Firearms regulation in France

To buy a firearm in France, in line with the European Firearms Directive, a hunting license or a shooting sport license is necessary depending on the type, function and magazine capacity of the weapon.

History

In 1563, King Charles IX of France made an address to the Rouen parliament about forbidding firearms in which he made the following statement:

Middle French English

D'auantage cõsiderant que les meurtres, volleries, assassinats, & autres entreprinses, qui troublent le commun repos de nosdicts subects, s'exercent plus par les armes à feu, que nuls aultres : Défendons tresestroictement sur mesmes peines à toutes personnes, de quelque estat, dignité & qualité qu'ils soyent, porter ne faire porter par leurs gens & seruiteurs dedans les villes, ne par les champs, aucune hacquebute, pistolle ne pistolet, ne d'icelles tirer: sinon (...).[1]

Considering murders, robberies, killings & other enterprises, which disturb regularly the rest of our subjects, are more caused by firearms than any others: we forbid very strictly with the same punishment for everyone, of any state, dignity & quality they are, to carry or have carried by their people & servitors neither within any town, nor in the countryside, any hacquebute, pistol nor pistolet, nor to use them: except (...)

Since the November 2015 Paris attacks, police officers are allowed to carry their service firearms while off duty.

Firearms classification

As of September 2015, classification has been simplified to 4 categories:[2]

  • Category A:
    • Category A1: Firearms disguised as another object, firearms with fully automatic fire capacities, firearms of a caliber greater than 20mm, handgun magazine with a capacity greater than 20 rounds, and rifles or shotguns magazine with a capacity greater than 31 rounds. There is an exception for magazine capacity for IPSC (TSV in French) shooter with a certificate of the shooting range where they are registered.
    • Category A2: Military material, material to transport, or weapons used for combat.
    • Category A11: Semi-automatic rifle shorter than 60 cm with the stock detached or folded.
    • Category A12: Semi-automatic rifle converted from automatic to semi-automatic.
  • Category B:
    • Category B1: Handguns with a capacity of 20 rounds or fewer.
    • Category B2: Manually operated long guns with a capacity between 11 and 31 rounds, semi-automatic long guns with a capacity between 3 and 31 rounds and smooth bore pump-action shotguns.
    • Category B4: Any firearm chambered in the following calibers: 7.62×39mm; 5.56×45mm NATO; 5.45×39mm; .50 BMG; 14.5×114mm.
    • Category B5: Any registered parts of all B-categorized firearms such as bolt, barrel, magazine, etc.
    • Category B6, B7, B8: Specific weapons for riots and crowd control.
  • Category C: Generally-accepted hunting weapons in France. Manual operation long guns with a capacity of 11 rounds or less and semi-automatic long guns with a capacity of 3 rounds or less. Pump-action rifled shotguns with a capacity of 5 rounds or fewer are within Category C, as long as they have fixed stocks, fixed capacity of 4+1 or less, barrel length 60 cm or greater and have overall lengths over 80 cm. Manually-operated rifles in any caliber must have a barrel length of 45 cm or greater to be in Category C weapon. All shotguns must have a barrel length of 60 cm or greater, have fixed stocks, fixed magazines of 2+1 and overall length must be greater than 80 cm to be allowed for hunting.[3]
  • Category D: Pepper spray, air guns, non-convertible guns designed to fire blanks, gas, or signal ammunition, stun batons, black powder guns (non-metallic cartridge), deactivated guns, and guns with a patent older than January 1st, 1900. Weapons that fire projectiles in a non-pyrotechnic manner with a muzzle energy between 2 and 20 joules and their ammunition (e.g. airsoft guns, paintball guns, etc.). Exceptions include all metallic, smokeless-powder firearms made before 1900.[4]

Ammunition Classification

Any handgun ammunition is classified as Category B, for example, someone who owns a lever-action carbine in Category C chamber for .357 magnum needs to have a B-categorized weapon in order to buy .357 magnum ammunition.

Some exceptions exist for calibers like in Category C-6°.

  • Category B: Quota of 2000 rounds per year and a maximum of 1000 in stock; an ID card or resident card and a gun ownership authorization are required.
  • Category C-6°: A maximum of 1000 in stock; an ID card or resident card and a gun ownership authorization are required.
  • Category C-7°: A maximum of 1000 in stock; an ID card or resident card and a hunting license or shooting sport license and a gun ownership authorization are required.
  • Category C-8°: An ID card or resident card plus a hunting license or a shooting sport license are required.
    • Other rifle ammunition (e.g. 7×64mm, 9.3×62mm, etc.)
  • Category D: An ID card or resident card is required for purchase and the buyer must be at least 18 years old, with the exception of sportive shooters over the age of 12, for whom a written parental authorization must be written.

Storage
  • Category A and B: Firearms, ammunition, and registered firearms parts have to be stored in a gun safe or a safe room.
  • Category C: Firearms can be stored (unloaded) in a safe or in another location that is not easy to access (e.g. by using a barrel lock or having them attached to a wall). Ammunition must be stored separately from the weapon, even in a safe.
  • Category D: No storage restriction.

Ownership and purchase conditions
  • Category A11 and A12 are not allowed for purchase since August 1st, 2018, whereas beforehand they held the same requirements as Category B. After November 1st, 2022, all weapons classed as Category A11 and A12 are being seized or destroyed by the French government without compensation to the owners.
  • Category B requires the owner to be older than 18, be affiliated with a shooting range for at least 12 months, have attended at least 3 shooting sessions with an instructor within a span of 3 months, and have a medical certificate. Proof of the purchase of a safe is mandatory. The shooter will then receive authorization for 6 months to purchase Category B firearms (and therefore Category C firearms since they are affiliated with a shooting range). The category B authorization is valid for 5 years and must be renewed. Only a maximum of 12 Category B firearms, 10 magazines for a given weapon, and 1000 rounds per weapon can be obtained per person. If the firearms owner fails to renew their hunting or shooting sport license, they will then have 6 months to get rid of all their Category B firearms and ammo (destruction at owner expense, sell to/through a gun store).
  • Category C requires the owner to be older than 18 and have a valid hunting, shooting, or clay pigeon license.
  • Category D requires the owner to be older than 18.

No civilian may carry any weapons in a public place. A special form allows a civilian to apply for a 1-year carry license, which allows them to carry a handgun and a maximum of 50 rounds if they are "exposed to exceptional risks to their life". In practice, these licenses are only issued to politicians.

Exceptions exist for children and teenagers with a shooting or clay pigeon license and parental approval. A child aged between 9 and 12 can own D categorized weapon that shoot projectiles in a non-pyrotechnic way between 2 and 20 joules. Individuals between the ages of 12 and 16 can own C and D-categorized weapons. They can also own one-shot, rimfire Category B firearms if they participate in international shooting competitions (only with a shooting sport license).

Individuals between the ages of 16 and 18 who have a shooting, hunting, or clay pigeon license can own C and D-categorized weapons. They can also own Category B firearms if they participate in international shooting competitions (only with a shooting sport license).

Carrying a gun is defined as having a gun by one's side in a public place ready to use. Transporting a gun is defined as having an unloaded, locked or disassembled gun and having a legitimate reason for doing so in a public place. Some legitimate reasons to transport a firearm are activities such as hunting, sports shooting, collecting, or clay pigeon shooting. Personal defense, however, does not qualify as a legitimate reason. Hunting, collector, and clay pigeon licenses only work for D and C-categorized weapon transportation. A shooting sport license works for A, B, C, and D-categorized weapons.

Brandishing a firearm in public can result in charges for public disorder.

References
  1. texte, Charles IX (1550-1574 ; roi de France) Auteur du; texte, France Auteur du (May 9, 1563). La déclaration faicte par le Roy, de sa majorité, tenant son lict de justice en sa cour de parlement de Roüen : et ordonnance par luy faicte pour le bien & repos public de son royaume : et ce qu'il dict en ladicte cour avant la publication de ladicte ordonnance. Publiée en la cour de parlement à Paris, le vingthuictième jour de septembre, 1563 – via gallica.bnf.fr.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "Armes" [Arms] (in French). Direction de l'information légale et administrative. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  3. "Tout savoir sur la réglementation sur les armes de chasse | FNC". Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  4. "Arme de catégorie D (acquisition et détention libres)". www.service-public.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-07-11.
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