People in the defense sector widely agree that there are too few places in Estonia to practice shooting. Yet maintaining marksmanship is crucial, especially for reservists.

Aku Sorainen, an attorney-at-law and Finnish reserve officer, said that shooting is a military skill and when people acquire it as a habit, it boosts their confidence in the idea that Estonia can be defended.

"A key element of the total defense concept is that a large part of the population has completed conscription, received good training, attends refresher exercises and knows how to handle firearms safely and skillfully," Sorainen wrote in an opinion piece a year ago.

He argues that Estonia should have at least twice as many shooting ranges as it currently does. Finland, for example, has decided to build hundreds of new ranges as public interest in marksmanship has grown during the war in Ukraine.

In Estonia, however, practicing with firearms remains difficult even for those who are willing and properly licensed.

Margus Purlau, head of sports for the Estonian Defense League, said there are currently only about a thousand shooting stations across the country and shooting ranges are unevenly distributed.

"From the Defense League's perspective, I can say that each regional unit dreams of ensuring people have no more than a 30–40 kilometer drive to the nearest range. The Defense League currently has 11 outdoor and eight indoor shooting ranges. The bottom line is that we simply don't have enough," he said.

According to the Estonian Center for Defense Investments (RKIK), the regular defense forces are also short on shooting ranges.

Elari Kalmaru, RKIK's training ground portfolio manager, said the military primarily wants to build more outdoor ranges near unit bases.

Most of the shooting ranges under the Center's control are located on training grounds, meaning far from bases. At present, only Jõhvi and Tapa have outdoor ranges directly adjacent to their military units.

While a shooting range is a purpose-built training facility, a firing area is generally an open space where target practice and firearms instruction can also take place.

"Yes, it's possible to conduct shooting practice on training grounds, but firearms lessons are often short. When soldiers have to be transported long distances to a firing area, it eats up a lot of time. That's why we need more ranges located near bases," Kalmaru explained.

He said the situation is particularly difficult in Paldiski where a single range is essentially in use around the clock.

New firing ranges progress slow

Although the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) would like to see more shooting ranges built near military bases, the Estonian Center for Defense Investments has no plans to add new ones in the coming years. No new ranges were built last year either.

"There are no concrete plans to build additional outdoor shooting ranges in the next few years. Instead, we're focusing on developing large-scale firing areas," Kalmaru said.

According to him, the issue primarily comes down to funding — building a single range can cost hundreds of thousands of euros.

The Estonian Defense League plans to invest up to €5 million between 2026 and 2029, but most of that funding will go toward expanding existing ranges rather than building new ones.

"More shooting stations, different types of firearms, more shooting disciplines and so on," said Purlau.

He added that a new indoor shooting range is scheduled to be built next year for the Pärnu County Unit, but it will mainly be used for air rifles and sport shooting — that is, small-caliber weapons.

A few years ago, the Defense League's chief shooting instructor told ERR the goal was for every regional unit to have at least one outdoor range in addition to indoor facilities, so that units could carry out proper training. But according to Purlau, that goal will not be achieved in the near future.

Ministry of the Interior not promoting private shooting ranges

Attorney-at-law Aku Sorainen has pointed out that Estonia lags behind its neighbors when it comes to shooting ranges. According to police data from a year ago, there were only 111 shooting ranges and private-use firing sites in the country.

"When compared to neighboring countries — Finland, Sweden, Norway — we can see that even proportionally, based on population, we have only about half as many as Finland, for example," he said.

Sorainen added that over the past year, the number of new ranges has not increased at a pace that would meet national defense needs.

While the Ministry of Defense is responsible for developing ranges under its jurisdiction, the requirements for shooting ranges aimed primarily at civilians are set by the Ministry of the Interior.

Rita Proosa, firearms policy adviser at the Ministry of the Interior, also acknowledged that Estonia currently does not have enough shooting ranges and that more are needed. She said that, to her knowledge, the figure remains unchanged in 2026.

"Some ranges have shut down and a few new ones have opened, but overall, the total number is about the same," she said.

However, the interior ministry has not conducted an analysis of why more ranges haven't been established.

"Our role as a ministry isn't to push everyone to build as many ranges as possible. We provide the framework and set the conditions. If people have the interest, motivation and resources, we don't place any obstacles in their way. That's the extent of our support," Proosa said.

She added that if the government believes more shooting ranges should be encouraged, it would likely require national-level incentives, such as grant mechanisms. But at present, the ministry is not developing any such support system.

Sorainen: Estonia should ease shooting range requirements

Sorainen sees one possible solution in building simpler, more affordable 50-meter shooting ranges that private individuals could set up on their own land.

"There are many landowners in Estonia who would be willing to build such a shooting range at their own expense. They would control who uses it. Ideally, in rural areas, these could be used by local residents, hunters, Defense League members and sport shooters," Sorainen said.

Former EDF Commander Martin Herem noted that, in general, volunteers and civilians are unlikely to practice shooting if the nearest range is an hour away. "If we had a 50-meter shooting range within 10 kilometers of where people live — one that allowed for moving targets and possibly even smoothbore or air targets — it would definitely improve our marksmanship. That applies even when we talk about drones and counter-drone tactics," Herem said.

According to Sorainen, overly strict safety regulations are currently a major obstacle to developing such 50-meter ranges. The existing rules require a four-meter-high backstop behind the range, which translates to about 60 truckloads of soil for the builder. If that requirement were lowered to three meters, material costs would be cut in half, making such ranges more affordable to construct, he said.

Rita Proosa, firearms policy adviser at the Ministry of the Interior, said the ministry has received Sorainen's proposal. In fact, a plan to revise the regulation governing shooting range requirements was already on the table a couple of years ago. However, the regulation has been sitting in a drawer since last year, awaiting further action, as the ministry is currently focused on amending the Weapons Act.

"Without additional staff, it's simply not physically possible to take it up before the second half of the year. If our policy priorities shift, that's another matter. But at the moment, the main focus is still on changing the Weapons Act. If it's deemed a priority, we can address it sooner, but right now, I don't see any way it could happen before the second half of the year," said Proosa.

Defense ministry: Requirements can be eased in a crisis

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense said that Estonia's current system of shooting ranges and training areas is designed to support scheduled training during peacetime. In the context of defense planning, "adequacy of shooting ranges" does not necessarily mean that every unit must have its own dedicated range or that training can be conducted at any time without restrictions.

"Adequacy means that training is organized through scheduling, rotation and load distribution and that the system as a whole remains sustainable — financially, environmentally and socially," the ministry wrote.

"In recent years, shooting ranges and training areas have been continuously developed, including in the Piirsalu, Central Polygon (Keskpolügoon), Kapasto, Metsniku, Eivere and Muru areas. Additionally, the planned expansion of Nursipalu is expected to significantly reduce pressure on existing sites in the coming years. A new range is also in development in Pärnu County. Beyond permanent infrastructure, state and private lands may also be used for training when needed, with the landowners' consent — particularly during large-scale exercises like Hedgehog (Siil) and Spring Storm (Kevadtorm). In a crisis or wartime situation, requirements can be relaxed and training capacity rapidly expanded," the spokesperson added.

Police want specialized ranges

In addition to the EDF, the Defense League and private individuals, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) also has a need for more shooting ranges.

Jaak Kiveste, team leader at the PPA's readiness and response bureau, said the police currently do not have dedicated shooting ranges in every region where they can train with all types of firearms, so they must rely on partner facilities for training.

"With alternative shooting ranges, the main issue is availability — it's difficult to find open time slots. In addition, most ranges are highly specialized, used by hunting associations or sport shooters. That means they're often unsuitable for police-specific training. For example, you can't practice firing from a moving vehicle, moving as a team or shooting in multiple directions," Kiveste explained.

He said that in neighboring countries, police officers use ranges specifically designed for such tactical needs and Estonia is moving in the same direction. The first police training facility tailored to tactical firearms use is planned for Võru. There, officers will be able to shoot in three directions with all of the weapons they are authorized to use. The site will also include a padded room for practicing arrest techniques.

"Ideally, we see a need for such infrastructure in every region. That would allow us to train for real-life situations like close-range shooting inside residential spaces, using firearms during a vehicle stop or coordinating responses across multiple patrols in an active threat scenario. These are the kinds of situations where police actually use firearms, but currently, neither our own nor rental ranges are properly suited for this kind of training. Having our own range would also let us plan work time more efficiently and increase training frequency," he said.

The Defense League is also planning to build an indoor pistol range in Pärnu. This project is being co-financed by the Ministry of the Interior and, once completed, it will also be available for police use in training and exercises.

The Police and Border Guard Board currently operates five shooting ranges — three in Tallinn, one in Tartu and one in Rakvere.

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