking tools”. They lost the right to possess weapons after the second revolt. In our country, citizens, sovereigns of the Republic of Poland, don’t have the right to own guns, besides certain exceptions described in the Act.


Prominent politicians of the Democratic Party, fighting in the United States against an access to guns, possess firearms or use the services of armed protection. In this regard, we often encounter with elitist attitudes.


That’s a typically oligarchic mentality. People publicly calling themselves democrats and emphasising that everyone’s equal believe that – as said by one of the Polish politicians – “someone has to rule here”. This is an obvious contempt shown towards Poles by our supposed representatives, after all, financed with our money. And it’s about people who, in light of the democratic ideology, have been “hired” by the society to perform certain functions.


Are Poles slowly waking up and starting to see the problem? At least in the context of an access to guns?


There are some approaches, one of them has been formed relatively recently under the influence of events in Ukraine. Some people began to feel the desire to have a gun for reasons described by the Foundation Ad Arma: for personal safety. In times of crisis, public safety is limited. It’s not about increasing the defence of the state, because we can’t defend against a ballistic missile with a gun.


We can see it in the reactions of people whose interest in guns is rising. In this case, one of the biggest problems is the belief that even if a person manages to successfully defend themselves, they will face trouble with the prosecution and the judiciary. We don’t trust the Polish justice system, we’re afraid of unjust accusations. In fact, outrageous verdicts happen, but the reasonable ones dominate, unpublicised due to their obviousness.

There have been several judgements of the Supreme Court that have reinforced our right to self-defence. Quoting one of them from memory: a citizen isn’t obliged to fight a knightly duel with the attacker. We may use the dominant force. When defending ourselves, we don’t have to use tools equal with those used by the criminal. A person who commits an assault, a criminal act, incurs all its consequences on themselves: moral, legal, as well as those arising from self-defence of the victim. It is the attacker who’s guilty.


How can a person interested in exercising their right to self-defence purchase a gun?


In light of the Polish law, we can apply for a gun permit for self-defence. In practice, there’s an informal ban valid throughout the country. Administrative departments of provincial police headquarters don’t issue gun permits for personal protection. Regardless of the circumstances. Obtaining a gun this way is possible, but it’s almost like a miracle.

It’s easier to obtain the right to own sporting or collectible arms. It’s funny: under the Polish provisions, guns are possessed for a specific purpose. The same pistol can officially serve for sport, self-defence, or be regarded as a collectible item. A letter in a red booklet indicates the aim, why we formally have a gun. From a practical point of view, it doesn’t matter.


Can sporting guns be used in self-defence?


In the case of illegal aggression, we have the right to use all available tools against the aggressor. We can reach for a chair, a pen or a gun held for sport. It’s perfectly legal.


What steps are taken by the Foundation Ad Arma?


As of today, our objective is to popularise knowledge about legal gun possession. We also disseminate knowledge on available options in self-defence, which ones are effective and which only provide a mirage of safety. For example, an alarm pistol is such a bluff. We can scare the attacker, but if he isn’t chicken-hearted, then we can’t defend ourselves with such a gun any longer.


The goals of the Foundation Ad Arma are, on the one hand, to educate, especially in terms of safety of gun possession and usage, and, on the other hand, to publicly promote the right to own arms. We want Poles to see that there’s an organisation, which speaks loudly about the right to own arms.


What are the upcoming activities of the Foundation of Ad Arma?


We’re holding training sessions conducted by an experienced shooting instructor. We’re also organising lectures. To get more information about current events, the easiest way is to visit our website or fan page on Facebook.


If there’s a group of people in one of the cities, interested in an access to guns, they can invite the Foundation, and we’ll come with pleasure and conduct a training course. Well, we’ve already done it quite a number of times.


These aren’t military training courses, they’re about the safety of storage and usage of guns. They are intended to give participants the basics for the proper use of weapons in stressful situations, too. The main object of our interest is the possession of guns by civilians to defend themselves and their own property.


Thank you for the conversation.


Jacek Hoga – President of the Foundation Ad Arma. A sporting shooter, a historical fencing coach, a hunter, a member of the Academic Corporation Kujawja (Polish: Korporacja Akademicka Kujawja). A father and a husband.



Wesprzyj nas!

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