The shotgun market - France (2023)

1.2 A global market largely dominated by America

The global market for civilian-held weapons is largely dominated by North and South America, for cultural reasons and thanks to very permissive legislation on civilian possession.

Number of civilian weapons per *** people World, ****, in % Source: ****

In fact, the USA is the country with the highest number of firearms per capita. On average, there are *.* firearms per inhabitant. The Falkland Islands and Yemen are the other two countries with the most civilian weapons per inhabitant. However, the USA dominates, with almost twice as many weapons per inhabitant as the Falkland Islands (***), which are in second place.

Europe, with its unified weapons legislation, authorizes civilians to possess weapons of all categories (***) under certain conditions. Hunting weapons fall into category C, and require only a hunting license at the time of purchase.

1.3 The French market

The shotgun market is a segment of the arms and ammunition manufacturing industry, registered under NAF code **.**Z. Thanks to the sales index between **** and **** and the latest available sales figures (***), it is possible to give the evolution of the size of this market, in order to have an indicator of the shotguns sub-segment.

Evolution in the size of the arms and ammunition manufacturing market France, **** - **** Source: ****

As can be seen, the size of this market fluctuates widely, although there is a tendency for sales to increase between **** and ****. In fact, sales have risen by **.**% in the space of six years.

We will now try to estimate the size of this market more precisely. According to the Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs, a hunter spent an average of *,*** euros a year on this activity (***). Considering that this budget was valued in December **** euros, we obtain a general cumulative inflation of **.*% as of December ****. Thus, the average hunter's budget can be estimated at €*,*** in December ****.

Furthermore, the FNC established that the average share of a hunter's budget allocated to equipment (***) was **% in ****. Assuming that this share remains the same, this gives an average of €***.** per hunter per year.

Knowing that ...

1.4 Foreign trade in shotguns

The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, or Harmonized System (***), is an international nomenclature developed by the world's customs organization to classify products traded internationally. Three different codes cover the shotgun sector:

******** - Shotguns and rifles for hunting or sporting purposes, smooth-bore (***) ******** - Shotguns and rifles for hunting or sporting purposes, with one or two smooth-bore barrels combined with a rifled barrel, and double-barrelled rifles ******** - Rifles and carbines for hunting or sporting purposes, with at least one rifled barrel (***)

Balance of trade in hunting rifles and shotguns France, **** - ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

France is therefore a major importer of hunting rifles and shotguns, and the French deficit in this sector is even tending to widen. In ****, the coverage rate was *.**/**.**, i.e. around *.**%. In ****, it has fallen to *.**/**.**, or around *.**%. This indicates a decline in the shotgun sector's ability to cover imports with exports.

Shotgun imports France, ****, in Source: ****

Italy is by far France's leading supplier of shotguns, accounting for almost **% of the country's total imports. The USA is also a significant partner in this field, accounting for a quarter of our imports.

Shotgun exports France, ****, in Source: ****

France's biggest shotgun customers are the USA, followed by ...

2.1 Hunter profile

Gender Hunters by gender France, **** and ****, in Source: ****

The overwhelming majority of hunters are male, with women representing just *.*% of licensees in ****. However, this figure has been rising sharply over the past decade. In ****, women accounted for *.*% of licensees.

age

Distribution of hunters by age France, ****, in Source: ****

**% of hunters are over **. The most represented age category is **-** (***), despite their age, demonstrating that hunting is a leisure activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Socioprofessional category

Distribution of hunters by socio-professional category France, ****, in Source: ****

Executives, senior managers or higher intellectual professions and blue-collar or white-collar workers each account for **% of all hunters, the two professional categories most represented among hunters.

Intermediate professions also account for a significant share, with **% of the total. Farmers make up **% of all hunters, while craftsmen and tradesmen account for just *%.

Homemakers and students are the least represented among hunters, with just *% and *% of the total respectively.

It's clear, then, that hunting is an activity that attracts individuals from a wide range of professional backgrounds, but it is particularly popular among managers, executives, higher intellectual professions, blue-collar workers and white-collar employees.

Geography

Distribution of hunters by place of residence France, ****, in Source: ...

2.2 Hunter preferences

Budget breakdown

Average hunter expenditure by item France, ****, in Source: ****

The majority of expenses are devoted tothe purchase of a hunting vehicle, which accounts for **% of totaltotal expenditure. Equipment is the second biggest expense item at **%, followed by hunting access fees and territory maintenance at **%. Expenditure on transport, accommodation and catering accounts for **% of total expenditure. Hunting aids, which include dogs and other hunting aids, represent the smallest item of expenditure at *% of the total.

Type of license

Hunting in France requires the possession of a hunting license (***). There are several types of license:

The national license, which allows you to hunt anywhere in France, but requires you to pay national dues, and is expensive to obtain despite its recent price reduction. The departmental permit, the most widely used, which is much cheaper to obtain and allows the hunter to hunt in his own department (***). The temporary license, valid for * months and issued after passing the hunting license exam.

Types of hunting

Free-range hunting: the hunter is often alone or with two guns, sometimes accompanied by a tracker, but above all with his dog Hunting with hounds: this hunting method is mainly used for battues with trackers. It accounts for most ...

2.3 Reticent public opinion about hunting

A large proportion of French people consider this activity to be problematic, particularly for safety reasons:

"Would you say that hunting can pose safety problems for walkers?" France, ****, in % Source: ****

One of the reasons why the French are not in favor of hunting is the sense of insecurity they feel when walking in the countryside during the hunting season. **% of them say they don't really feel safe in the countryside during the hunting season.

"Would you be in favor of Sunday becoming a non-hunted day?" France, ****, in Source: ****

The majority of French people would be in favor of Sunday becoming a non-hunting day (***). This result seems logical in view of previous results. Indeed, hunting is not one of the activities most practised by the French in the forest, and yet it is the source of a feeling of safety.curity in nature half the year, so it's understandable that people would want to mark out Sundays so that they can go into the forest without fear of danger from hunting.

On the other hand, the support of more than three quarters of French people for the recognition of the status of all wild animals as living, sentient beings could, ...

3.1 Structure of the hunting firearms market

3.2 Leading shotgun manufacturers

Since the closure of Manufrance in Saint-Etienne, the French shotgun market has been dominated by foreign groups.

Among the sector's heavyweights are mainly brands :

Beretta (***) Browning and Winchester

Some brands have expertise in a particular type of shotgun, such as German bolt-action rifles, followed by Finnish and Austrian brands:

Sauer (***) Blazer Mauzer Merkel Mannlicher (***) Sako (***) Tikka

French brands, meanwhile, maintain their expertise in express rifles, particularly well-suited to big-game hunting, a popular form of hunting in France. The French flagships, both located near Saint-Etienne, are :

Verney Caron Chapuis Armes

[***]

Ammunition

Source: ****

3.3 Number of establishments and employees in the sector

In this section, we look at the changing market structure in terms of the number of establishments and employees in the sector encompassing shotgun manufacture, i.e. the manufacture of arms and ammunition, NAF code ****Z.

Growth in the number of establishments manufacturing weapons and ammunition France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

Establishments seem to open and close frequently in this highly concentrated sector. However, the number of establishments between **** and **** shows a general downward trend over the decade. In ****, there were ** establishments in this sector, six fewer than in ****.

Workforce trends in the arms and munitions manufacturing sector France, **** - ****, in units Source: ****

The number of employees in the arms and munitions manufacturing sector increased overall over the period **** to ****. In ****, the headcount was ****, and by **** it had risen to ****. This represents an increase of over **%. Growth has been relatively constant every year, with the exception of a slight drop in ****. The biggest annual increase took place between **** and ****, with a rise of *** employees.

3.4 Shotgun distribution is dominated by specialist stores

Since ****, French regulations have prohibited the sale of firearms unofficially or between private individuals without the presence of a gunsmith, which is why the role of gunsmiths is so important. They are responsible for declaring the sale of the weapon and registering it legally. Gunsmithing is also designed to reduce the risk of impulse buying and the dangers it entails, since all gun buyers must wait * days between purchase and receipt of the weapon.

Gunsmiths are protected by the Chambre Syndicale des Armuriers, which works in collaboration with the Fédération Nationale de la Chasse within the Comité Guillaume Tell.

The map below lists all the gunsmiths who are members of the union, by region. There is a correlation between the regions with the highest number of gunsmiths and the regions with the highest number of hunters:

Distribution of Syndicat des Armuriers member gunsmiths in France, by department

Source: ****

The table below summarizes the above map by region for a more global view.

Source: ****

We saw in section *.* that Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Occitanie were * of the three regions with the most hunters (***). They are also among the regions with the most gun shops, with ** and ** respectively.

The exception is Nouvelle-Aquitaine, ...

4.1 Shotguns by type and use

Hunting guns can be divided into two categories:

Rifles for shooting small game (***), mainly for stalking and stalking in front of the hunter. Rifles for big game (***), for stalking, battue or stalking.

In addition, there are different types of hunting rifles and shotguns, depending on price and the hunter's objective: some allow you to fire a single shot before reloading, while others allow you to fire up to ** shots (***). Some guns have smooth-bore or rifled barrels, for greater or lesser shooting accuracy, and use different types of bullets: pellets or bullets, to be chosen according to the type of game being hunted. It's up to each hunter to choose the right gun for the job, which often means owning several guns. This process is facilitated by the fact that any hunter wishing to acquire a weapon must hold a hunting license, and therefore have experience in the field.

The table below summarizes the main types of hunting weapons:

Source: ****

4.2 The price of shotguns and ammunition in France

Rifle prices vary widely, depending on the type of gun chosen, its quality, options and brand. What's more, as Yves Golléty explains in an article in Le Figaro, it's not uncommon for a hunter to buy an accessory for use with his rifle, which can cost even more than the gun itself (***).

Below is a non-exhaustive table of hunting rifles and shotguns and their price ranges.

Source: ****

5.1 Strict regulations governing the sale of shotguns to the general public and between private individuals

Regulations are very strict in France, in fact France is one of the strictest countries in Europe in terms of weapons regulations.

Hunting weapons are regulated by Decree no. ****-*** of July **, **** implementing Law no. ****-*** of March *, **** on the establishment of modern, simplified and preventive arms control . They belong to Category C, meaning they must comply with a number of specific rules, listed below:

Source: ****

Furthermore, it is not possible to acquire a firearm through a private individual. Any sale of a firearm must go through a gunsmith or broker. If a private individual wishes to sell a weapon they own, they must do so through a legally-approved intermediary, who must complete an official declaration at the time of the transaction.

What's more, no-one with a declaration on bulletin no. * of their criminal record can own weapons (***). A prefectoral ban may also prohibit an individual from possessing a firearm.

Latest regulatory developments

The latest changes in hunting regulations are listed below:[***]

Law of July **, **** creating the French Biodiversity Office: reinforcement of environmental policing and hunting safety rules (***).

Law of March *, **** containing various hunting-related provisions: role of hunters in biodiversity management and reinforcement of compensation for game damage.

5.2 Hunting license regulations

Obtaining a hunting license is a two-part process:

First, you must pass the Examen National du Permis de Chasser Then apply for your hunting license, valid from the age of **.

On January *ᵉʳ, management of the hunting license allocation has been entrusted to the Office Français de la Biodiversité (***), to work in collaboration with the Fédérations Départementales de Chasseurs.

To take the exam, you must be at least ** years old (***), have attended a preparatory training course with the Fédération des Chasseurs and not be on the list of people banned from possessing weapons in France.

To pass the exam, you need to score at least ** points out of **, with no eliminatory errors.

The practical tests are as follows

evolving on a simulated hunting course with blank firing Transporting a weapon in a vehicle shooting test with tilt-action or semi-automatic shotguns on clay trays rifled gun test on running wild boar for a shooter stationed in a battue.

The theoretical tests of the exam are :

Knowledge of wildlife and its habitats Knowledge of hunting Laws and regulations concerning the hunting police and nature conservation Use of weapons and ammunition.

At the end of the examination, the candidate ...

6.1 Segmentation

• Chapuis Armes
• Kalashnikov Concern (Baïkal)
• Benelli Armi
• Beretta
• Winchester
• Verney Carron (Cybergun groupe)
• Armurerie du Moulin
• Armurerie Auxerre
• Chasseur Français
• Le-Chasseur
• Armurerie Loisir (SD Equipements)
• Rivolier
• Cybergun
• Inédis