Other firearms do.
So, handguns? I'd call that very restrictive. The average citizen, IME, is not likely to hunt in France, proper. Therefore, if the average citizen cannot have a hand gun, I'd call that RATHER restrictive.
"The average citizen, IME, is not likely to hunt in France, proper."
France is a large, rural country with a lot of wild game.
Hunting is extremely popular.
Guns are not rare in French homes, although they are rarer in the city.
Also, it is not illegal to own the other types of weapons, such as a handgun. One must simply obtain a permit and register the gun. The hardest part for some to clear is that to get a permit own a non-hunting gun, one cannot have a criminal record.
Also, guns are not difficult to obtain, if we are speaking of hunting rifles and shotguns. There are arsenals that sell these and one purchases what one pleases.
Military weapons?
No.
Civilians do not need military weapons, machine guns, armor piercing bullets and the like. Those things are for killing the police and the army, and one does not have a right to kill the police and the army.