Chapter 8: Authorizing murder: understanding the effects of Brazil’s gun control reforms on criminal groups and far-right militants

Brazil ranks highest in the world for deaths caused by firearms, with over 36,000 people killed by guns in 2021 (Brazilian Forum of Public Security, 2022a). During President Bolsonaro’s government (2019-2022), several amendments to gun control legislation ‘flexibilized’ legal requirements around both acquiring and carrying firearms and ammunition. Bolsonaro’s far-right government also dismantled the federal weapons and ammunition tracking system. This unprecedented overhaul of firearm regulation was implemented under the guise of empowering ‘law-abiding citizens’ to protect themselves, combat crime and resist ‘government tyranny’. This chapter provides a review of literature on gun control in Brazil since 2019. The U-turn in firearms regulation incentivised and legitimized the use of armed force by private citizens, yet it also empowered criminal groups. The dismantling of ammunition tracking systems also meant that the main tool available for judicial institutions to investigate criminal groups was removed.