A federal police officer, right, receives a pistol from a gun owner to register on the deadline decreed by Brazil's left wing government for gun registration with the National Weapons System of the Federal Police. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

By Lais Martins, AP

Jonathan Schmidt just made the deadline, arriving at Federal Police headquarters in the center of Rio de Janeiro with a travel bag carrying a golden pistol and seven rifles, one peeking out of the zipper.

“I’m in love with guns,” said Schmidt. “I’d have over 2,000 if the government allowed.”

He had already registered his firearms with the army, as required by law for sport shooters like him, but experts have cast doubt on the reliability of its database, and said lax oversight has allowed such guns to fall into criminal hands. Schmidt was adding his guns to the police registry Wednesday on the final day to comply with a decree by Brazil’s new left-wing president — or face confiscation.

Over four years in office, former President Jair Bolsonaro tried to convert a country with few weapons into one where firearm ownership and lack of regulation meant personal freedom.

Now, his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been moving to undo Bolsonaro’s pro-gun policies, and that started with requiring gun owners to register their weapons with police. After initial resistance, he started seeing success.

A gun owner holds a weapon as a police officer registers his firearms with the Federal Police on the deadline decreed by Brazil’s government for gun registration with the National Weapons System of the Federal Police. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

But more than 6,000 restricted-use guns previously registered with the army, and which include “assault rifles,” were not presented to police by the May 3 deadline, Justice Minister Flávio Dino told reporters Thursday. Those are likely to have been diverted to criminals, and are now targets for investigation and potential seizure, he said.

In Brazil’s last gun-control campaign, in 2003, Brazilians were invited to turn in their guns and receive a symbolic payment from the state. It boasted a high level of participation.

In the eyes of right-wing Bolsonaro, however, the disarmament statute was a historic blunder. Echoing aspects of American conservativism, he was the first Brazilian presidential candidate to campaign on a pro-gun platform, saying “good citizens” are entitled to firearms to protect their families and assets. He altered the rules for how much ammunition one can possess and access to restricted guns. He repeatedly claimed that “an armed populace will never be enslaved.”

Instituto Sou da Paz, a non-profit that monitors public security, estimates that the number of guns in civilian hands nearly tripled — to 2.2 million in a country of 214 million people — under Bolsonaro. It remains far lower than in the United States and Brazil has no constitutional right to bear arms.

Brazilian gun registration (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

“We had sharp growth in firearm access, including restricted-use weapons,” Michele dos Ramos, who is leading the workgroup in charge of gun policy within the Justice Ministry, told the AP by phone. “In order to write any guidelines to restructure gun and ammunition policies and regulations, it is important we have a diagnosis of the situation of these weapons.”

On his first day in office, Lula issued a decree requiring gun owners to register their weapons with the Federal Police and the original deadline was delayed by a month. At Rio’s Federal Police headquarters, officers have registered guns belonging to as many as 50 people per day.

But people had been wary.

“There was a lot of concern primarily at the beginning when they arrived here. They believed we were going to confiscate their guns,” Marcelo Daemon, the head of the Rio police’s department overseeing arms control, said in an interview in his office. “A lot of fake news circulated on social media and people came here with fear.”

[Translation: We cannot let our guard down. Unfortunately, the situation is not easy.

With Lula in power, we left a dream of freedom to move to a unique and exclusive defense of jobs, of people who invested in the arms sector. We are now talking about bailing out jobs]

“We have a more armed country, a stronger gun culture, more representatives focused on the pro-gun agenda,” said Carolina Ricardo, executive-director of Instituto Sou da Paz, adding that Congress will be the “thorn in the side” of groups pushing for stricter gun control. The so-called “bullet caucus” of pro-gun lawmakers gained dozens of new seats in last year’s election.

Before the registration initiated by Lula’s government, the army gathered and retained data on gun ownership for sport shooters, collectors and hunters, known as CACs. Bolsonaro scrapped the requirement for such registrants to undergo the arduous process of submitting documentation, justification and psychological exams to the Federal Police, which for its part registers guns owned for self-defense, and so limited the force’s visibility on the total number of guns in circulation.

Army data until recently showed 762,365 firearms were purchased by CACs since May 7, 2019, when Bolsonaro made major changes to firearm and ammunition access. But Instituto Sou da Paz and the Igarape Institute, another security-focused non-profit, estimate the figure fails to reflect roughly 100,000 additional guns, based on data collected via freedom of information requests. Late last month, the army quietly updated its database to reflect almost 200,000 more registered guns, according to the Justice Ministry.

Brazilian gun registration (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

By requiring in-person registration, the government hoped to determine precisely how many guns and what types are no longer with their original owners and, potentially, in the hands of criminal groups.

Minister Dino presented data Thursday showing 939,154 guns were registered with Federal Police, which includes most of those on the army’s database after the recent boost to its total.

“This (amount) is probably greater than the arsenal of practically all of the military police in the whole country,” he said. “We already have a lot of guns in private hands in Brazil.”

Gun advocates mostly came around, though some had encouraged their followers to do so only begrudgingly. Marcos Pollon, a federal lawmaker who leads a pro-gun group often compared to the National Rifle Association, in mid-March called the government effort “absolutely illegal and unconstitutional.” A week later, he published a video on YouTube, where he has over 150,000 subscribers, saying he registered his gun and that those who didn’t would face the consequences.

The Justice Minister plans to propose a new decree for Lula by May 15 to impose new rules for shooting clubs and gun shops, and limit the amount of guns and ammunition civilians can obtain.

Schmidt, the gun owner in Rio, had viewed the government’s registration effort as an embarrassment. But now, he says, he recognizes it is important for the Federal Police to know of all weapons owned by civilians.

“This way, we remain legal,” he said.

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87 COMMENTS

  1. “saying he registered his gun and that those who didn’t would face the consequences.”
    Maybe criminals should be the ones facing dire consequences?

    • A Brazilian would only face consequence for possessing an unregistered gun if the tyrants in power know about that gun.

      Food for thought.

      • Haz,

        The Luloo regime is building their spy network, recruiting family members to report on each other, employees to spy on each other, bowling buddies and buddiettes, medical providers on their patients, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. The laudable decision to not register will also mean a life of enhanced secrecy and suspicion. Definately worth it, but a lifestyle change.

      • Wow, Brazil’s Drug Cartels will be registering their guns because it’s the Law.
        Blah,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha.

    • these wild swings are what can happen without the stability of something like the 2A…

  2. We’ll, like the blonde once asked: “How many millions in a Brazilian”???

  3. Come and take it.
    That’s kinda like telling a cop with a police interceptor ” Let’s race.”

    • You got one of those police interceptors from the auction? You win! No light bar to slow you down!

    • Police interceptor? No problem on two wheels. It doesn’t even require an especially fast, or powerful bike. I’ve evaded police on a bike as small as a KZ440, as large as a KZ900, and a half dozen sizes in between. TBH, it’s not a flat out race, unless you’re really stupid.

      • Paul you messed up my back yard and scared the shit outta my puppy! Make it right!

    • The point being they are more then happy to oblige and win or lose they never lose because we the people bought the car, the gas and the gunms and emu for them.
      It pisses me off I’m paying someone to infringe on my rights.

    • …as the joke goes, you might be able to outrun the cop car, but you can’t outrun the radio in it.

        • yeah, they’ll be coming to confiscate those in 6mo-12mo. The only question is whether they’ll bother with a legislative change or just do it by edict

      • yeah, that thought crossed my mind when I managed to accomplish the former…

  4. “This way, we remain legal,”

    That reversal was probably the result of a personal threat delivered by the National Police.

    I have thought through this many times. If they came for my guns, what would I do? Surrendering to them is total capitulation, acceptance of tyranny, an abandonment of our Constitution. Resisting almost certainly would lead to violent death. Have so many guns in so many places they will not find them all? Maybe.

    • Should have had at least a few of those 80 pct. kit guns stashed.

      The nieces and nephews I care about have such a treasure. (The two I don’t care about, don’t. Suck on *that*, Scott.)

      And they understand why you never register guns with a government… 🙂

      • gun registration has ALWAYS lead to confiscation, don’t believe me? just look at russia (stalin), china (mao) germany (hitler) and all the blue states ( shouldn’t democrats be red not blue since red has been the classic color of communism??)

        • The DemonRats made a concerted effort in the 1970s to change their associated color.
          Rs had previously been blue. The Ds first used blue signage to confuse voters, then agitated through the news that the Rs were the ones confusing the voters by not using Red.
          This was just before the “consent decree” settling a lawsuit in which the Rs agreed to not allege election crimes or irregularities on the part of the Ds.

        • Don’t forget Merry Auld England. The yeomen were free to own guns, until the returning WW1 vets scared the pee out’n the Lords and Ladies.

    • you buy as many as you can, any way you can, and hide them everywhere you can…they’ll never get ’em all!….

  5. “Over four years in office, former President Jair Bolsonaro tried to convert a country with few weapons into one where firearm ownership and lack of regulation meant personal freedom.”

    And just like that with one stolen election our freedoms were gone.

    The U.S. may take two or three stolen elections.

  6. Well, that was predictable. Soon as you put far left in charge, you can always kiss your rights goodbye.

    I was never a big fan of Trump, even though I did vote for him twice, but if he hadn’t been prez and given us the supremes he gave us, we’d be loosing our gun rights in real time.

    The people of Brazil will soon be learning this and in 10 years, we can look forward to mass immigration border jumpers from Brazil, much as we get now from Venezuela.

  7. “Schmidt, the gun owner in Rio, had viewed the government’s registration effort as an embarrassment. But now, he says, he recognizes it is important for the Federal Police to know of all weapons owned by civilians.

    “This way, we remain legal,” he said”

    You’re to fucking stupid to own a weapon Schimdt…

  8. What was it that Dr. Jones Sr. Said about the armies of darkness marching across the face of the Earth?

  9. Again Gun Control is what has happened and will continue to happen when the History of Gun Control doesn’t matter. And talking about the History of Gun Control actually gets some sensitive wannabe Rambo’s panties in a wad.

    When it comes to Defending the centuries old Second Amendment it used to be there are those pulling the wagon and those riding in the wagon. Sad to say…Nowadays for those doing the wagon pulling they are pulling what amounts to a wagon loaded with manure.

    • low profile is always the best way to go….showing them off is fun…but ill-advised these days

  11. All civilized countries register weapons as its one of the greatest tools to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and maniacs.

    Lets face facts when a gun is registered in a persons name he is not about to ever sell it second hand to anyone with the cash without going through a firearms dealer because if that weapon is used in a crime he goes to prison along with the criminal and that is exactly how it should be.

    • “All civilized countries register weapons …”

      Not true.

      ” … because if that weapon is used in a crime he goes to prison along with the criminal and that is exactly how it should be.”

      Wrong. The penalties for a crime while using a firearm, and those for the sale of a gun to a private individual, are not the same — and they shouldn’t be, because the crimes are not analogous. Your scenario doesn’t address criminals who won’t register their weapons who sell them to each other — and that’s where the majority of firearms used in crime comes from. Your scenario also doesn’t consider theft of firearms from legal owners.

      All of your “solutions” involve penalizing those who follow the law. But, of course, your default position is to portray law-abiding citizens as no better than a common criminal. Why not just cut to the chase and arrest anyone who has purchased a weapon because, according to your “logic,” they have the potential to become a criminal?

      Asshole.

      • to those on the left ALL gun-owners are criminals…..or potential criminals..it’s the way they view us…so harbor no illusions…

    • dacian, even I have to say something about this. Are you going to sit there, with that silly look on your face, and tell us that countries with firearms registration have no illegal firearms? I suggest you look to Mexico and points south. Oh, wait! That would include Brazil. There are other places on the planet. How much do you get paid to be stupid?

      • How much do you get paid to be stupid?

        It doesn’t get paid to BE stupid (that comes naturally) it gets paid to post stupid stuff…

    • Mr Red Flag has a lot of copy and paste.

      Scoped AK owner he claims. He also claims anyone owning that type of firearm only does for criminal intent. Jerry, don’t be like your idols, seek help, and don’t take your failures out on others.

  12. It’s Brazil. That’s their business. That’s why you avoid third world countries.

  14. How do they propose to “seize” the guns that didn’t get “registered”? If it’s not “registered” nobody knows it exists in possession. They think their citizens are as stupid as Democrats in America. Good luck with that confiscation.

    • Please MB…
      My “unregistered” weapons are registered.
      This is why we need to fight like hell to deny the alphabet agencies at every turn.

      • @muckraker Brazil doesn’t have a form 4473 as far is I know, and here in America, firearms are transferred all the time without a 4473 form, well unless you live in one of those left coast commie states. Private transactions are just that… private.

        • You’re correct MB. I was talking about my firearms purchased from an FFL. They are “registered” even if they aren’t.

    • if you can keep your mouth shut and not brag about you own you’ll probably be ok…to do otherwise invites someone ratting you out…especially if they get rewarded for it….

    • That’s easy. They’ll just seize what they want from those who aren’t politically favored.

      What, you imagined that every country has 4A, 5A, and 14A, and is scrupulous in the enforcement thereof?

  15. All they need now is maybe an orchestrated mass shooting and poof they are Venezuela. No more videos from Brazil where victims shoot back.

  16. The Next Step: Brazil’s New Left Wing Government Threatens to Seize Guns Civilians Didn’t Register, really? the next step will be confiscation, but what do I know……..

    • No need, those who did this will never dig them up and use them, they simply don’t have the courage, the time will never be “right” and this will be what happens in the US when this happens here (and it will happen here), very few will fight.

  18. Gangs manufacture guns in the favelas. The simplest models to make are submachine guns without rifling. Basically, they’re just bullet hoses that have absolutely no accuracy. That’s beside the point, however, when all you need is something to point at someone from six feet away when you ride up on a motorcycle.

    The increasing regulations the government puts on the dentists, accountants, shopkeepers, and housewives won’t touch any of those gang members. They’ll always have what they need. They’ll have those ordinary people at their mercy.

    • Yes, now the Drug Cartels there will have to register their guns too, because it’s the Law.

    • A shooter at a North Texas outlet mall wounded at least nine people Saturday afternoon before he was killed by police, authorities said.

      It’s not clear how many other people died in the shooting, but police and elected official have indicated there are fatalities. Police said they’d have another update later Saturday. They also said they had secured the area.

      https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/06/allen-shooting-outlet-mall/

      • I just watched the “press conference.”
        just a photo opportunity for all the local politicians.
        However; they did reveal that 9 are dead.

        • Reported at 11:44 PM on ABC News….

          Eight people were killed, seven hospitalized with injuries with three in critical condition and four in stable condition in a shooting Saturday at an outdoor outlet mall in Texas on Saturday, officials said. Seven people were found dead at the scene, including the alleged gunman after a confrontation with police, authorities said.
          The hospitalized victims ages range from 5 to 61 years old, officials said.

      • This is why we should stay armed, stay observant and stay prepared. Too many crazies out there getting ideas.
        Culture was already on the downfall, the isolation during Wuhan infected weak people’s brains.

  21. Regester my firearms? Why? The AR or AK I used to own? Sold that one to some dude at the gun range in Texas 10 years ago. The AK? Sold that to a girl at the now closed range up near the freeway 2 years ago. The Garand? Lost that when the boat sunk up in the Delta.
    Want to look around? Sure. Watch out behind the forge though. Saw a couple snakes back there yesterday. Sure, I’ll open the safe. When you show me a warrant. You can look around outside all day long, but will need to get a search warrant to enter any buildings. Won’t do much good though. Nothing left to find. Sold most of the non antiques off when Trump was still in office and the modern firearms I have left are not on the banned gun list. Oh, and be careful if you go into the pasture behind the barn. That bull is a little mean. SOB treed my son last week. Had to send the dog to chase him away. He is still a little unhappy because we put the ring in his nose then. Soon as he heals from that we will start using the chain to keep him under control. You might want to get some boots on if you are going to snoop around in the gardens or stock pens though. Been wet enough to ruin those shiny dress shoes your wearing. Wouldn’t want you to step in cow flop or horse droppings. Might stink up your pretty sedans.

    • So, they come back with that warrant, kill the bull AND the dog, and put you and your family in handcuffs for the three or four hours that it takes them to tear your house apart… They got nothing but time, a shitload of willing agents, the finest weapons money can buy, and they enjoy what they do… They’ve been brainwashed into believing that people like you (and me) are truly a threat to national security… Fun times…

  24. “It remains far lower than in the United States and Brazil has no constitutional no constitutional provision protecting the right to bear arms.”

    FIFY!

    The distinction is subtle, but important. Constitution or not, everyone has the right to keep and bear arms.

  25. (Oh, I wish for an edit button!)

    “It remains far lower than in the United States and Brazil has no constitutional no constitutional provision protecting the right to bear arms.”

    FIFY!

    The distinction is subtle, but important. Constitution or not, everyone has the right to keep and bear arms.

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