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Gang

Cross posted from another Mil-Veh list (G503)

Looks like the French Government is going nuts......

<<snip>>

This is indeed true and quite worrisome. I spent the week-end at the Paric
Antic Car Show and talked with the President of FFVE, the French Federation of
Historic Vehicles. This Federation consolidates the 950 historical vehicles
(military and civilian) clubs, which represents 15000 collectors. The MVCG
(Military Vehicle Collector Group) mentioned in your email is part of the FFVE.
The FFVE President is in direct contact with French authorities to address this
issue.

Here is the story

A recently enacted law (Nov 2005), called "loi sur la securite interieure" (i.e.
interior security law) has organized weapons into 8 groups; from group 8
(collector and historical neutralized arms) to group 1 (missiles and modern
military weapons). For reasons still unknown to us, all military vehicles
(land, air, sea) are in group 2. This includes, as mentioned in your email, any
land vehicle designed for military use (i.e. GMC, Dodge, Jeep, but also Hummers,
...).

French law requires any one who wants to own a group 2 weapon (i.e. 38 or 45
hand guns, rifles,...) to file a demand with the Law Enforcement Authorities.
Authorizations are very seldom granted and now most fire arms users join
shooting range clubs where they find guns for rent. It is likely that obtaining
an Authorization to own a half-track, but also a jeep, will be quite difficult.
If authorization is not granted by the end of October 2006, the vehicle must be
sold to someone who has the authorization, or turned down to French authorities
for destruction.

When the law was initially drafted, it stated that MV could not be used in
public roads, except during special cerimonies, with police escort.
Fortunately, the FFVE got this issue resolved. But the following requirements
remained:
- all vehicles must be kept locked in a secure garage (i.e. no parking in the
street unattended)
- extra measures must be taken to prevent anyone starting the vehicle (simple
ignition key is not enough)

This law is currently legally challenged by the FFVE, but that's what they have
been doing for the last two years with little success. If no resolution is
found within the next few months, all our vehicles could end up in museums (sale
value close to nothing) or destroyed. The law limits export and import
transaction, so selling to a foreign buyer is hardly an option.

Hi Rob! Hi Folks!

Sorry to hear that.

The way many goverments are going, by the time they are done, no body will be able to own a real item of military history.


Good luck is stoping the ban.
Sgt, Scouts Out!

<But the following requirements remained:
- all vehicles must be kept locked in a secure garage (i.e. no parking in the
street unattended)
- extra measures must be taken to prevent anyone starting the vehicle (simple ignition key is not enough)>

After watching video of the street riots the French had last summer, maybe this is not a bad idea ... (wink)

I suppose some bureaucrat had to categorize everything he was told to think of. The European warbird community have similarly silly and utterly artificial categories for their Magisters, Mustangs, Mitchells and Harvards.

In Canada the firearms laws were written based on some shallow-thinker's circled choices based on the directory in the back of the 1990 Gun Digest - OK, looks OK, looks scary, wicked scary, has to be illegal, no need for the public to have one of those, etc. No particular rigour or applied logic.