BRASILIA, BRAZIL — In a move that would undoubtedly have Democrat politicians salivating, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree last Friday that severely restricts gun ownership among the civilian population.
The move goes counter to the country’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro’s policies. The ousted conservative president encouraged Brazilian citizens to arm themselves for self-defense purposes. Gun ownership nearly tripled under Bolsonaro.
According to the decree, the number of guns civilians are allowed to own is reduced from four to two. Also, gun owners are limited to possessing 50 rounds of ammunition per firearm. What’s more problematic, perhaps – is that citizens now have to provide documentation as to why they need to own weapons.
Another aspect of the decree that will upset gun owners is a prohibition of owning 9 mm caliber pistols, which will be restricted to police and military only. The caliber is one of the most common for handguns.
On January 1 this year – his first day in office – the radical socialist president ordered all privately owned guns to be registered with the federal police. Lula da Silva now says that gun owners must sell or turn in their weapons that are prohibited by the new decree. They have until the end of the year to comply – before they will be confiscated by the federal police.
In a 2005 referendum, Brazilians overwhelmingly voted against banning civilians from owning firearms and ammunition.
