By Richard Mann, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian Senate overthrew, on Tuesday, June 18th, the decree issued by president Jair Bolsonaro that relaxes the rules on possession and carrying of weapons.
By 47 votes in favor and 28 against, senators decided to approve a bill that suspends the controversial decree, which had implemented one of Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign pledges. The bill will now be sent to the Chamber of Deputies.
As soon as the Senate made its decision, Bolsonaro published the following message on a social network: “By 47 to 28, the Senate overturns our decree on CACs and ownership of firearms. We hope the Chamber will not abide by the Senate, upholding the validity of our Decree, while respecting the 2005 Referendum and the legitimate right to self-defense.”
The issue was also the subject of a public hearing in the Chamber’s Committee on Constitution and Justice (CCJ). There, the Presidential Chief of Staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, advocated the constitutionality of the decree and its maintenance.
Chamber President Rodrigo Maia, however, stated that there are aspects of the decree that conflict with the Constitution, according to a study by his advisors.
During the Senate debate on the bill, numerous members spoke for and against the decree. Senator Kátia Abreu, the first to speak, said she felt “scandalized and terrified” when she read the decree.
The senator used the occasion to recall Bolsonaro’s experience in 1995 when he was approached by thugs who stole his motorcycle and his gun. She urged her fellow senators not to be intimidated by threats, particularly via social networks, for taking a stand against the decree.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the president’s son, rebutted criticism and argued that the issue was required to be addressed by decree, and not by statute, as suggested by some. The senator explained that existing rules covering purchases are subjective and that the decree is intended to render them more objective.