A recent study by the Sou da Paz Institute reveals that relaxed gun laws in both Brazil and the United States are contributing to the increasing arming of Brazil’s organized crime groups. The analysis of nearly 7,000 seized firearms from 2019 to 2023 highlights an 11.4% rise in the number of military-style guns in criminal hands, a trend exacerbated by former President Jair Bolsonaro’s policies that loosened restrictions on civilian access to firearms. Brazilian authorities found that many of these weapons, including a semiautomatic rifle linked to a high-profile murder, originated from the U.S.
The study points out that while most seized firearms are Brazilian-made, U.S. firearms rank second as a source for arms trafficked into Brazil. Authorities have documented a smuggling route through South America that facilitates this illegal trade, and experts assert that if the U.S. wishes to address organized crime in Brazil, it must first acknowledge its role in the proliferation of firearms. Current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s recent decree aims to rectify this by tightening gun access for civilians, reinstating restrictions on semiautomatic weapons that were lifted during Bolsonaro’s administration.
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