78641 wrote:I lived in Paris for some time in the late 80s early 90s. At the time you could buy (don't know about carry) a pistolet a grenaille, semi autos were available, they shot small birdshot. Lethal, sometimes, at close range. I'm pretty sure there were no restrictions on the purchase.
Actual tear gas (lacrymogene) was not legally available, but there was a pretty effective substitute. I had no interest at the time, so I don't know if it was pepper spray or something else. I did catch a faceful (standing near the wrong people) once or twice, and it was terrible stuff.
Have things changed that much?
Yep. I remember those BB guns that you can buy. I used to have one when I cycled a lot in Paris, keeping it in my handlebar bag. Parisian drivers are not only aggressive, but stupid. Don't let anyone tell you that the Italians are worse. True, they're bad, but they at least have some skill in controlling their vehicles which means that when things get hairy, they can more often than not, drive their way out of it. The French can't. They're incompetent idiots who drive too fast, too close to other vehicles and when things go pear-shaped, they smash into people and objects, believing that a charming shrug and a '
but ve are ze Lateen Loverz!' gets them out of it.
So anyway, I was getting into altercations on a daily basis with the drivers, and on several occasions they made attempts with their vehicles, to run me off the road. That was when I got the BB gun: a perfect replica of a Sig P226. Lemme check ... yeah, it looked just like this ...
.
Beautiful piece.
Then it occurred to me that I was probably more in danger with it, than without it. If I pointed it at someone, the police would get a 'man with a gun' call, and if I were unlucky enough to point it at someone who had a
real gun .. well, 'nuff said. So I binned it.
Now, you're not allowed to carry weapons, full stop. As the cops over here don't need 'probable cause' to stop you (well, they
do .. but they don't, if you see what I mean), you can be walking along the street at any time and they'll stop you. They're not supposed to be able to search you but hey, welcome to the Banana Republic of France! They'll search you. You're found with a firearm, you can forget about going home for the next five years. Unlike in the US where often, you'll 'beat the rap but not the ride', here in France if you're arrested, it's more or less the same thing as being convicted.
There's a shop not far from where I live that does deactivated weapons, and they let me have a look at a very nice Colt Python 4". About as useful for self defence as a brick, of course, but ... nice, all the same.