Amoret

A potentially divisive subject but I am a clay pigeon shooter also shoot game and would like to bring my guns to France. I will leave the game side of it for a year or so until I am well settled before I contact the local Chasse and go down that route However I understand that by joining a local clay club I can relatively easily get the required permit that will allow me to own the guns I can sort out the importation from the UK from there. So can anyone point me in the direction of a Ball Trap club near to Grenoble and what are the laws relating to storage that seems a bit vague but I may be looking in the wrong places.

cjm

Hi Amoret, not a shooter and so no personal detail to assist, but, if you search on-line you will find a number of sites with commentary that may assist. I did this and found lots of info via other forums. Messages seem to be mixed, but getting a gun to France seems to be the hard part. Buying a shotgun at a vide grenier (car boot) seems to be acceptable. Joining a club seems to be the vital route, but there was commentary about an exam for hunting; in French.
Lots of hunting in our part, often for sanglier and woods are marked as 'chasse gardé' ; where a road passes through a wider woodland being hunted, lots of road signs and commonly lookouts in hi-viz jackets. Deer also common but I see few signs of pheasant shooting.

Tweedpipe

You are correct, you need to be a member of a club in order to obtain a 'Licence de Tir'.
You should find some Ball-trap club info relating to your area of interest HERE.
A shotgun is a Cat.5 arm, and weapons of 5th (and 7th) categories must be stored in a state that renders them not immediately functional, either by partial disassembly, or blocked by a cable lock or trigger guard. A storage cabinet is not mandatory for hunting (or clay shooting) cat. weapons, but it is imperative to store ammunition separately.
Cat.5 & 7 weapons are classed as soumises à déclaration and as such are declared at the prefecture - not to be confused with soumises à autorisation as is the case with Cat. 1 & 4 weapons.
You are advised to get the above admin sorted prior to getting the necessary authorisation/custom clearance etc to import your shotgun into France.

For hunting you will have to take a test, so a reasonable knowledge of French is essential.
Good luck in your quest.

Tweedpipe

You mention that you plan to leave the hunting for a year or so which should give you adequate time to research the subject.
This is important because each candidate must attend a number of mandatory theoretical and practical training sessions before applying for the exam to obtain the Permis de Chasser.
I recall that the theoretical exam focuses on 'knowledge of wildlife, their habitats and breeding habits; knowledge of hunting; knowledge of weapons & ammunition, their precise purpose, and safety rules; and a knowledge of the laws & regulations relating to the foregoing.
To obtain the certificate of completion of the theory test, the candidate must have obtained a minimum of 16 correct answers out of 21, a certain number of which are eliminatory.
Application for the Permis de Chasser exam is by Cerfa No. 13945*02
From memory the exam entry fee used to be €46.
CJM mentions hi-viz jackets. Very important! (Note: During the 2012-13 season there were a reported 57 fatal accidents, most of which involved the hunters themselves and not the general public).

Amoret

Many thanks tweedpipe I will go to one of the clubs between Grenoble and Lyon pity there does not seem to be one in Grenoble, shoot for a few months get known then apply for the permit prior to importing my guns.

Cheers useful advice