Poll: 72 Percent of Respondents Reject Bolsonaro’s Proposal to Ease Firearm Controls

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian population unquestionably rejects President Jair Bolsonaro’s argument that people must be armed to avoid being enslaved by rulers.

According to Datafolha survey, 72 percent of respondent as disagree with Bolsonaro’s statement at the April 22nd cabinet meeting, the video footage of which was made public by order of Supreme Court Justice Celso de Mello.

“I want everyone armed. An armed people will never be enslaved,” the President said at the time.

Only 24 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, while two percent neither agreed nor disagreed, and another two percent were unable to answer. The survey, which was conducted with 2,069 respondents on May 25th and 26th, has an error margin of two percentage points, plus or minus.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the survey was conducted by cell phone, rather than face-to-face, as is the customary practice at the polling institute.

Bolsonaro’s advocacy of arming the population occurred in a context of criticism against what the President described as authoritarian measures by governors and mayors to force the population to remain in social isolation during the health crisis.

The President called the governor of São Paulo, João Doria, a “shit”, and of Rio, Wilson Witzel, “dung”, in addition to having insulted other authorities.

Bolsonaro’s argument is that easing weapons would be a kind of guarantee that the population would be able to oppose measures enforced by these executives, now his political opponents.

“That is why I want the people to be armed, Minister of Justice and Minister of Defense. That is the guarantee that there won’t be a son of a bitch showing up to impose a dictatorship here,” the President argued at the meeting, addressing Sérgio Moro (who has already left office) and General Fernando Azevedo e Silva, respectively.

This kind of pro-weapons argument is not one of his most common, which added to the widespread disquiet over Bolsonaro’s statement. In general, carrying weapons is commonly argued for two main reasons: the guarantee of the citizen’s defense against criminals; and respect for individual rights.

Promoting the opposition to a purported threat of state tyranny is a rationale imported from the United States, where this aspect is the basis of the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which has taken on a mythical nature for weapons advocates.

Passed in 1791, the amendment states that militias are entitled to own and carry weapons to ensure the security of a free state. At the time, the emerging American democracy had not yet been consolidated, and the threat of an authoritarian retreat was tangible.

Although circumstances have changed greatly since then, the concept remains valid, being endlessly repeated by American and Brazilian weapons advocates.

The Datafolha poll shows that Bolsonaro’s argument finds even less support among women.

In this group, rejection of the statement reaches 80 percent, while only 16 percent agree with the President. Among men, opposition drops to 62 percent, and agreement reaches 34 percent.

Disapproval is also more pronounced in the population’s lower economic strata. Among those who declare a monthly family income of two minimum wages or less, 77 percent reject arming the population against hypothetical enslaving regimes, while 19 percent accept the argument.

Rejection progressively drops as income increases. In the wealthiest portion, those earning over ten minimum monthly wages, 60 percent disagree with Bolsonaro and 38 percent agree with him.

Greater support for the statement can also be found in segments in which the President traditionally enjoys a more positive image.

Brazil’s South region, which was a bastion of Bolsonarismo in the 2018 presidential election, is the region where the President’s argument resonates most: 66 percent disagree with the statement, while 27 percent endorse it.

Among those who declare themselves entrepreneurs, a segment in which the President retains a significant contingent of supporters, there is a technical tie between the two positions, with 50 percent disagreeing and 46 percent approving the statement.

In contrast, 78 percent of the unemployed disagree with the statement, while 20 percent agree.

Since taking office, Bolsonaro has attempted to relax the carrying and possession of guns, but many of his initiatives have met resistance in Congress and the Supreme Court.

One of them was the attempt to expand by decree the categories which would be allowed to carry weapons, to include truckers, attorneys, and journalists, among others. The President was forced to retreat.

But Bolsonaro managed to implement one-off amenities for the sector, such as increasing the amount of ammunition and new types of weapons that could be acquired.

There were also some benefits for the so-called CACs, a special category that includes weapons collectors, shooters, and hunters. Their registrations and permits to carry a loaded weapon while traveling have been extended.

Owner of a shooting range in São Bernardo do Campo, Rogério Giroto, 50, says he agrees with the argument of arming the population as a defense against potential state abuses, expounded by Bolsonaro.

However, he says that those interested in owning guns should comply with the same requirements as those for CAC licenses.

“I agree with arming the population as long as everyone has the same training. One needs to prove psychological and technical ability to carry a weapon. A training course must be demanded,” he said, a marksman for 30 years.

Owner of a collection of 9-millimeter, 380, and 12-millimeter pistols, Giroto claims the demand for his shooting course has increased greatly in recent years: “The population today has a better view of what it’s like to have a gun. They’ve opened hundreds of shooting ranges with this flexibility that Bolsonaro has provided. The demand is very high,” he says, declaring that his gun club has about 630 members.

Giroto advocates new measures, which would involve simplifying the registration of a weapon and permitting its use, still a very slow and bureaucratic process, he says. He further says the minimum age for owning a weapon should be lowered from 25 to 21 years. The approval for extending access to weapons is higher, as expected, among those who still support the President.

According to Datafolha, 54 percent of those who rate the government as great or good, agree with the President’s statement, compared to 40 percent who disagree.

Among those who see the administration as bad or terrible, 92 percent are against arming the population to oppose authoritarian regimes, compared to six percent who agree. On the other hand, the statement is rejected even among respondents who said they voted for Bolsonaro in the second round in 2018, although with a lower margin in relation to the total population. Some 43 percent agree with the statement, compared with 52 percent who disagree.

Source: Folhapress