The outbreak of violence in New Caledonia and the fear that it could degenerate into civil war have raised questions about the number of weapons in circulation in the French territory in the Pacific Ocean, where six people have died since the start of the riots, including two gendarmes. Taking stock of the night of violence on Monday, May 13, in the commune of Mont-Dore, southeast of the capital Nouméa, the High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, the top French state official in the territory, reported that there were "shots fired with large-caliber weapons, hunting rifles, at the gendarmes."

The archipelago is known for its high number of firearms in relation to the size of the population. French authorities estimate that there is, on average, one firearm for every four inhabitants. According to a parliamentary report published in April, around 64,000 weapons labeled in France as category B and C (hunting and sporting weapons) are currently in circulation in the archipelago.

"Including illegally held weapons, French authorities estimate there are a total of 100,000 weapons in circulation. A very significant figure given the territory's 268,500 inhabitants," the report states. By way of comparison, the French Interior Ministry had stated on Franceinfo in 2021 that 5.4 million weapons subject to authorization or declaration across all of France were listed in the Agrippa database, including around 1.4 million weapons in category B and 4 million in category C, for a population of more than 67 million.

'Hunting is very important'

According to youth sociologist Evelyne Barthou, the prevalence of arms in the Pacific territory is part of a historic hunting tradition. New Caledonia is "a rural territory where hunting is very important, a family tradition," she said. "Guns are used in particular to hunt deer and wild pigs, which are pests. There are guns in every household, but they are carefully stored away," added Benoît Trépied, an anthropologist at France's National Research Center (CNRS) and specialist in New Caledonia. "Caledonian rural history is marked by the pastoralism of large herds of cattle. The 'local cowboys' are very present in the culture. These people were armed to hunt animals," he continued, all the more so as the hunting culture allows for "self-sufficiency." This practice is very common among both Kanak (Indigenous) and Caldoche (White descendants of settlers) families.

"There's a taste for weapons, it's part of the cultural traits of Caledonian civilization. Caledonians love and know weapons," according to former New Caledonia high commissioner Thierry Lataste. Each year, the New Caledonia Wildlife and Hunting Federation registers 4,500 members. In addition to hunting, New Caledonians are also keen target shooters. In 2023, the New Caledonia Shooting League had no fewer than 2,000 members.

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