"Don't Trust Police": Store Owners Arm Themselves as Orders Surge Tenfold

French store owners, who suffered major riots and looting, have begun arming themselves ahead of protests scheduled for the weekend.

According to the British daily The Times, gun shops in downtown Paris saw a surge in customers looking for tear gas sprayers on the 22nd local time.

The operator of a gun shop in an area that suffered looting last weekend said that demand has increased 8 to 10 times compared to before.

The products mainly sought by customers are tear gas sprayers priced around 50 euros (approx. 75,000 KRW) and pistol-type tear gas launchers priced at 500 euros (approx. 750,000 KRW).

Sprayers that disrupt an opponent's breathing and vision by spraying tear gas can be purchased in France without a separate permit.

The Times reported that store owners are purchasing such equipment due to a spreading distrust of the police.

Instead of trusting police protection, they intend to protect their shops themselves.

In fact, there were quite a few cases last weekend in Paris where store owners directly confronted looters.

A citizen who runs a sneaker shop in Paris shared his experience, saying that he stood up to looters with an iron bar but ultimately had no choice but to back down.

He stated that this weekend, he will respond together with surrounding store owners.

The French government also admitted that the police effectively lost control during the process in which thousands of stores were looted across the country last weekend.

It is reported that demand for tear gas sprayers has increased not only among store owners but also among ordinary residents.

As there were even cases where protesters broke into ordinary houses as well as stores last weekend, general residents are also seeking self-defense equipment.

The French government plans to increase the scale of police deployment this weekend by 20% compared to last weekend.

In addition, large-scale rallies around major tourist sites and government agencies have been banned in Paris, and protests have been restricted in Marseille, Lyon, and Nice as well.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.