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Changes To French Gun Laws


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I was going on this list........

 

http://france-nuisibles.fr/

 

Magpies and crows are definitely on my personal list for next spring given the way they have hammered the song bird nests. I put a couple of shots into the earhole of an adult ragodin with no harm caused. The .177 was shooting at about 14 ft/lb.

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If anyone travels to or holidays in France regularly, this may be of interest.   The laws in France just changed, with effect from 6 September 2013. Prior to that, you could only buy an air rifle of

Illegal, mate. I use a .22 rimfire, and have done ever since I learned that pest control with air rifles is illegal in France.   Good excuse for getting a Rimmie, as I explained to Her Indoors!

15 ft/lb would be just sweet for hunting. Especially in .177. It's just about perfect.

I was going on this list........

 

http://france-nuisibles.fr/

 

Magpies and crows are definitely on my personal list for next spring given the way they have hammered the song bird nests. I put a couple of shots into the earhole of an adult ragodin with no harm caused. The .177 was shooting at about 14 ft/lb.

 

 

 

That's just a list of insects and other pests handled by pest controllers. ;)

 

As I'm sure you know, the brain of a coypu is located, as with many mammals, above the centre of a line drawn between the eye and the base of the ear. Unless the beastie was quartering away from you, you missed the sweet spot. Side-on, shoot just behind the eye. If it's facing you, aim for the eye, and the pellet should follow the optical canal into the brain. With a 22LR, anywhere around the top of the cranium means lights out.

Edited by Coypu Hunter
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Apparently so. Shooting on other people's land without permission is illegal though, just be aware...

 

If you declare the rifle at time of booking, and make sure they know it's safe (using a trigger lock, or maybe a lockable case) then there shouldn't be a problem. If it's 12 fpe, the rifle is legal in both jurisdictions without a gun licence.

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Further to the above, it seems my environmental officer was not just asking me to avoid using poison on the rats. Article R427-10 of the code de l'environnement states "L'emploi des produits toxiques pour la destruction des espèces d'animaux classés nuisibles est interdit.". Seems pretty clear, but I am not sure if this is also banning warfarin type anticoagulents (I'm assuming yes) or the non-poisonous "sets like concrete in their stomach and starves them to death" products (again, I'm assuming yes, as these can also affect other animals). I'm trawling back through the relevant codes, but it would seem this restriction applies to using poisons in environments where other wild animals have access, so if this is the case then poisoning inside a house or other enclosure would still be OK. Our neighbour uses non-lethal traps outside, but uses lethal poison as bait, and leaves the rats inside until they are dead. He claims that this is OK because the poison and the poisoned animal can't be eaten by another wild creature. He burns the bodies. This may be legal but it isn't acceptable to me.

 

In respect of trap types, we've been using the non-lethal traps, and then I've been drowning the trapped rats, but I hate this as they take at least 2 mins to die. I should have set up a CO2 euthanasia tank, but I have decided to shoot them instead as they go from happily eating to dead in a microsecond. I've never had any luck with snap traps, other than one mouse a long time ago. The rats and mice seem to be able to trip them during preliminary investigations without getting hurt, then remove the bait at their leisure. We had an electric shock trap, but again, it would be flashing to say it had an occupant, but it was always empty of both bait and rodent!

 

The legality of shooting with an air rifle still eludes me, but I will keep looking. From what I've been told so far, they were banned when they were restricted to 10J by default, since all 7th category II weapons, as they were, were banned for hunting. However, the decret 2013-700 that changed the legal power to 20J before requiring a license also superseded a large number of older decrees, and does not mention any hunting restriction for any class of weapon. Thus their use may have become legal by default, rather than a specific law stating their legality. I'm slowly going through the superseded decrees one by one to try and find the original.

 

However, in addition to this logic, my environmental officer made it clear that destroying nuisible is not classed as hunting in the law, and hence anything goes, not just air rifles, but night sights, silencers, and scopes. I would really like to find something in writing to confirm this, so I will keep looking. It would be interesting if others also contact their local ONCFS to see what their regulations are in this respect. The definition of a nuisible is different in different places (though I think brown rats are common to all), so it may be that the accepted destruction methods are also different.

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However, in addition to this logic, my environmental officer made it clear that destroying nuisible is not classed as hunting in the law, and hence anything goes, not just air rifles, but night sights, silencers, and scopes. I would really like to find something in writing to confirm this, so I will keep looking. It would be interesting if others also contact their local ONCFS to see what their regulations are in this respect. The definition of a nuisible is different in different places (though I think brown rats are common to all), so it may be that the accepted destruction methods are also different.

 

I'll get on to mine. Could the environment officer put something in writing, maybe by email?

 

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All the information I have managed to find list regulations concerning shooting or trapping nuisibles other than the ones listed in the link I put up earlier for rats, mice,moles, etc. Each department has its own lists of what is and what isn't allowed. For example in my department of 16 fouines (stone martens) cannot be killed, yet three kilometres up the road in 87 they can be killed. Also there seems to be regulations nationally concerning controlling of corvids, starlings, weasels and other species regards seasons, methods and specific locations.

 

Regards the coypu, given the ranges at which I was shooting, the impact points and the animal's reactions I am convinced that you need far more than 14 ft/lb to humanely kill one and so for that reason alone I wouldn't use my air rifle against them in future.

 

The modern rat & mouse traps are a vast improvement on the traditional 'Little Nipper' design and as long as the rat traps are placed where mice and voles aren't likely to get at them I've found them very reliable. I put two double trap boxes out in a customer's garden and got a full house of four rats on each successive visit until he ran out of rats.

Edited by Nicepix
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Just to put a fly in the ointment I found this on the ONCFS website:

 

What is a pest and what determines that a species is harmful?

 

 

The hunting permit is not required for the use of certain means of destruction such as trapping or digging out. The act of killing a pest trapped, with use of a firearm, is not an act of hunting. It therefore requires no license to hunt. This permit is however required for the destruction shooting vermin.

 

The hunting license is it necessary for the destruction of pests?

 

 

Hunting is regulated nature of leisure, which is exercised by the holders of a hunting license validated, from a list of species set by ministerial decree, using methods determined by law and for a period fixed by the administrative authority.
The destruction of noxious qualified species constitutes a defense against the damage caused by certain animal species whose list is determined by ministerial order, exercised by the owner, the owner, the farmer or their delegate, according to the means and the time determined by the administrative authority.

 

Not totally clear, but I interpret that as being that you cannot shoot vermin.

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Just to put a fly in the ointment I found this on the ONCFS website:

 

What is a pest and what determines that a species is harmful?

 

 

The hunting permit is not required for the use of certain means of destruction such as trapping or digging out. The act of killing a pest trapped, with use of a firearm, is not an act of hunting. It therefore requires no license to hunt. This permit is however required for the destruction shooting vermin.

 

The hunting license is it necessary for the destruction of pests?

 

 

Hunting is regulated nature of leisure, which is exercised by the holders of a hunting license validated, from a list of species set by ministerial decree, using methods determined by law and for a period fixed by the administrative authority.

The destruction of noxious qualified species constitutes a defense against the damage caused by certain animal species whose list is determined by ministerial order, exercised by the owner, the owner, the farmer or their delegate, according to the means and the time determined by the administrative authority.

 

Not totally clear, but I interpret that as being that you cannot shoot vermin.

 

Difficult to tell from the Google (or whatever) translation. Can you post the original French, or a link to it?

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No problem. It is here and unfortunately in French it appears even more certain that you cannot legally use a gun for pest control unless you hold a PdC.

 

 

Le permis de chasser n’est pas nécessaire pour l’emploi de certains moyens de destruction tel que le piégeage ou le déterrage. L’acte de mise à mort d’un animal nuisible piégé, avec emploi d’une arme à feu, n’est pas un acte de chasse. Il ne nécessite donc pas non plus de permis de chasser. Ce permis sera cependant obligatoire pour la destruction à tir des animaux nuisibles.

 

http://www.oncfs.gouv.fr/Destruction-animaux-nuisibles-faq284

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Just to put things into perspective, one of my neighbours shoots coypu with a crossbow. :icon_eek:

 

The text says that you can use a firearm to destroy pests in a trap, although it doesn't specify what a firearm is. Also says that you need a PdC to "destroy pests by shooting" (presumably those not in a trap).

 

My neighbour's interpretation of the law is "Don't get caught". :D

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Just to put things into perspective, one of my neighbours shoots coypu with a crossbow. :icon_eek:

 

The text says that you can use a firearm to destroy pests in a trap, although it doesn't specify what a firearm is. Also says that you need a PdC to "destroy pests by shooting" (presumably those not in a trap).

 

My neighbour's interpretation of the law is "Don't get caught". :D

 

But if you do get caught then it is a pretty hefty penalty. So it would be nice if we could establish the correct position. And for those who look to websites like this for their information, we shouldn't be leading them astray.

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This is why I am trying to find the original legal documents, as there are many websites, the ONCFS included, that appear to include interpretations of unspecified laws which may or may not still be applicable. In the end the only defence is to have the original law, which will (hopefully) be unambiguous!

 

I will ask for something in writing from my environmental officer. I'm not optimistic, but I'll ask.

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I Spend time in the Correze and frequently carry firearms, when i arrive at Dover i drive strait to the customs office and declare that i am carrying firearms, they check the

the guns against my EFP, once the check is over they stick a label on the windscreen and also inform the ferry company that i am on my way, at the terminal i hand over my passport reservation details and a declaration of firearms carried with amounts of ammunition, this form is one that i copied from a previous trip. the ferry company sticks a code 100 label on my screen and after i have parked up on the ferry the deck hand takes my keys and gives them back when you disembark.

I have a Permis de chasse and shoot with my local group, we can shoot small animals alone, but big animals are shot as a group eg Deer, Boar, mouflon, you cannot shoot these animals as an individual hunter even on your own land. The law has changed regarding military calibres and a 308. 30-06 can now be used for hunting. interestingly as i am a visitor not resident in france i am able to obtain my permis de chasse by taking my english firearms licence and my european firearms pass plus a translation of my BASC insurance to the federation and they issued me with a licence i think it is about 150 euro's i then have to pay a further 46 euro's to my local group. dont worry about the language mine is awful but i seem to get by ok everybody shakes my hand and makes me welcome. Cheers Geoff

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