Poland has made firearms lessons compulsory for schoolchildren in preparation of a potential Russian attack.
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00:00First, maths, then history, and finally, shooting.
00:15Weaponry class is now mandatory in Polish schools and could soon become a favourite.
00:20It feels good to hit the target.
00:24Shooting is fun.
00:28Holding a gun in your hands and shooting feels really cool.
00:33I think it's a good idea.
00:36Life is scary these days, so you have to be prepared for anything.
00:45The Nicholas Copernicus School in Skarzewy is a normal primary school with students from the 1st to the 8th grade.
00:54Differences of opinion are also handled in the normal way.
00:59What is less normal about this school is in the gym,
01:03where 13 and 14-year-olds arm themselves with the assault rifles and pistols laid out on the table,
01:08under the principal's supervision.
01:16It is a compulsory subject in Polish schools,
01:20and the lesson content consists only of assembling and operating weapons.
01:25With the state of the world today, I think this type of training is very valuable.
01:33She is referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, right next door.
01:38Poland feels threatened and wants its young people to be able to handle weapons as early as possible.
01:47They're not too young to shoot, because the passion for shooting, like any sport, develops from an early age.
01:55That's why the ministry has ordered firearms training for all pupils.
02:01They don't use live ammunition, but lasers.
02:05A green light means hit.
02:07Krzysztof Popadzys developed and is marketing the system.
02:11His order books are full.
02:15There are 18,000 schools in Poland. All of them will get this equipment as part of their safety training.
02:21Shooting lessons were voluntary until three months ago.
02:25Parents seem not to have complained about them. On the contrary.
02:34We are very proud that our children want to be on the right side of history,
02:40to defend our country and to be patriotic.
02:49My daughter is 14 years old and in the 8th grade.
02:54I feel she is capable of making her own decisions about her future and knows what she wants to do in life.
03:02In Gdansk, just a few kilometers away, businesses brisk at Krzysztof Garzor's gun shop.
03:09He sees the shooting lessons for teenagers as a logical introduction to the gun-friendly Polish society.
03:16We have relatively very easy access to firearms.
03:20Probably one of the most liberal laws in Europe right now.
03:23Poland finally came to the point that we can own legally the firearms.
03:28Procedures are very easygoing and in a way it is much easier to obtain a gun license in Poland than a driving license.
03:38There is very little protest against shooting lessons for pupils.
03:42Dissenting voices like this are rare.
03:47What's happening is really sad, but that's Poland.
03:53There's already so much violence and now they've introduced this.
03:58You're afraid to go outside.
04:02They aren't mature enough yet.
04:05Teaching these skills could backfire on us all.
04:12In the gym in Skarzewy, the shooting lesson is winding down.
04:16The kids may have grown used to the cool feeling of holding a gun, but what about in a real-life situation?
04:22Would they really shoot at others?
04:29Me? Yes.
04:31I'm not afraid of challenges.
04:34But I wouldn't do it without a good reason.
04:38I think I could do it, but it would be tough.
04:44Yes, if my life or my friends or my family were in danger, I'd do it.
04:50Mission accomplished.
04:52The mandatory shooting lessons are unique in Europe.
04:55The aim is to prepare primary school children to defend Poland in the future.
04:59Even if they are just children now, who just want to play, just for the fun of it.