Rue d'Aubagne in central Marseille with the Homer monument column

Photo: Jeanne Menjoulet / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

French Protests Turn Violent: Gun Shop Looting and France’s Gun Laws Explained

by

Top photo: Rue d’Aubagne in Marseille’s 1st arrondissement, the street where a gun shop was looted during the June 2023 riots. This photo shows the street, not the shop. Photo: Jeanne Menjoulet / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Saturday’s nationwide protests against the cost of living turned violent in several French cities, with shops looted in Lyon and Marseille and 272 arrests by mid-afternoon, according to the Interior Ministry. The unrest has revived a question many readers ask whenever French riots make headlines: what happens when rioters target a gun shop, and how hard is it to own a firearm in France?

This article separates what has been confirmed in the current wave from a documented earlier case, and explains France’s gun laws using official government sources. For day-by-day coverage, see our France protests hub.

What happened on Oct. 17

The protests began last month at high schools in the poor northern suburbs of Paris over teacher shortages and run-down facilities, and grew into a broader movement over living costs, fuel prices and public services, Reuters reported. Students, unions and Yellow Vest groups joined Saturday’s day of action. (Background: Act V turnout figures and our analysis of why this unrest looks different.)

The Interior Ministry said about 33,000 people took part in some 140 actions outside Paris by midday, and reported an “escalation in violence.” In a statement quoted by the BBC, it said “law enforcement officers have been targeted, businesses have been looted or subjected to attempted looting, and public buildings have been attacked and damaged.” The ministry blamed what it called the “ultra-left.”

In Marseille, protesters forced their way into the town hall before police pushed them out, AFP reported. The regional daily La Provence reported that the Hugo Boss shop on rue Paradis and the Hermès shop on rue Grignan were looted. In Lyon, protesters set fire to the tourist office on Place Bellecour, and Le Progrès reported looting at several shops on the Presqu’île, including Hugo Boss and Sephora. In Paris, police used tear gas and water cannon, and the Paris police prefecture reported 133 arrests by 2 p.m.

Has a gun shop been looted in the current protests?

Not as far as we can confirm. As of Saturday afternoon (Eastern Time), none of the coverage we reviewed from AFP, Reuters, France 24, Le Progrès, La Provence or Les Echos reported a gun shop (armurerie) being looted in the current wave of protests. The Interior Ministry’s statements mention looted businesses but do not mention firearms. We will update this article if that changes.

A past case: the Marseille gun shop looted in 2023

The best-documented case of rioters looting a French gun shop happened more than three years ago. It took place during the riots that followed the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk in Nanterre in June 2023. It is not connected to the current protests.

  • Where and when: The Négrel et Mistral gun shop on rue d’Aubagne, in Marseille’s 1st arrondissement, on the evening of Friday, June 30, 2023, between about 9 and 9:30 p.m., according to BFMTV and Le Parisien.
  • What happened: Le Parisien reported that about 30 young rioters broke through a wall and forced the shop window. Police reached the shop within about three minutes after city camera operators spotted the attack.
  • What was taken: Hunting rifles. Reports differ on the number: France Bleu Provence (now ICI) said four, and Le Parisien said “five to eight.” Police and the prefecture said no ammunition was taken. Le Parisien reported the ammunition was stored in a different part of the shop.
  • Official statements: The Bouches-du-Rhône police prefecture said one person was arrested nearby carrying a hunting rifle that probably came from the shop, franceinfo reported. Police kept a guard outside the shop overnight. The prefecture reported 95 arrests in Marseille that night and 31 police officers slightly injured.

The shop’s owner told France Bleu Provence he had faced about 30 “very determined” people and could no longer secure his stock because the shutters had been broken. “Hoping the weapons can’t be used with bad intentions,” he said, as quoted by franceinfo (our translation).

How gun ownership works in France

France regulates civilian firearms under its Internal Security Code (Code de la sécurité intérieure), which builds on the EU Firearms Directive. That directive, first adopted in 1991 and now codified as Directive (EU) 2021/555, sets minimum rules on which firearms civilians may acquire and hold across the EU. Member states can set stricter rules.

The four categories

The government’s official guide, service-public.fr, divides weapons into four categories based on how dangerous they are:

  • Category A, prohibited: Civilians may not acquire or hold these weapons, such as automatic firearms, except under special authorization.
  • Category B, authorization required: This covers many handguns and some rifles. Buyers need prior authorization from the prefecture. Sport shooters apply through the online weapons system and need a favourable opinion from the French Shooting Federation (FFTir), based on regular practice.
  • Category C, declaration required: This includes most hunting rifles and shotguns. Buyers generally need a hunting permit, a shooting-sport licence or a collector’s card, must buy through a licensed gun dealer or broker, and must declare the purchase. Buying or holding an undeclared category C weapon is punishable by up to two years in prison and a €30,000 fine.
  • Category D, freely acquired under conditions: This covers lower-risk items such as certain historic weapons and some non-firearm weapons.

Hunting and sport permits

In practice, most legal gun owners in France qualify through hunting or sport shooting. Hunters use their hunting permit (permis de chasser), and sport shooters use their FFTir licence. Both serve as the basis for buying category C weapons, and the sport licence is also needed for category B authorization.

The SIA registry

France runs a national online weapons system, the Système d’information sur les armes (SIA), set up under a decree of Feb. 8, 2022. Under service-public.fr guidance, adult hunters, licensed shooters, people keeping an inherited or found weapon, and owners of certain category C weapons without a permit or licence must open an SIA account. The account works as a digital gun rack. Owners use it to confirm purchases and to request or renew category B authorizations.

Why the distinction matters

Gun shop looting is rare in France, which is partly why the 2023 Marseille case drew so much attention. Viral posts during unrest sometimes recirculate old footage as new. Readers should check the date on any report of stolen weapons and look for confirmation from the prefecture or the Interior Ministry.

More coverage: France Student Protests Act V, Marine Le Pen and the National Rally, and the full France protests hub.

Sources

Like this story? Get the newsletter

The day's Boston news, weather and local business in one short email, with links to the full stories.

Free. We email you a link to confirm first. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy