Over 300 new shooting ranges are planned to open in Finland as a way to encourage more citizens to improve their firearm skills in the name of national defense.
As it stands, the country boasts around 670 shooting ranges, with the aim of increasing that number to the 1000 mark by 2030.
“The present government aims to increase the amount of shooting ranges in Finland from roughly 600-700 up to 1,000. This is because of our defense model, which benefits from people having and developing their shooting skills on their own,” explained Jukka Kopra, a National Coalition party MP and the chair of Finland’s defense committee.
The reason for this increased demand is due to the popularity of voluntary training courses teaching Finnish civilians how to use firearms and defend themselves after Russia invades Ukraine.
It was noted that the amount of applications for gun licenses has dramatically increased.