“…France seems to be awash with guns. The guns used in high-profile terror attacks are really just the tip of the iceberg. In 2012, French authorities estimated that there were around 30,000 guns illegally in the country, many likely used by gangs for criminal activities. Of those guns, around 4,000 were likely to be “war weapons,” Le Figaro reported, referring to items such as the Kalashnikov AK-variant rifles and Uzis. Statistics from the National Observatory for Delinquency, a government body created in 2003, suggest that the number of guns in France has grown by double digits every year.”
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“…It’s believed that most of these weapons come from the Balkan states, leftovers from the wars that took place after the collapse of Yugoslavia — some estimate there might be as many as 6 million weapons remaining in that region. Once they make it into the Schengen area, there’s little to stop them from making it all the way to Paris, where AK-47s can sell for 1,000 euros ($1,072), according to Bloomberg.”