Hands across the water

Clay and game shooting have been my passion, sport and relaxation for more than 40 years. After I retired from full-time work, I qualified as an instructor and for a couple of years worked part-time at several clay grounds. A change in personal circumstances, and the need to regularly commute between England and France, made it impossible to continue my ‘second career’, which I had thoroughly enjoyed. Not wanting to limit my shooting to the times when I returned to the UK, I decided to investigate the possibility of acquiring a French licence, in order that, during the lengthy periods which I was now spending in France, I could continue my sport. One of my reasons for wishing to obtain the French licence was the desire to simplify life. My thinking was I could perhaps purchase an inexpensive shotgun to be left in France. If I did, I would not need to worry about the bureaucracy of transporting firearms at all as I commuted between England and France.

Essentially, there are three organisations, which between them control, oversee and organise all shooting sports in France. They are Fédération Française de Ball-Trap (FFBT), Fédération Française de Tir (FFTir) and