Brazilians Are Buying Guns in Record Numbers With Barely Any Oversight

[Judi Lynn]

President Bolsonaro is encouraging weapons imports and shooting clubs, but discouraging the tracking of firearms in what observers say could be stoking violent crime.

By Laís Martins
February 12, 2021, 1:20pm

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Gun purchases in Brazil nearly doubled last year, yet controls on the purchase and use of weapons is weak and violent homicides are rising.

In 2020, nearly 180,000 new guns were registered in Brazil, the highest number on record and a 91% increase on the previous year.

In the first two years of his presidency, Jair Bolsonaro has made an array of decrees and repeals to encourage weapon purchases, including a decision to scrap the import tax on firearms (which was temporarily suspended by the Supreme Court).

As a result, gun culture in Brazil is on the rise. More people have shown an increased interest in buying and using guns, pushing firearm ownership to record numbers.

Brazil - much like nations including the United States - is divided on the issue.

More than two-thirds of people are against gun ownership, according to a survey by research institute Datafolha in 2019. But these record amounts of firearms are being purchased and held by a minority group with specific characteristics: wealthy men from Brazil’s south, where Taurus, the country's largest gun manufacturer, is headquartered.

More:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3anev5/brazilians-are-buying-guns-in-record-numbers-with-barely-any-oversight