Already one of the most violent countries in the world, NPR predicted that Brazil's murder rate "could get even worse." The Global Observatory framed the change with mockery: "Brazil, With Most Homicides in the World, Moves to Loosen Gun Laws," and explained that most people opposed loosening gun laws. Germany's GW explained that the policy defied all common sense and that a rise in fatalities was likely.
Bolsonaro made it much easier to own guns by dramatically reinterpreting the federal requirement that says gun permit applicants needed to go to federal police to prove they have an "effective necessity" for a gun. He also extended gun licenses from 5 to 10 years, and increased the maximum amount of guns one can own per household. The number of licensed firearm owners increased from about 330,000 when he took office to over 730,000 when the changes began taking effect in 2019.
In total, Bolsonaro made 32 changes to ease his nation's gun laws, including making it easier to carry concealed handguns in public.
According to John Lott in the Wall Street Journal:
In 2018, the year before Jair Bolsonaro became president, Brazil had one of the highest homicide rates among developed countries: 27.8 per 100,000 people, compared with 5 per 100,000 in the U.S. Mr. Bolsonaro’s solution: “Give guns to good people. Let people have guns so that they have the chance to defend themselves.”
…
In three years under Mr. Bolsonaro, the homicide rate has fallen 34%, to 18.5 per 100,000.
…
In three years under Mr. Bolsonaro, the homicide rate has fallen 34%, to 18.5 per 100,000.
The President's son Eduardo Bolsonaro explained to Tucker Carlson that the nation's murder rate has fallen to its lowest level in 14-years, and that the drop in the murder rate was the largest drop since 1980.
Watch below:
Matt Palumbo is the author of The Man Behind the Curtain: Inside the Secret Network of George Soros
Don't miss The Dan Bongino Show
