The war for weapons moves to the electoral booths in Brazil

One of the main points on which the agendas of President Jair Bolsonaro and candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva differ is the control of legal weapons circulating in the country.

With an increasingly violent political climate heading into this Sunday's vote, the attacks have sounded alarm bells in an increasingly armed Brazil.

Bolsonaro facilitated the acquisition of weapons with a new regulatory category, hunters, sports shooters and weapons collectors (CACs, for its acronym in Portuguese).

So far, almost 700,000 Brazilians have been accredited in this area, five times more than in 2018. The number of weapons circulating on the streets also worries experts who see an easy path from the legal field to the black market.

Another alarming point is the growing aggression between Bolsonaristas and followers of Lula da Silva.

In a document from Lula's security team, escalating "acts of violence and hostility" were cited, including the murder of Marcelo Arrufa, a local treasurer of the candidate's party who was killed at a da Silva-themed birthday party by a Armed supporter of Bolsonaro.

Subscribe here to the

newsletter and receive all the key information on current affairs in the region.