Brazil’s Supreme Court upholds the suspension of the decrees on access to firearms

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) has upheld the suspension of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s decrees that relaxed restrictions on the purchase and carrying of firearms.

The regulation has been suspended since September of last year and was definitively judged by the Court in a virtual session, with the result announced on Monday.

The decision confirms that the limit on the quantity of ammunition must be maintained only for the necessary safety of citizens.

Additionally, the purchase of restricted-use weapons can only be authorized for public safety or national defense purposes, not based on personal interests.

The majority of judges supported the vote of the rapporteur, Justice Edson Fachin, while the two Supreme Court justices appointed by Bolsonaro opposed the suspension.

Justice Fachin highlighted that scientific evidence demonstrates that an increase in firearm ownership does not enhance the safety of Brazilian and foreign citizens in the country; instead, it tends to have the opposite effect.

The suspension of the decrees resulted from legal actions filed by political parties and took effect in April 2021.

Although the new Brazilian government repealed the norms, the Supreme Court continued to review the case.

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