Fake weapons, increasingly popular with robbers?

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.

It’s after 4 p.m. that Sunday. Two colleagues are finishing their day. Suddenly, one of the employees becomes frightened: an armed man has just appeared in the bakery. He robs the seller and pulls to the side to intimidate him. Ordered to empty the cash register, the young apprentice complies. The scene lasts 20 seconds. The thief flees with 400 euros in cash. He will never be found. Aged 16, the apprentice baker would later learn, startled, that the gun was a fake. “At the time, I panicked, I couldn’t understand what type of weapon it was. He threatened me that he was going to put a bullet in my head. At the time, I was in shock“, he says.

During the months that followed, he remained deeply scarred and was unable to return to work. “I had a feeling it was going to happen a second time. It took me four months, and my colleague has not been seen since that day.”he said.

Fake weapons like the ones in this heist are called airsofts. These are realistic objects, mainly used by combat simulation enthusiasts. The players, well equipped, shoot plastic balls a few millimeters in diameter. Replicas that frighten passers-by when they leave the playing field. Indeed, these imitations are sometimes far from harmless.

The manager of an armory, Michel Accos, opened his doors to France Télévisions. It offers dozens of models for sale. Some reach several hundred euros. “The reality is that when you shoot with this, you have the impression of having a gun that fires with the same movement, with what we call the movable slide“, he confides. To the sound and touch, some airsoft guns resemble weapons of war. The most powerful models can even cause material damage or injuries. “You can knock someone out, you can knock them out. But it doesn’t penetrate the skin“, specifies Michel Accos.

Replicas can be purchased freely, without declaration or permit. The only prohibition is sales to minors. “We look at the age of the person, if they are indeed an adult. Then, after the purchase, we make an invoice. Whatever happens: free sale, category D. This means that the product is a weapon authorized for sale and possession for any adult person”executive Michel Accos.

Online, on the other hand, some sellers are much less scrupulous. On a site specializing in airsoft, the France Télévisions team is interested in a fake handgun. When providing age, journalists claim to be minors. No proof is required, and they can make payment without difficulty. If buying an airsoft is indeed authorized for adults, carrying it outside of recreational practice, on the other hand, exposes you to a fine of 135 euros. “It’s like a knife. You can go to the supermarket to buy a knife. Acquisition and possession are possible and free. On the other hand, you cannot walk down the street with an airsoft weapon.“, warns Agathe Foucault, police commissioner and spokesperson for the national police.

In the eyes of the police, violence or robberies with weapons, whether real or fake, constitute the same offense.