French Law Commission dismisses petition against police use-of-force presumption bill

A riot police officer points his rubber bullet launcher during a demonstration in Marseille, September 10, 2025. MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP

The National Assembly will not debate the petition against a bill providing for a presumption of lawful use of firearms by law enforcement, which has gathered more than 720,000 signatures. Members of the Law Commission, meeting late into the night from Tuesday, July 21 to Wednesday, July 22, voted to dismiss it by 35 votes to 21.

Key Provisions of the Bill

The bill states that "when they use their weapons", police officers and gendarmes "are presumed to have acted" within the framework of the law, with this presumption being "rebuttable by any evidence to the contrary". The text initially provided for a presumption of "self-defense" for law enforcement. A ministerial amendment modified its wording to secure support from other groups in the government camp.

Supporters' and Detractors' Positions

• Supporters argue the text would allow law enforcement members to no longer be systematically suspected or placed in police custody.
• Detractors on the left denounce it as a "license to kill", claiming investigations into the conformity of police shootings will be affected or even prevented.
• The petition further argues that France already has "the highest number of people killed or injured by public force agents" in the EU.

Commission's Rationale for Dismissal

In the Law Commission, a majority considered that a debate on the petition would clash with the examination of the text, sponsored by Eric Pauget (Les Républicains), deputy for the Alpes-Maritimes. The bill was adopted in early July by the National Assembly and has now been transmitted to the Senate.

• Christophe Marion (Renaissance) argued that studying the petition would be "redundant" with "the examination of the bill it denounces, which is still ongoing".
• Anne Bergantz (MoDem) added that "giving effect to the petition would constitute a flagrant attack on bicameralism".

Precedent and Procedural Context

In April, with similar arguments, deputies dismissed another petition that had gathered more than 700,000 signatures, against the Yadan bill on anti-Semitism, ultimately buried by the government.

According to the Assembly's rules, a debate in the hemicycle "may be" organized on a report relating to a petition signed by more than 500,000 people. For this, a commission must first decide whether to dismiss it or examine it, then draw up such a report.

Ugo Bernalicis, deputy for La France insoumise, attempted to defend the petition, stating: "The only condition is to have the 500,000 signatories, and they are there; we should just acknowledge the fact and move to the next step."

The only petition to have been debated in the hemicycle so far concerned the Duplomb law, which provided for the reintroduction of banned pesticides before being partially censored by the Constitutional Council.

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