Petition calls for cancellation of plan to sell hunting ammunition in tobacco shops

An online petition that has already gathered nearly 29,000 people expresses its concern about the proposed sale of hunting cartridges in tobacco shops. It calls for the cancellation of this measure, which is scheduled to come into force on 1^er January 2024.

Until now reserved for gun shops, the sale of hunting ammunition could be authorized in tobacco shops from 1^er January 2024. The stated objective of this measure is to allow tobacconists to diversify their product offering, while avoiding hunters having to travel great distances to find a gunsmith.

The announcement of this measure provoked a wave of indignation from opponents of hunting and animal rights activists.[1], as well as public health actors[2]. A resident of Sète (Hérault), Valentine Viaud, has for her part initiated a online petition to request the cancellation of this measure. This petition had gathered 28,890 signatures as of December 12, 2023. It emphasized the danger of this decision, in terms of public safety.

Minimal training compared to that of gunsmiths

The measure was discreetly announced on November 22, 2022 on the online channel Chassons TV, by the head of the central weapons and explosives department at the Ministry of the Interior. It is still being developed and would only concern category C (hunting) and D (compressed air, paintball) ammunition. To be authorized to make these sales, tobacconists will have to follow a two-day training course and pass an exam. This new certification would replace the state diploma of gunsmith and the professional qualification certificate of gunsmith, required in gun shops. Tobacconists will also have to request a sales authorization from the prefect, after consulting the mayor of the municipality. Only hunters registered in the new Weapons Information System (SIA) will be able to benefit from it.

Safety of ammunition sales in question

Although presented as one of the beneficiaries of the measure and rejoicing in it, the National Federation of Hunters (FNC) declared that it was not the originator of it, nor had it been informed of it.[3]. She also questions the lack of consultation and prior agreement with the Chamber of Gunsmiths. The number of gun shops in France has stabilized at around 800.[4], hunters do not seem to suffer from a lack of ammunition and can easily buy it online.

Although it appears to have been designed in consultation with the Confédération des buralistes with a view to diversifying tobacconists' activities, the measure raises several questions. The security of tobacconists' shops, which is already the subject of several financial support measures from Customs, is particularly at the centre of the debate, as tobacconists are among the most burglarised shops. Those who sell hunting ammunition will therefore have to equip themselves with secure cabinets. These necessary investments and the regulatory constraints make hunters doubt the effective implementation of this measure at the beginning of 2024. It would therefore be more of an electoral argument intended to attract the sympathy of hunters, in view of the next European elections.

The propensity of tobacconists to respect the rules can also be questioned, when we take into account that two thirds of them agree to sell tobacco products to minors. The question of controls and compliance with regulations will therefore arise as much for the sale of ammunition as for the sale of tobacco to minors.

Keywords: tobacco shops, Confederation of tobacconists, ammunition, hunters, FNC

M.F.

[1] Hunting ammunition at tobacconists: animal rights activists take the hit, Reporterre, published on November 27, 2023, consulted on December 12, 2023.

[2] Sale of ammunition by tobacconists: a risky decision, CNCT, published on November 15, 2023, consulted on December 12, 2023.

[3] The case of ammunition on sale in tobacconists shakes the press, The French Hunter, published November 28, 2023, consulted December 12, 2023.

[4] Become a gunsmith with Fepam, Knowledge of Hunting, n°554, June 2022.