The murder capital of the world, with 64,000 homicides in 2017, gets looser gun laws
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday signed a decree making it easier for many Brazilians to own firearms, the first of many expected changes by the nascent administration to overhaul gun laws in the nation that leads the world in total homicides.
Bolsonaro signed the decree in a televised ceremony in the capital of Brasilia, arguing that it and other changes expected to be pushed in Congress would help people defend themselves. The former army captain and far-right leader said his electoral win last year was a sign that citizens in Latin America’s largest nation wanted to arm themselves.
“The people decided in favour of buying guns and ammunition and we can’t deny what the people want at this moment,” said Bolsonaro, who during the campaign often made pistol gestures to supporters with his fingers.
The decree established a wide range of categories of who qualifies for gun ownership, and government officials said it was crafted to cover just about any citizen wanting a firearm.
The categories include citizens living in rural areas, in urban areas with high levels of homicide, business owners, gun collectors and hunters. Prospective gun owners must still meet other requirements, such as not having a criminal record, taking a psychological exam, a course at a gun club and being at least 25 years old.
