5 Nov 2003

High gun owbnership figures in New Caledonia ai

12:04 pm on 5 November 2003

One in five people in New Caledonia own a gun, according to the latest statistics.

The French High Commission says 48-thousand firearms have been officially registered.

In a report, the newspaper Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes says there are likely to be many more rifles and pistols being kept illegally in private armouries or homes.

However, it says many of the weapons in the census would be useless or unsaleable.

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