“It’s overbidding!”, railed on franceinfo Willy Schraen, the president of the National Federation of Hunters, about the ban on hunting on weekends and during school holidays, demanded in particular by the presidential candidate EELV Yannick Jadot. Several accidents revive the debate: Saturday, October 30, a 67-year-old motorist was seriously injured by gunfire in Ille-et-Vilaine. A hunter, aged around 70, is in police custody.
What is the reality of accidents?
Since 2000, there have been 3,325 hunting accidents in France, which have resulted in the death of 421 people. This represents 158 accidents on average each year, of which 20 are fatal. These are raw figures provided by the French Biodiversity Office and the National Hunting Federation. The Office points out that, since 2000, the number of accidents has fallen by 40% and the number of deaths by nearly 70%.
Who are the victims ?
Nine times out of ten, the victim is a hunter: the shooter himself, or another hunter. Three times out of ten, it is about an “auto accident”: a bad handling of the rifle or a fall with the loaded weapon. The majority of accidents occur when hunting large furry game, such as wild boar.
These figures are criticized by anti-hunting activists because they do not take into account shots that kill or injure pets, or bullets that end their race in a home or a car.
What are the rules governing hunting?
To have the right to hunt, you must have a hunting license, issued after passing an exam which, like the driving license, includes a theoretical test and a practical test. A question of security is eliminatory. In addition, there are strict safety rules: the weapon must be transported unloaded in a vehicle and it must only be loaded when the hunter is going to shoot. Shooting at breast height is prohibited, as is shooting through a hedge or bush, or in the direction of roads, paths, railways, towards homes or power lines. .
Is it forbidden to hunt while having drunk?
No. There is no specific offense of “drunk hunting” in the Penal Code, as is the case with drunk driving. However, a blood alcohol test may be carried out in the event of an accident. If the result is positive, alcohol will be considered as an aggravating circumstance of the accident.