France has sternly rejected US President Donald Trump’s argument that if Parisians had more guns they could have stopped the deadly 2015 extremist attacks on the French capital.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed his “firm disapproval” of President Trump’s remarks and vigorously defended France’s gun controls.
La France exprime sa ferme désapprobation des propos du président @realDonaldTrump au sujet des attentats du 13 novembre 2015 à Paris et demande le respect de la mémoire des victimes. https://t.co/kTbH0N9FRk
— France Diplomatie?? (@francediplo) May 5, 2018
In a statement, Mr Le Drian said gun violence statistics “do not lead us to reconsider France’s choice on this issue”.
Gun violence death rates are much higher in the United States.
All of us here today are united by the same timeless values. We believe that our liberty is a gift from our creator, and that no Government can ever take it away. We believe in the rule of law – and we support the men and women of law enforcement. We have pride in our history… pic.twitter.com/eONj1Y8oju
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2018
Mr Le Drian continued: “Free circulation of weapons in society does not constitute a rampart against terrorist attacks, to the contrary, it can facilitate … this type of attack.”
Islamic State attackers killed 130 people in Paris’ Bataclan concert hall, cafes and the national stadium.
President Trump spoke at a National Rifle Association meeting.
