France slams Trump for remarks on guns and Paris attacks

President Donald Trump waves to the audience as Chris Cox, right, executive director of the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum after Trump spoke at the annual meeting in Dallas, Friday, May 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

President Donald Trump waves to the audience as Chris Cox, right, executive director of the National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum after Trump spoke at the annual meeting in Dallas, Friday, May 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

PARIS (AP) — France is sternly rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s argument that if Parisians had more guns they could have stopped the deadly 2015 extremist attacks on the French capital.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed his “firm disapproval” of Trump’s remarks and vigorously defended France’s gun controls.

In a statement Saturday, Le Drian said gun violence statistics “do not lead us to reconsider France’s choice on this issue.” Gun violence death rates are much higher in the U.S.

Le Drian continued: “Free circulation of weapons in society does not constitute a rampart against terrorist attacks, to the contrary, it can facilitate ... this type of attack.”

Islamic State attackers killed 130 people in Paris’ Bataclan concert hall, cafes and the national stadium.

Trump spoke at a National Rifle Association meeting.