Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday reversed his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro's pro-firearms policies by placing new restrictions on civilian access to guns in the country. As per the new policies, civilians can only possess two guns with 50 rounds of ammunition, as compared to four guns with 200 rounds earlier.
Civilians also require documentation to hold weapons and 9mm pistols can now only be owned by members of the police and military, AP reported. The duration of a gun permit has also been changed from 10 years under Bolsonaro to three to five years. New restrictions have also been imposed on shooting ranges.
"It’s one thing for the regular citizen to have a gun at home for his protection, as a guarantee, because some people think this is safety. Let them have it. But we cannot allow gun arsenals to be in the people’s hands," said Lula on Friday during a signing ceremony.
During Bolsonaro's regime, the former Brazilian President had remarked that "good citizens" should be entitled to protect their families and assets, even though the country does not have any constitutional right to bear arms. The loosened gun laws resulted in a massive increase of civilians owning firearms, although they remained lower than citizens in US.
Public security think-tank Igarapé Institute and non-profit Instituto Sou da Paz lauded the new restrictions, calling them "another step to regain responsible parameters and legal security in controlling guns in Brazil."
Two months ago, the Lula government had imposed a deadline for people to legally register firearms with the police, a shift from the earlier practice of registration with the military, due to their inclination to support Bolsonaro.
“We will keep on fighting for a disarmed country. Who should be well equipped with guns is the Brazilian police and the federal armed forces,” said the President.
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