Brazil on Cusp of Reforming Restrictive Gun Laws

Brazil on Cusp of Reforming Restrictive Gun Laws
Brazil on Cusp of Reforming Restrictive Gun Laws

Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- In a few days, on 28 October, 2018, Brazilians will vote to elect a president. Brazil has a complicated election system. An election was held on 7 October, and this is the runoff election.

The frontrunner, former Army Captain Jair Bolsonaro is heavily favored to win the runoff. He received over 46% of the vote in the October 7th election. Bolsonaro is a strong proponent of reform of the extremely restrictive Brazilian gun laws. From bloombergquint.com:

(Bloomberg) — With former Army Captain Jair Bolsonaro on the cusp of winning Brazil’s presidency, his allies in Congress plan to deliver on his campaign promise to ease the country’s restrictive gun laws as early as this year.

Gun ownership is one of the flagship campaign pledges of the former paratrooper, who regularly greets his fans by cocking his hands in a gun-shaped salute. Way ahead of his rival Fernando Haddad in opinion polls, Bolsonaro is on course to be elected Brazil’s next president on Oct. 28.

The gun laws in Brazil have been made more and more restrictive since the 1980’s.  The latest, most restrictive laws were put into effect in 2003.  In 2005, Brazil held a referendum on the legal ownership of guns and ammunition. While the referendum was pushed hard by the media and elites, it was defeated with 67% of the vote.

Rebecca Peters, the protege of George Soros, who organized much of the effort to put the Australian gun ban in place in 1996, pushed hard for the gun ban in Brazil.

Brazil has one of the highest murder rates in the world. The murder rate has more than tripled as the gun laws have become more and more restrictive.

In the United States, the opposite has happened. The murder rate has dropped in half as the gun laws have become less restrictive, at least as far as carrying guns in public.

In 1980, Brazil had a homicide rate of about 12 per 100,000 people, only a little higher than the United States with a homicide rate of of 10.2 in the same year.  In 2017, 37 years later, the United States homicide rate dropped in half to 5.2, while Brazil’s rate more than tripled to over 39.

Between 1980 and 2017, the United States incrementally restored Second Amendment rights while the number of guns owned per capita increased from .75 to 1.25, or 67%. Brazil took the opposite approach, placing numerous restrictions on gun ownership.

Presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro is ready to try a different tact. Emulate the United States, to some extent, and recognize Brazilian’s right to armed defense of self and property.

There is strong support for this approach in the Brazilian legislature. Reforms could be passed as early as this year.  Brazilians are fed up with high crime and murder rates. Many wish to be able to defend themselves against armed criminals.

Some of the basic reforms are:

  • Remove the ability of the police to arbitrarily deny a permit to own a gun.
  • Reduce the minimum age for gun ownership from 25 to 21. (Brazilians can vote at age 16, and are required to vote at 18).
  • Allow Brazilian gun owners the right to carry guns for self-defense (some restrictions will be included)
  • Allow ordinary gun owners to own up to six guns.
  • Allow gun owners to obtain a hundred rounds of ammunition per year per gun.
  • Brazil appears ready to return to an era where it trusted its law-abiding citizens with arms.

In a few years, we will know if the murder rate will start dropping to the level of that era.


About Dean Weingarten:Dean Weingarten

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

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Rocketman

Brazil currently has laws that prohibit handguns no larger than either .380 or .38 special. You may only have two handguns, two rifles and two pistols and licensing is a nightmare. Any improvement would be welcome to the poor but honest civilians.

Tionico

Allow Brazilian gun owners the right to carry guns for self-defense (some restrictions will be included) About time they are returned to the status of citizen, no longer slave. Allow ordinary gun owners to own up to six guns. A decent start, but should immediatel be changed. How about this: as many guns as he wants and can afford? More than once I’ve filled all the blanks describing the guns on 4473, in the same year. So what? For some buns are like classic cars, road bikes, china, CD’s (the kind that record sound), shoes… interesting and fun to collect… Read more »

SK

100 rds of ammo per year per gun? I’m just getting the progressive press warmed up by then. Well at least it’s a start. Hope this works out for the Brazilians. If murder and crime rates drop it will make liberals heads explode.

Graystone

100 rds per yr x 6 guns (suggest all of the same cal.) = 600 rds. per yr.
Hummm – at least its better than 0 rds. per yr. It’s a start!

Docduracoat

Let’s hope Bolsonaro actually wins and Brazilian citizens get to legally defend themselves against the armed criminals

Frank Clarke

Yes, I’m a grammar Nazi. I can’t help it.

“Tact” should have been “tactic” (a plan of action) or possibly “tack” (a sailing term meaning ‘to change course’ or the actual new course itself).

Otherwise, right on, and not a moment too soon.