Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Europe Gun friendly France!

My wife and I recently travelled to the RSA. Our original ticket was KLM through Amsterdam to J-burg. The Dutch gov't drug their feet on issuing a gun transit permit, so rather than risk having our guns frozen in Amsterdam, our Gracy agent cancelled KLM, and re-booked through Paris via Air France, to include a day and a half layover in Paris. What a breath of fresh air!

All it took was a phone call...no permits required. The security at CDG airport stored our guns overnight for free. No hassles whatsoever. Had a great day in Paris, and would love to go back and spend time in France. Air France flights were awesome. Great crews, and great food! While our stay was brief, we never encountered a single rude Parisian that we've heard so much about...folks couldn't have been nicer. How people drive there is a friggin marvel to me. I've never seen such traffic!

If there are any folks from France here on the fire...a big "merci beaucoup" from us!

Jeff

Just had some freinds return from a trip to France...they said the same thing about the French people....perhaps I have misjudged...

My friend Marseille has tried to bring us up to speed about France several times. Some of their laws are a trifle odd from our POV, but not worls crashing. Seems a lot of our French Brethren love to hunt as much as we do.

My wife & I just returned from three days in Paris after a week safari in SA.
Agree 100% mon the people there, Friendly and helpful.
Paris is a clean city, and yes traffic is insane!

I aslo traveled witha rifle and no hassle what ever.

I always thought the below was odd, but this helps explain it. Perhaps quite a market.

Cabelas France

Nick

I couldn't agree more. I throughly enjoyed Paris last summer. The French people were very helpful and friendly and the traffic is beyond words. We actually were able to experience what it is like to be rearended in a taxicab on foreign soil.


ddj

gun friendly ???!!!! not my impression really ???!!!

try to bring a 7x57, 30-06 or a 6,5x55 ... maybe less crazy than Netherlands but not the most gun friendly country.
maybe not that bad for a transit ...

trust me im a french (most of my origins )

and yes not speaking of guns, french people are really friendly but Paris is not the France and there is more to discover ....

I did mention some oddities. A ban on current or former military calibers is in effect.

no pumpshotgun too. but there is more ....

up to 1995 it was very easyto purchase hunting rifles and shotguns. personal ID ... after they created a gun registry and more complications. but Marseille will tell you more has they re trying to increase gun control this year.

I'd rather go through France than California

When I arrived in Paris and claimed my bags, including rifle case, I had to search for the customs office to check the rifle.
When I finally found the DOUANE (tax) office and explained to the officers that we just arrived from JoBurg, and there was a rifle I needed to check, one said --"do you have a registration?"
When I produced my 4457, he said "ok, you can go"
Never had me open the case, check serial, nothing.
Pretty non chalant about the whole thing.

+1

I lived in Germany for 3 years. I was always treated nicely when visiting France. Paris was crazy but everyone was friendly. I would drive around the country when the farmers were plowing, they let me walk around and pick up all the empty artillery rounds that I wanted. Some fields had them stacked up around the edges!

I just can't believe it ... 13 posts about the Frenchies, and especially the ones from Paris, without the words white, flag, surrender, frog or snail



You're getting older, guys

Great comments, seriously. I know excellent guys in France, including passionate hunters. I had the luck to visit, fish and hunt several parts of France, ans was always happy with it. Rural France is a great hunting country and a great place for gourmets. But I wouldn't trust their airport security clerks, I've had too much bad reports about lost weapon luggages and troubles with riflescope in hand luggage.

The only white flags of surrender I am interested in are ones waved by da Madamoiselles

And they're made from their underpants

Thank you for your kind words for my poor old country!
As Yukonphil says Paris is not France, and Parisians are not the whole French. Like Big apple and the rest of States....
Our really big problem in this country, like in most of them, are our f....g politicians and not only the leftist. The Belgian have understood the whole chiiit and they have no more real operative government for more than a year now, and that's not too bad!!
About firearms, at the moment, except that crazyness about former miltary calibers we are not so bad. And even with them we can own for shooting purposes (not hunting) with registration. And i can hunt from the first of April till the end of february playing on the date in different parts of the country. About airport control with firearms lots of control is made during flight by computers about who is who and from where he come and where he goes so at the arrival if you dont have the "taliban" look formalities are not so long.
So yes we can and do own firearms. Not too speak of the old war souvenirs like M1 rifles and carbines, 03 Springfield, US17, and also some more politically incorrect ones like SMG...But no that's not real, please Big Brother don't read me, don't believe my sayings, it's a joke...
Have a good day dear friends have ammo to load...

Come on guys, time to understand, France is nice but Belgium is just heaven, we can hunt from 1 jan to 31 dec, using war calibers, we have gun control laws but most of WWII and previous war firearms we can own WITHOUT registration, we have the BEST BEERS at the BEST PRICES, the BEST gunsmisths AND we have NO GOVERNEMENT !!!!

I'd be on the alert for the tiny thongs

Guys, my ONLIEST probs with any country going is the governments and the politicos and suck alongs that go with them. Academics don't rate real high with me nor do a lot of their students. Marselle, if ya could only nuke the left bank, half of France's problems would be solved

So hard to be hated