Poland HUNTING AND SPORTING PRODUCTS

Today, there are more than 120,000 registered members in the Polish Hunting Association and 50,000 members in the Polish Sport Shooting Association. The Polish market is dominated by imports because local production capability is limited.  Hunting and sport rifles are primarily manufactured by private gunsmiths and are customized to order and considered a luxury item. 

The current development of shooting sports began shortly after January 31, 2011, when Poland enacted a law that liberalized the process for obtaining arms permits for hunters and sport shooting competitors.  The new regulations allowed anyone 18 years of age and older to take up shooting sports by visiting one of the 125+ shooting ranges located throughout Poland.  This has led to an increase in both the number of gun owners and number of active gun sportsmen in Poland.  Since its original enactment in 2011, amendments to the law have been introduced, for example, in 2018, a regulation banned the use of dogs and birds for the hunting of live animals.  Such restrictions have not caused a decline in interest in weapons and shooting sports, which has been a developing area of social life in Poland.

The popularization of shooting sports has been influenced by annually organized sports competitions at the highest level, such as the European Championship in Pneumatic Shooting, which was held in Wroclaw Feb. 23 - Mar. 2, 2020. 
Organized fairs, such as the Euro Target Show, part of the Hunting, Shooting and Survival Trade Fairs series, which will take place in Warsaw in 2020, also play an important role in developing the sport. Trade fairs attract thousands of people interested in hunting and shooting sports and stimulates an increase in the number of members in relevant associations.

Poland’s developing sport shooting market provides U.S. suppliers with significant export opportunities in the following areas:
· Small arms (pistols and revolvers dedicated for self-protection)
· Arms and ammunition for hunting and sport shooting
· Arms for commercial shooting-range depots
· Arms for technical training
· Sportswear and accessories for hunters and sport shooters.

For more information on the Polish Hunting and Shooting Equipment market, please contact Commercial Specialist, Jolanta Mojsa, at Jolanta.Mojsa@trade.gov