The French Senate has passed Article 25 of a security law that allows off-duty police officers to carry their firearms into public establishments such as theatres and shopping centers, and forbids the management of such places from preventing it, reported FRANCE24. Amid the opposition from across the political spectrum, Article 25 has been passed providing that local officers and gendarmes (national police) who carry their weapons while off-duty can no longer be refused access to places like museums, cinemas, shopping centers and schools, which France classifies as ERP - establishments open to the public. The article was passed by a vote of 214 to 121 without changing the version already approved by the lower-house National Assembly. "Firstly, there is no obligation for officers to carry a weapon off duty and it's only a question of intervention in a terrorist context like the Bataclan", a police specialist said showing his positive view of Article 25.
