(Bloomberg) -- A far-right media pundit who talks about arming citizens and is surging in polls for France’s presidential election next year demonstrated a love for guns at a security exhibition in Paris. 

Eric Zemmour on Wednesday visited the Milipol International Exhibition, which is promoted as a leading event for homeland security and safety. 

At one stand, Zemmour picked up a rifle and jokily pointed it at a group of people crowded around him. “We’re not laughing any more,” he said, looking through the scope. “Move back!”

The images recalled populist leaders like Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a former Army captain whose trademark gesture of support is a finger-gun sign that he once taught a toddler how to make at a public event. 

The far-right Brazilian president has vowed to arm “good” people to tackle street crime, a pledge similar to Zemmour’s. Former U.S. President Donald Trump also embraced gun culture.

Even though Zemmour has yet to confirm he intends to enter the crowded race to unseat Emmanuel Macron, he has been gaining momentum in the polls. 

One recent survey showed Zemmour winning enough votes in the first round of the election on April 10 to effectively knock out nationalist candidate Marine Le Pen as well as the center-right Republican party candidate. Macron would still come out first, the poll showed, and his approval rating rose in October.

Read more: French Radical Surges With Talk of Arming Citizens, Civil War

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