Military-Grade Weapons Used as France Plunges into Mass Protests (+Video)

Unverified videos allegedly captured in the Paris suburbs showcase two protesters firing Kalashnikov-pattern rifles into the air. Similarly, footage from the southern city of Lyon captures a rioter discharging multiple shots into the air from a weapon resembling a fully-automatic assault rifle.

Another video, purportedly recorded in the northern French city of Lille, features a protester flaunting a weapon reminiscent of a light machine gun. The firearm exhibits an attached bipod and a large-capacity drum magazine.

In Lyon's northeastern suburb of Vaulx-en-Velin, at least four officers sustained injuries in drive-by shotgun attacks, as reported by local media citing police sources. The assailants, who were riding scooters, targeted a total of eight officers. A criminal investigation is underway, though no suspects have been apprehended thus far.

France has been engulfed in ongoing mass protests following the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nahel M. during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

To curb the unrest, approximately 45,000 police officers have been deployed nationwide.

France is renowned for its stringent gun control laws, which completely prohibit the ownership of military-grade weapons. For French nationals to possess a firearm with a detachable magazine exceeding three rounds, they must undergo annual mental, physical, and health evaluations. Ownership of hunting weapons necessitates registration and examination.

Nevertheless, France has long grappled with the influx of illegal firearms. The Balkan countries have been a significant source of illicit weapons in the French market since the regional conflicts of the 1990s and the dissolution of Yugoslavia. In addition to combatting arms trafficking from abroad, French authorities have consistently launched campaigns to seize unlicensed firearms hidden within the country, encouraging owners to surrender their arsenals.