Gun ownership in Brazil increased by almost 500 percent under Bolsonaro

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A man inspects a gun at South America's largest arms fair in Rio de Janeiro

Photo: RICARDO MORAES/ REUTERS

The number of citizens registered as gun owners in Brazil has increased almost six-fold since right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office.

In 2018, almost 120,000 Brazilians still owned a registered weapon, in June 2022 there were around 675,000, as the Brazilian Public Safety Forum (FBSP) said on Tuesday, citing official data.

This corresponds to an increase of 474 percent.

"Since the Bolsonaro government took office, the number of firearms in circulation in the country has risen sharply," FBSP President and researcher Renato Sergio de Lima told AFP.

His organization estimates that there are approximately 4.4 million privately owned guns in Brazil.

Bolsonaro, who was elected in 2018 and took office in 2019, has since relaxed the requirements for access to weapons by decree.

He repeatedly called on the population to arm themselves, because "an armed people will never be enslaved".

mrc/AFP