Is France that much safer?
I know that the cartoonist Robert Crumb moved to France (someone traded him a home for his sketchbooks). He wanted to get his daughter out of California and their schools. He also wanted to get away from crass commercialism.
Since he moved to France, he's become aware of some of France's drawbacks. He's also come to realize that he won't be entirely happy any place. His record collection (among other things) make another move very unlikely.