Gun laws in Brazil

In Brazil, all firearms are required to be registered with the minimum age for gun ownership being 25.[1] It is generally illegal to carry a gun outside a residence, and a special permit granting the right to do so is granted to certain groups, such as law enforcement officers.[2] To legally own a gun, an owner must hold a gun license, which costs BRL R$1000,[2] and pay a fee every three years to register the gun, currently at BRL R$85.[3] Registration can be done online or in person with the Federal Police.[4] Until 2008, unregistered guns could be legalized for free.[5]

It is estimated that there are around 17 million firearms in Brazil,[6] 9 million of which are unregistered.[1] Some 39,000 people died in 2003 from gun-related injuries nationwide.[6] In 2004, the number was 36,000.[1] Brazil has the second largest arms industry in the Western Hemisphere.[7] Approximately 80% of the weapons manufactured in Brazil are exported, mostly to neighboring countries; many of these weapons are then smuggled back into Brazil.[7] Some firearms in Brazil come from police and military arsenals, having either been "stolen or sold by corrupt soldiers and officers."[7]

In 2005, a majority of Brazil's population voted against banning the sale of guns and ammunition to civilians in a referendum. However, the Brazilian Department of Justice (Ministério da Justiça), which performs each individual's mandatory background check (which is made prior every gun acquisition, and every three years after it is acquired, which allows gun confiscation at the discretion of authorities), has been forbidding almost every citizen from buying guns,[8][9] based on the Executive Order # 5.123, of 07/01/2004 (Decreto n.º 5.123, de 1º de julho de 2004),[10] which allows the Federal Police to analyze the given reasons for owning a gun, under which "self defense" is not considered a valid reason because there are allegedly sufficient public police officers to maintain nationwide security.[11]

Thus, disarmament is effectively happening in Brazil,[12] as are massive gun confiscations,[13] notwithstanding its refusal by Brazilian people (at the referendum of 2005). Some argue that this will increase gun homicides. Other research shows that there is a decrease in firearm deaths correlating with disarmament.[14][15] However, 2012 marked the highest rate of gun deaths in 35 years for Brazil, 8 years after a ban on carrying handguns in public went in to effect,[16] and 2016 saw the worst ever death toll from homicide in Brazil, with 61,619 dead.[17] Only to rise again in 2017 to 63,880 a 3.7 per cent rise from 2016. [18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Brazilians reject gun sales ban". BBCNEWS. October 24, 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  2. 1 2 "LEI No 10.826, DE 22 DE DEZEMBRO DE 2003". December 22, 2003. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
  3. ↑ "Taurus Armas".
  4. ↑ "Registro de armas de fogo pode ser feito via Web".
  5. ↑ Termina prazo para legalizar armas sem taxas
  6. 1 2 Hearn, Kelly (October 5, 2005). "The NRA Takes on Gun Control – in Brazil". Alternet. Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  7. 1 2 3 Rohter, Larry (October 20, 2005). "Gun-Happy Brazil Hotly Debates a Nationwide Ban". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  8. ↑ "Ministério da Justiça usa Polícia Federal para instituir desarmamento compulsório no Brasil".
  9. ↑ "index de Notícias".
  10. ↑ "D5123".
  11. ↑ "Negativa à compra de arma de fogo: ilegalidade da discricionariedade da Polícia Federal".
  12. ↑ "'O estatuto do desarmamento nunca alcançou seu objetivo' - VEJA.com". 12 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "Renovação do registro de armas de fogo". 15 June 2007.
  14. ↑ Muggah, Robert (30 March 2017). "'Brazil has a murder and gun problem. Here's why both could get worse. - USAToday.com".
  15. ↑ Cerqueira, Daniel Ricardo de Castro (2014). "'Causas e consequencias do crime no Brazil' - 33 Premio BNDES de Economia" (PDF).
  16. ↑ "'Brazil gun killings rise to highest level in 35 years".
  17. ↑ http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2445506&CategoryId=14090
  18. ↑ https://en.azvision.az/news/91122/brazil-breaks-own-record-for-number-of-murders-in-single-year.html
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