Brazil's Lula restricts civilian gun possession, reversing Bolsonaro policy

[Judi Lynn]

By Carla Bridi The Associated Press
Posted July 21, 2023 8:41 pm

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree Friday tightening restrictions on civilian access to guns in Brazil, in a move aimed at reversing the pro-firearms policies of his right-wing predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

The decree reduces the number of guns civilians can possess for personal safety from four to two, reduces the allowed ammunition for each gun from 200 rounds to 50 and requires documentation proving the need to hold the weapons.

It also bars civilians from owning 9mm pistols, restricting them to members of the police and military.

“It’s one thing for the regular citizen to have a gun at home for his protection, as a guarantee, because some people think this is safety. Let them have it. But we cannot allow gun arsenals to be in the people’s hands,” Lula said Friday during a signing ceremony.

During Bolsonaro’s presidency from 2019 through 2022, the former president had said “good citizens” should be entitled to protect their families and their assets, and loosened rules on the possession of guns and ammunition. Though Brazil has no constitutional right to bear arms, Bolsonaro argued that “an armed populace will never be enslaved.”

More:
https://globalnews.ca/news/9849458/brazil-lula-gun-control-civilians/