Of course our culture about weapons is a beat strange for american people.
But the history explain these laws.
Weapons were for the power, the king and the nobles.
After that was for the emperor and with the world war since 1945 it's realy strict.
For french politicien you dont need a gun. The cops protect you.
Clear but like you explain every body dont have a body guard 24h/24h with him or her.
I explained with more details than BATMAN the french law in a post on AR15.com forum.
copy below :
Hello friends,
Very complex the French legislation about weapons, YES !!
But I could try describe it.
Our legislation is not so bad. And I will be happy to be sure to stay in actual definition.
BUT ! Any new government could change the law and suddenly destroy it and suppress our rightful to have guns. We are always in danger. English history is the nightmare of all the Europeans shooters.
We could have 12 weapons classified in 1st and 4th categories.
7 with central primer (1st or 4th categories central primer) and 5 with rim fire cartridge ( 4th Category chapter 2) all rim fire weapon semi-automatique rifles or handguns pistols and revolvers (22 LR, 22 magnum, 17 HMR).
I think in a first time we must explain we have 8 categories of weapons.
1st and 4th categories are the main important for us here.
The 1st category
Chapter 1 :
It’s all semi-automatique handgun weapons over 7.65 mm. caliber.
Chapter 2 :
For the rifle and carbines in military caliber (semi-automatique or bolt action carbines and rifles). A military cliber is a caliber used in regular army (5.56 nato, 7.62x51, 7.62x39, .50 BMG, etc..)
The 4th category is a bit more complex.
Chapter 1 :
It’s for all revolver with central primer cartridge (38 spe, 44 mag, 357 mag, 45 LC, etc.) and the semi-automatique handgun in caliber 7.65 or less big like the 6.25mm using central pimer and with barrel under 110 mm lenght.
Chapter 2 :
For all semi-automatique handgun, rifles and carbines and revolver using rimfire ammo (22 LR, etc.).
chapter 5 :
For semi-automatique rifles in civilian caliber. Like the AR15 in .222 remington.
1st and 4th categories weapons could only be buy by a shooter member of a shooting club over 21 years old after 6 months of shooting and with an authorization delivered by authorities. Authorization you have to confirm every 3 years.
2nd and 3rd categories are completely prohibited. It's machinegun, full auto weapons, bazooka, grenade and explosives, war plane, combat ship, tank, nuclear chemical or bacteriologic weapons.
5th and 6th sorry, I dont remember details, but you have edge weapons in one of this category and all the rifle in bolt action or lever action using civilian caliber.
For all bolt action rifles in civilian caliber, as 300 Winch Mag, 338 Lapua magnum, 7.08, 30.30, etc... no problem. If you are shooter or hunter, you could buy all that you want. Same thing for the ammo, you could have 10 000 cartridges, no limit. This is the reason why I prefer My AR15 in hunting caliber 222 rem. I have no limit for my cartridges.
7th category is for "armes de salon" if I try a translation, I said weapons for exposition more than for shooting. For exemple all the copy of muzzle loading weapon (uberti, pietta, etc...) are in this category. Compress air guns are in this category too.
8th category is for weapons of collection. If it's a french weapon, this weapon is in this category if older than 1890. For other country’s weapons it must be older than 1873.
Modern production of this weapons using metallic cartridge (schofield, SAA1873, etc.) are not free. They are in 4th category.
Only original model of metallic cartridge and modern or old model of muzzle loading handgun are 8th category free access like remington 1858, colt dragoon, paterson, etc....
Summit :
For 2nd and 3rd categories. Impossible to possess this weapons models.
For 1st and 4th, you must be sport shooter, over 21 years old and need to have an authorization delivered by authority. Authorization you have to confirm every 3 years.
For all other categories 5, 6, 7 and 8th it's free.
You must just be over 18 years old and be member of a shooting club or hunter. No limit about quantity of weapons you possess and same thing for ammunitions. You are registered on the Gunsmith book of sell and you declare too your police office you have this guns and that’s all.
Just some specific points:
a) Silencers are completely free access.
b) Night vision are only class 1 access (maybe class 2 ??).
c) NVG are classified like weapon in 1st category.
d) Laser are free access but usually max power is 5 mW.
e) Classic 2 shoot 12/70 or 12/76 rifles for hunting are free access for hunter and shooter.
BUT !! If it's a semi-automatic rifle it must be maximum 3 shoot (2+1)
If is tubular magasin is over 2 cartridges capacity it became a 4th category.
Finally, if this rifle is a riot gun (pump action gun) it's completely prohibited. Because in popular imagination it's the weapon of bad guys. Therefore, authority prohibited this weapon completely. Stupid!? Yes !
Last point for explain that all is not so easy:
If your weapon is in a definition free and than only one element is classified in 1st or 4th categories. Your weapons become a 1st or 4th categories weapon.
Example: I want buy a modern henry rifle carbine from Uberti manufacture. It’s a lever action, conception older than 1873. I could think no problem. It’s a 7th category. But in reality it’s a 5th category because it’s a rifle or a carabine and not a handgun. And it could become very fast a 4th category. The nightmare begins!
If I want buy it, I need to choice 44.40 caliber. It’s a caliber unclassified. If I buy it in 45 L.C. it’s a classified ammo (4th category ammo), so The rifle follow the cartridge and become a 4th category rifle. Other point, If the rifle is too short (total length under 81 cm and/or barrel under 45 cm) the weapon is consider like too compact and is classified 4th category. Last point, If you decide to buy the long rifle model, the problem is the number of cartridge in magasine. If over 10 ammo, you become again a 4th category weapon.
Finaly you could only buy a long rifle model in 44.40 Caliber with a maximum capacity of 10 cartridges. Complex!! Really, you think!! HA HA HA HA !
It’s not a law we have in France, it’s a labyrinth.
I hope I was clear. If you have any questions, we are here for you.
I hope this explanation make you understand that we are a small country, with a small shooter corporation (approximately 150 to 200 thousand sport shooters and 2 millions hunters), but we have guns and we love shoot!! YES !
