Football, ice hockey ... shooting? Finland hopes hobby will boost national defence
Nato’s newest member, which shares 830-mile border with Russia, plans to open hundreds of new shooting ranges
Finland plans to open more than 300 new shooting ranges to encourage more citizens to take up the hobby in the interest of national defence.
It is hoped that shooting in the Nordic country – which last year became Nato’s newest member and which shares a 830-mile (1,330km) border with Russia – could become as popular as football or ice hockey.
There are about 670 shooting ranges in Finland, down from about 2,000 at the turn of the century. By 2030, the government plans to increase the number to about 1,000.
IIRC, there are something like 2,000 shooting ranges in Switzerland...