Decree that restricts firearms is heralded by organizations
Civil society welcomes the enactment of the regulation as an opportunity to strengthen control and safety
Organizações da sociedade civil celebram decreto que limita armas de foto. Foto: Orlando Sierra/AFP
Thirty civil society organizations heralded the publication, on Friday (21), of a federal government decree that sets out new regulations for the control of firearms and ammunition in the country.
The statement by Conectas, Sou da Paz and Instituto Igarapé and other organizations has been registered in a public announcement.
The new rules lower the limit of firearms per person, restrict access to high-calibre weapons and return control over private arsenals to the state. The decree will mean shorter licence renewal dates, increased inspections and the modernisation and integration of information systems on firearms. This will lead to greater efficiency in intelligence and prevention processes and improved control over private organizations, such as shooting clubs.
The verification of the requirements to acquire a firearm will also become more rigorous with the beefed up processes for obtaining a psychological assessment by a professional accredited by the Federal Police and the verification of integrity through active searches on databases to check for any investigations or legal proceedings in the applicant´s name.
The organizations stated that in recent years armament has been promoted as a political action, encouraging intolerance and an increase in militarisation among civilians. In addition to threatening the safety of the population, this has become a threat to democracy itself.
See below Conectas’ activities in the disarmament cause:
In 2019, Conectas and Instituto Sou da Paz sent an official communication to several United Nations special rapporteurs, requesting that the organization exert pressure on the Brazilian government to fulfil a series of international commitments that were made and to explain the current status and validity of the government´s measures on this matter.
In the document, the organizations presented a timeline on the back and forth of the Bolsonaro government´s firearms policy during its first eight months.
In 2021, at the UN, Conectas, Instituto Igarapé and Instituto Sou da Paz denounced the expansion of access to firearms and ammunition and the reduction of the State´s capacity to control arsenals.
The organizations called on the UN Human Rights Council to carefully monitor human rights violations taking place in Brazil and for the federal government to deploy public security policies that respect life, address racism and safeguard the fundamental rights of its population.
The Campaign We are Not Targets was also launched in 2021. This was a mobilisation to stop presidential decrees that increase the lack of control over firearms and ammunition in Brazil.
During the campaign, organizations provided information on the changes made by the government and called on the population to put pressure on the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate and the Federal Supreme Court to oppose the advancement of armament in the country.
