The increase in weapons authorized by the Federal Police was led by the common citizen. The category accounted for 84.4% of new gun registrations in 2021, up from 72.6% in 2018.
It is through the Federal Police that common citizens can acquire a weapon for self-defense. Weapons for the Civil Police, municipal guards, subsistence hunters, public servants, private security, and weapon stores are also authorized by the agency.
The data points out that the average citizen was responsible for registering 170,900 weapons in 2021. The amount is 361% higher than in 2018 when it reached 37,000 new registrations.
The growth has occurred in parallel with the acts and speeches of President Jair Bolsonaro since the 2018 campaign. The president, his family, and several of his supporters are fierce defenders of arming the population.
Since he was elected, the president has issued 19 decrees, 17 ordinances, two resolutions, three normative instructions, and two bills easing the rules for access to weapons and ammunition in Brazil.
Translated by Cassy Dias