No longer a flock of sheep: Number of registered guns in Brazil up by 473% between 2018 and 2022

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The number of firearms licenses in Brazil increased by 473.6% between 2018 and 2022, according to data published Tuesday (28) in the Public Security Yearbook. During that period, filings rose from 117,467 to 673,818 through June 1 of this year.

In total, there are 4.4 million firearms in private possession in Brazil. There are 2.8 million in private collections with active entries in Sigma and Sinarm. In this scenario, there is one irregular firearm for every three registered guns.

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Anti-gun lobbies link the increase in gun ownership to president Jair Bolsonaro’s rhetoric and policies.

However, it may very well be that due to the covid-related coercive measures and the resulting disenfranchisement of citizens, many Brazilians wanted to feel that they had still control at least over something and therefore bought weapons.

POLICE CAN NOT BE TRUSTEST

Brazilians are delegating their security and that of their families less and less to institutions such as the police and are relying more on themselves again.

In Brazil, corruption is so widespread that police teams cannot always be trusted. More and more police forces are also turning away from legality and becoming feared militia groups. In Rio de Janeiro, for example, most of the city is already in the hands of such militia, and the trend is increasing.

A survey conducted by the lawyer and director of the Instituto Sou da Paz, Bruno Langeani, points out that the number of weapons in circulation in Brazil in the category of hunters, sport shooters, and collectors (CAC) is already higher than the total number of firearms owned by the military police.