During the Ukraine war, there has been a significant increase in interest in shooting exercises among Finnish civilians, according to Finland's national broadcasting company. In response, the Finnish government has decided to build 300 new shooting locations in the coming years. Finns consider interest in shooting and shooting skills as an essential part of the will to defend.

Shooting should be as accessible to Finns as football or ice hockey, and one should not have to travel tens of kilometers to a shooting site, said the chairman of the Eduskunta's Defense Committee, Jukka Kopra.

Estonia appears to have the opposite attitude. Citing safety regulations, the country has closed private shooting ranges that have hosted international competitions. Those who have been a day late in renewing their gun license or registering a new address have lost their gun license.

"Every week, there's a client who really just went one day over, and the gun license goes away. Because now you need to do a shooting test for renewal. And if you're a little late with that, then the gun license disappears, and you have to go for the exam again," said shooting instructor and founder of a tactical shooting center, Martin Bahovski.

Bahovski sees the meticulous enforcement by officials as reflective of the country's general attitude towards firearms in the hands of civilians.

"I'm not quite sure if we should be so strict – now a day over, now goodbye. This attitude rather suggests that the fewer guns, the better," he observed.

Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets argues that there is no such political direction. However, he says that for those interested in firearms and defense, the best place is the Defense League.

"There is no such political agenda. No orders have been given to anyone. If the PPA (Police and Border Guard Board) is doing its job thoroughly, then that is what it is. We should tell Estonian people who are interested in shooting that we still support it. It is possible to do this in the Defense League. We also make it easier for you to keep a weapon at home," said Läänemets.

At the Tallinn Defense League's range, shooting chief Meelis Unt demonstrates a shooting exercise. Like the Finns, he says the Defense League needs more shooting locations. The next developments are planned for the islands.

"The goal is that each battalion would have at least an outdoor range in addition to indoor ranges, so that Defense League units could conduct their training according to plans. And that every member of the Defense League could reach a shooting place from home," said Unt.

Ammunition availability and price are also less than stellar in light of the Ukraine war. Top-level shooters spend 1,000 to 10,000 rounds a year for practice.

"The availability of ammunition is difficult. I think it will become even more difficult. In some cases, the price of ammunition has doubled or even tripled. I believe the price will likely increase rather than decrease in the future, unfortunately," said Unt.

Currently, there are 670 shooting locations in Finland, but last century there were over 2,000, reports Yle.

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