Can I buy and carry a tear-gas spray?
Yes to buy (if an adult), but carrying is regulated. A tear-gas spray of 100 ml or less is a category D weapon: its purchase, possession and transport are free for any adult (banned for minors). Over 100 ml (or high concentration), it shifts to category B and needs a prefectural authorisation. But note: carrying a tear-gas spray on you is only allowed for a legitimate reason (a real safety need), and its use is limited to self-defence — a proportionate response to an unjustified attack. Using it to attack someone is an offence.
📋 The rules
- Spray ≤ 100 ml: category D weapon, free purchase for adults
- Spray > 100 ml: category B, prefectural authorisation
- Banned from sale to minors
- Carrying on you: only for a legitimate reason
- Use: strictly in proportionate self-defence
🔓 Exceptions
- Legitimate reason: living/working in a risky environment, for example
- Transport in your vehicle (glovebox) often tolerated as a safety reason
- Over 100 ml: possession requires authorisation (cat. B)
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Carrying without a legitimate reason a category D weapon can be punished (offence, even a misdemeanour depending on the circumstances), with confiscation. Using the spray outside self-defence — to attack or intimidate — is a violent offence, punishable by up to several years in prison and heavy fines. Holding a spray over 100 ml without authorisation (category B) is also an offence.
📎 Official sources
- Service-Public.fr · Category D weapons →
- Légifrance · Weapons classification (Internal Security Code) →
- Self-defence · Penal Code (art. 122-5) →
❓ Frequently asked
Can you buy a tear-gas spray?
Yes, if you're an adult. A spray of 100 ml or less is a category D weapon, freely sold to adults. Over 100 ml it becomes category B and needs a prefectural authorisation.
Can you carry it on you?
Only for a legitimate reason — a real safety need (a risky environment, for example). Carrying a tear-gas spray without justification can be punished, with confiscation of the item.
When can you use it?
Only in self-defence: against an unjustified attack, with a proportionate, immediate response. Using it to attack, threaten or take revenge is a violent offence, heavily punished by the Penal Code.
Can minors buy one?
No. Selling tear-gas sprays, even category D, is banned to minors. Purchase is reserved for adults, possibly on showing ID.
What about a spray over 100 ml?
Over 100 ml (or with a high concentration), the spray becomes category B: possession needs a prefectural authorisation. Without it, possession is illegal and punished.
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