Vast majority of ranges however are just a place in the middle of nowhere, some even without any kind of electricity and often they go days or even weeks without anyone visiting.

Oh yeah there are two type of ranges in the Finnish law, and I'm talking about the non-passive one. I didn't consider an ampumarata to be a "range" if you can get the difference in connotation, despite the word being the exact same thing. Most ranges are sort of the "type II", which is what I grew up shooting on as well. The type that you'd find in a hunting community.

I visited a few different ones though, military and civilian, and the civilian ones which usually host sport shooting also have storage licensed by the police. If you do shooting and there's a storage at the place you do the shooting, then taking the gun home would be literally unnecessary travel with it, which is — according to law — to be avoided.

Similarly as hunters would only carry weapons in their car when they're coming from or going to hunt, but having a rifle in your boot when you're just out shopping would be illegal, unless you were taking it to be fixed or something other. Again, the subjective nature of the wording of the law allows for a lot of things, but only if you have the valid need.

but strictly speaking you don’t have to join one.

By law, no, but in practice, you do. That's sort of the thing that's been my point.

By yourself. You can train with a air pistol and all you need is to prove that you’re an active hobbyist.

You can't just tell the cops "no but seriously, I've been practicing with an air gun in my backyard, trust me bro".

https://www.ampumaurheiluliitto.fi/liitto/jasenpalvelut/aselupaneuvonta/

Miten harrastuskerrat lasketaan esimerkiksi kahden vuoden ajalta?

Ampuma-aselain 6 § 2 momentin 4-7 kohtien mukaista käsiasetta (esim. pistoolia) hakiessa on tullut harrastaa vähintään 2 vuotta aktiivisesti ampumaurheiluharrastusta eli yhteensä vähintään 10 harrastuskertaa tasaisin väliajoin, jotta harrastus olisi jatkuvaa. Harrastuksen on siis oltava jatkuvaa. Tässä ei riitä lyhyellä ajalla 5 harrastuskertaa, jonka jälkeen pitää vuoden tauon ja käy tämän jälkeen taas 5 kertaa harrastelemassa

Käykö ilmapistoolilla ampuminen 2 vuoden harrastuksen osoittamiseen? Mitä jos ei ole hallussapitolupaa ennestään käsiaseeseen?

Hakiessa uutta lupaa käsiasetta varten on osoitettava harrastaneensa 2 vuotta kyseisellä asetyypillä eli käsiaseella. Myös ilmapistoolilla harjoittelu käy käsiasetyypin harjoittelusta. Mikäli ei ole hallussapitolupaa käsiaseelle, silloin ainoa mahdollisuus on käydä valvotusti ampumaradalla ja saada kuittaus ratavalvojalta päiväkirjaan. Näin voi osoittaa ampuma-asekouluttajan todistusta varten käyneensä ampumassa tarpeeksi kauan kyseisellä asetyypillä.

And the same in English:

How are the hobby sessions calculated over a two-year period, for example?

When applying for a handgun (e.g. a pistol) according to Section 6, subsection 2, points 4-7 of the Firearms Act, you must have been actively involved in shooting sports for at least 2 years, i.e. a total of at least 10 times at regular intervals, so that the hobby would be continuous. So the hobby must be continuous. Here, 5 hobby sessions in a short period of time are not enough, after which you take a year off and after that go 5 times again to practice

Can shooting with an air pistol be used to prove 2 years of hobby? What if you don't already have a possession permit for a handgun?

When applying for a new permit for a handgun, you must prove that you have practiced for 2 years with the type of weapon in question, i.e. a handgun. Training with an air pistol is also the same as training for the handgun type. If there is no possession permit for a handgun, then the only possibility is to visit the shooting range under supervision and get a receipt from the range supervisor in the diary. This way you can show that you have been shooting for a long enough time with the type of weapon in question for the firearms instructor's certificate.

Yeah, like I said, technically, in law, there is no DIRECT requirement to be in an association, but IN PRACTICE, there is. You say:

some of them might not sign the certificate if you’re not a part of their association

But really, can you find me a single one who'd certify you without having been a part of the association? In the current climate? Seriously? I do not for one second believe you'll find a person like that and you'd still need to verify all the times you've practiced, not just a single certification of "he's good". That's not something you can do for yourself in your backyard.

You’re a farmer and need a weapon in case you need to kill one of your cows/wild hogs in case it injured itself and/or is a threat to safety?

You get a vet, not a gun. Good luck getting a pistol for execution as a farmer without being a hunter. Regards, someone who was born in a village of hunters and farmers.

I'm getting more and more doubtful that you actually have a license for any sort of firearm.

edit here's one more bit from that earlier link:

>Satunnaista maaliin ampumista ei kuitenkaan voitaisi pitää momentissa tarkoitettuna ampumaharrastuksena, vaan ampumaharrastuksen tulisi käsittää jonkin sellaisen lajin aktiivista harrastamista, jossa järjestetään kilpailuja

>Random shooting at a target, however, could not be considered a shooting hobby as referred to in the paragraph, but a shooting hobby should include the active pursuit of a sport in which competitions are organized

That's what I feel like you're talking about by "training yourself" essentially, and that sort of thing is rather explicitly mentioned