Bolsonaro's Pro-Gun Agenda May Become Law Before Brazil's Elections - Foreign Policy
A divisive bill represents a watershed moment for the gun debate in Brazil.
SÃO PAULO—Even if Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro isn’t reelected this October, the impact of his gun policies may live on long past his current term. A divisive bill that would loosen the country’s gun control measures, and thus effectively increase civilian firearm ownership, is one step away from being voted on in the Federal Senate—and comes amid radical pro-gun groups importing, in a sense, the U.S. idea of the Second Amendment, even though there are no parallels in Brazil’s constitution.
The bill represents a watershed moment for Brazil’s gun debate. Until now, Bolsonaro has made guns more accessible to civilians through presidential decrees that do not depend on the National Congress’s approval—ones that could be reversed by future administrations. Experts warn that if approved, this bill will legally formalize all the excesses in Bolsonaro’s gun agenda. And it’s moving forward at an uncommon speed, as government allies and pro-gun legislators try to approve it in early February before a potential Supreme Court decision can annul Bolsonaro’s decrees.
Bolsonaro’s administration first proposed the bill in June 2019, just six months after he took office. The bill would build on Bolsonaro’s decrees by, among other things, eliminating requirements to mark ammunition for tracking and have identification devices for firearms, including those used by security forces; defining hunting, sports shooting, and collecting activities as a “right of every Brazilian citizen”; decreasing oversight for gun owners; legalizing homemade ammunition refills; and pre-authorizing more than 500,000 civilians to buy at least 16 weapons, including six restricted calibers, as well as carry loaded weapons.
Laís Martins is a Brazilian journalist currently based in São Paulo, where she reports for Brazilian and international news outlets. She has a master’s in political communication from the University of Amsterdam and is a Pulitzer Center Persephone Miel fellow.
source: https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/08/bolsonaro-pro-gun-bill-policies-brazil-senate-vote-congress-cac/
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