Gun laws loosened in world murder capital

President Jair Bolsonaro yesterday 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 a nation that leads the world in total homicides.

The former army captain and far-right leader, who won last year’s election on promises to crack down on crime, said Brazilian citizens had long made it clear that they wanted to arm themselves.

The decree establishes a wide range of categories for gun ownership qualification. 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 and a course at a gun club, and being at least 25 years old.

Before the new decree, the law stipulated that civilians who wanted to own a gun had to justify their interest. Bolsonaro and other proponents of relaxing legislation argued that such a requirement was arbitrary and that, in practice, many would-be owners were denied.

For decades, Brazil has been the world leader in annual homicide numbers. Last year nearly 64,000 people were killed, the majority by firearms.

Despite tight gun laws, firearms are widely available. Drug traffickers in slums are commonly seen brandishing automatic weapons. Many guns possessed illegally were stolen from police or military personnel or sold by corrupt people in those institutions.

Bolsonaro and others in his administration have argued that allowing more Brazilians to carry guns would help to combat criminality, one of his key campaign promises.