After Agreement, Brazil Destroys 818 Firearms Every Day

08/23/2018 - 13h08

The equivalent of 90% of all apprehended guns in Brazil last year was destroyed in less than two months.

This was achieved because of an agreement between Brazil's National Justice Council (CNJ), a public agency that oversees the judicial system, and Brazil's Department of the Army.

	Marcos Vidal/Futura Press/Folhapress
	Soldiers destroy 8.549 thousand weapons in ceremony

The partnership succeeded in destroying nearly 110,000 firearms between late November and December 2017. Another 71,000 weapons were destroyed from January until June. This translates into 818 destroyed guns daily, since the agreement was established.

The firearms contemplated in the agreement were evidence in lawsuits, but are no longer needed in proceedings. Brazilian law states that they should be destroyed, under the Army's responsibility.

In 2017, 279,600 firearms were destroyed, more than double of the amount apprehended.

Instituto Sou da Paz, a nonprofit aimed at reducing levels of violence in Brazil, gathered the data, which was obtained through Brazil's Freedom of Information Act.

Since 2011, CNJ mandates firearms to be destroyed after all forensic testes are performed. But usually they are stored in the courts, which exposes the building to attacks.

In São Paulo state, for example, robbers looking to steal the firearms attacked courts in Diadema, in the capital's metropolitan area, and Guarujá, in the coast. After the incidents, the guns were moved to police storage.

Translated by NATASHA MADOV

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