Finland is the latest in a growing number of countries to recognize that an armed society is a safe one.
In the interest of national security, Finland is encouraging its citizens to reawaken their interest in sport shooting, on a level with their interest in other sports.
And to prove it means business, the country is adding more than 300 new gun ranges to its approximate current 670. That number is down from about 2,000 in operation at the turn of the century.
Finland’s push is probably prompted by the 830-mile border it shares with Russia. Although the country became a new NATO member last year, a little added security never hurts.
This new goal was confirmed to The Guardian by Jukka Kopra, a National Coalition party MP who chairs Finland’s defense committee.
"The present government aims to increase the amount of shooting ranges in Finland,” he told the publication.
"This is because of our defense model, which benefits from people having and developing their shooting skills on their own."
Antti Lehtisalo, executive director of MPK, the Finnish defense training and education association, encouraged participants to continue honing their new skills at gun ranges after completing their firearm training.
"One part of this training and education is of course education in shooting because people want to be part of this comprehensive security, so they’re coming to our courses and after that we need more shooting ranges."
Cam Edwards, editor and podcaster at Bearing Arms, a popular Second Amendment news and opinion website, applauded Finland’s move.
"An armed citizenry doesn't just serve as a reserve force or potential guerrilla fighters in case of invasion," he wrote. "It also stands as a measure to prevent any military misadventures that authoritarians like Vladimir Putin might have in mind."
And gun ownership is just as important for personal safety as it is for national security — especially in jurisdictions where politics trump the protection of citizens — even by law enforcement.
Police protection is important everywhere — especially in large, Democratic-run cities where gun ownership, and especially concealed carry, is highly restricted.
Take the Windy City, for example.
When Chicagoans thought former-Mayor Lori Lightfoot was a train wreck, they replaced her with Brandon Johnson — and he proceeded to make Lightfoot look like Ronald Reagan by comparison.
Last week Johnson opted not to renew the city’s contract with SoundThinking, developer of ShotSpotter, a high-tech audio surveillance system that alerts law enforcement to the location of gunshots fired within the city.
Johnson and other critics claimed the system unfairly targeted minorities. In reality, it targets gunshots, in much the same manner as red light cameras target cars that run red lights.
Sen. Ted Cruz thought Johnson’s decision ludicrous.
"So now Dems don’t want to know when people are being shot?" the Texas Republican asked. "Because stopping murders would be racist?"
Sen. Tom Cotton agreed: "This policy goes beyond soft-on-crime," the Arkansas Republican observed. "it’s pro-criminal."
Although the contract was set to expire Saturday morning at midnight, Johnson announced that he extended it until September — after the Democratic National Convention scheduled this summer.
If cancelling the contract made Chicagoans feel less secure, extending it until after the convention was insulting. Johnson may as well have said that their lives were less important than those of politicians.
While getting rid of ShotSpotter was alarming, Johnson’s next move was described as "delusional."
When asked what the plans were to replace programs like ShotSpotter, he called for a "comprehensive approach," one that included "a non-police response to respond to [an] emergency."
Maybe he could begin his "comprehensive approach" by replacing his police protection detail with a team of social workers, dedicated to deescalating any situation that may arise.
The point is, Finland’s decision to take the opposite approach — beef up security as well as arming its citizens — is probably the better option.
After the Oct. 7 attack of Israel by Hamas terrorists, the Jewish state immediately eased restrictions on private firearm ownership, and encouraged its citizens to take advantage of it.
After Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago nearly to the day, it actually began distributing arms to Ukrainian citizens, many of them purchased with U.S. taxpayer dollars.
A government’s ultimate responsibility is to protect its own citizens — not themselves, but the citizens to whom they owe a duty. That includes giving them the means to protect themselves.
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Ukraine, Israel, and Finland are catching on, even as the concept goes "whoosh," right over the heads of leftist politicians right here in America.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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