Every High School Student In Two Countries Forced To Learn How To Use Gun

By John Loftus

All Latvian high school students have been forced to learn how to use guns due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Latvia, the Eastern European NATO country that borders Russia, has been on high alert since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Not only does the country have conscription — compulsory service for young men — and a draft lottery if too few volunteers enlist, it also has a mandate for students: they must learn to use firearms.

“The purpose is not to train soldiers, but to develop more responsible citizens,” Col. Valts Āboliņš, a Latvian military officer who oversees the national education program, told Politico. “We want to remove the phobias many young people and their parents have when they encounter anything military.”

In Latvia, as well as in Estonia, another Baltic Sea country that borders Russia, students are required to participate in “National Defense Education,” Politico reported. In addition to handling firearms and other weapons, students learn first aid and land navigation skills, military marching and drilling, and military history, according to the outlet.