Brasília: Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday decreed the easing of national gun laws as part of a law-and-order agenda, despite fears it could aggravate already staggering violent crime.
The executive order, signed in a live television broadcast, allows “good citizens” to more easily own firearms, said Bolsonaro.
“To guarantee the legitimate right of defence, as president I am using this weapon,” he said, indicating the pen he then used to sign the decree. Brazil recorded nearly 64,000 homicides in 2017, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world outside of a war zone.
According to a survey published last month by the Datafolha firm, 61 per cent of Brazilians are opposed to generalised gun ownership.
Bolsonaro, a 63-year-old former army captain and longtime lawmaker, took office two weeks ago after being elected in October on promises to crack down on crime and corruption. On the campaign trail he often mimicked a pistol by extending the thumb and forefinger with his hand.
One of Bolsonaro’s key pledges was to roll back gun-control laws, on the premise that armed citizens would deter criminals. His decree makes it much easier for adults with no criminal record to buy guns and keep them at home. It does not extend to carrying weapons — concealed or otherwise — in public, which remains restricted to police, public or private security personnel and the military.
Bolsonaro said his decree was supported by a 2005 referendum in which 64 per cent of Brazilians voted against a total ban on gun sales.
“The people decided to buy guns and ammunition and we cannot deprive those who wanted that at that time,” he said. — AFP
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