The operation met with certain success.
Thousands of weapons and ammunition have been abandoned to the State or registered by its services.
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, released figures on Sunday evening relating to the campaign to register undeclared weapons set up by the State.
After three days, he reported 21,000 weapons and 600,000 ammunition abandoned as well as registration of 5,500 weapons.
Results of the first 3 days:
21,000 weapons and nearly 600,000 munitions abandoned.
⁰5,500 weapons have been registered in the weapons information system at the same time.
The system is in place until December 2.
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— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) November 27, 2022
The more than 2 million individuals who are estimated to be in possession of undeclared weapons, mainly hunting weapons or from the world wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945), are encouraged to regularize their situation.
The system has been in place since November 24 and lasts until Friday, December 2.
More than 300 sites in mainland France and overseas are open.
In addition to firearms, swords, daggers and all weapons held illegally, often from inheritances, are concerned.
They will be destroyed later.
Unprecedented operation in mainland France
While 30,000 weapons are already abandoned "spontaneously" each year to the State, "we want to accelerate" the process during this operation already carried out in the Antilles but "unprecedented" in mainland France, explained Jean-Simon Merandat, head of the Central Service for Arms and Explosives (SCAE).
“We are targeting honest people,” he added, guaranteeing the absence of legal and administrative proceedings.
This is to avoid domestic accidents, neighborhood conflicts and to participate in the fight against intra-family violence.
Every year 8,000 weapons are also stolen and the aim of the operation is also to prevent them from entering criminal networks.
The ministry estimates that 5 to 6 million weapons are held irregularly.
People wishing to keep their weapons will have to comply with the Weapons Information System (SIA).
In France, 5 million individuals legally own firearms, mainly hunters, sport shooters, biathletes and collectors.
Municipal police are authorized to possess a weapon.
So are the 40,000 agents of the RATP, the SNCF and the security guards, the members of shooting clubs (around 70,000) to which are added professionals such as the 2,500 gunsmiths in the country.