Shooting Club in Kraków Issues Statement on Attacker Michał Oksiński
Sports Club "Świt" from Starachowice, where attacker Michał Oksiński trained, denies conducting combat training. Club representatives are shocked by the events and emphasise their cooperation with authorities.
Shooting Club Denies Combat Training
Fakt.pl visited Starachowice Shooting Club, where Michał Oksiński, the perpetrator of the attack in Kraków, practised every Sunday. Sports Club "Świt" issued a statement in connection with the tragedy. "In accordance with information from the Board, the club has not conducted and does not conduct combat training, urban terrain fighting tactics or classes preparing for the use of weapons against people," the club communicates. It emphasises that the training conducted is purely sporting in nature.
Adam Chyb from the Board of Club "Świt" tells journalists from Fakt: "We are in contact and are passing on all information we have to the appropriate authorities. On our part there is a full declaration of cooperation, which is already underway. We are passing on this information on an ongoing basis." Chyb notes that he did not personally know the attacker. "I don't want to speculate what drove him to this act," he adds.
Club Members Shocked
Club representatives are devastated by the events. People from the shooting club noticed that Oksiński displayed "exceptionally fluid movements," according to an anonymous source. However, an older club member, Janusz O. (the attacker's father), is remembered in a positive light. "He was the one who instilled in his son a passion for shooting. He himself was a very pleasant man," says one of the club members.
A seventy-year tradition and the reputation of the club have been undermined by the act of one person. "That it should happen to us," sighs one of the sources.
Verification of Weapons Permits
Fakt.pl has established that Michał Oksiński held a permit for an AR-15 weapon. One person from the shooting club reveals that the attacker probably had problems with stimulants, which should have disqualified him from being issued a permit. The club is not responsible for verification – that is the task of police authorities and independent psychologists.
Chyb explains: "The club does not issue weapons permits. That is for the appropriate authorities. It is a decision of the police. Psychological testing is also conducted in a unit independent of us. A candidate is examined by a psychologist, not by the club."
Limitations of Psychological Testing
A club representative points to the problem with psychological testing. "A person is tested on a given day and then everything might be fine. I suspect that even the best psychologist wouldn't know what might happen to a person in two, three months or two years," says Chyb.
Joining the club costs 1,000 zlotys, and members then pay 50 zlotys monthly. Janusz O. was a long-standing club member, whilst his son trained there for a considerably shorter period. Club representatives emphasise that people are not admitted to the shooting club without checks, although neither the club nor its members conduct independent verification of candidates' backgrounds.
Source: Google News PL