Brazil authorities deny firearm to political opponent’s son amid gun crackdown

Brazil’s Federal Police Friday denied a gun license renewal request from former President Jair Bolsonaro’s son as the Lula administration steps up efforts to disarm civilians.

Rio de Janeiro Legislative Assembly Councilman Carlos Bolsonaro applied earlier this month to renew his gun license for another five years. In his application, Bolsonaro cited the need for personal protection both as an official and the son of the former president.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who assumed office this year despite widespread challenges to his legitimacy, has signaled a grudging hostility for Jair Bolsonaro and his many supporters.

In May, for example, Federal Police raided the former president’s home in Brasilia over accusations that he falsified his vaccinations status to gain entry to the United States, having fled to Florida following Lula’s rise to power.

Nevertheless, Federal Police denied Bolsonaro’s application Friday, arguing there is no evidence that he needs personal protection. But Bolsonaro says there is a plethora of evidence, beginning with the stabbing of his father while he was campaigning in 2018.

“There are no arguments against facts: First, a former PSOL member, a PT arm, tries to kill my father. Then, the constant threats to our physical integrity increase, facts seen by the public over the years. Afterwards, they withdraw the security and denial of the armored vehicles to be used by the former president. Now, this question of carrying a weapon. The conclusion is yours,” he tweeted Saturday.

The rejection comes as Federal Police enforce a crackdown on civilian ownership of firearms ordered by Lula last week.

According to the decree, civilians can no longer own 9 mm handguns, and the number of handguns allowed for personal safety has been halved from four to two. Civilians must have documentation justifying their possession of firearms, and are allowed to possess up to 50 rounds of ammunition [per firearm], down from 200.

Citizens who are in possession of now-illegal firearms have until the end of the year to sell them or have them confiscated by the Federal Police.

"We will continue to fight for a disarmed country. Only the police and the army must be well-armed," said Lula.

The new mandate is a stark reversal of his predecessor’s pro-gun rights policies, which saw the number of registered gun owners rise from less than 120,000 to approximately 800,000. According to liberal estimates, there was no increase in the country’s homicide rate.

A nationwide buyback program is expected to be rolled out sometime this year, according to the BBC.

Lula’s push to disarm Brazil’s civilians comes as a concern to Brazilian citizens as the embattled president, who served prison time for corruption during his previous presidency, has signaled an embrace of totalitarianism. Before even taking office, Lula reignited relations with Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro in another reversal of Bolsonaro’s policy.

In April, the Lula administration launched a major crackdown on speech following an attack on a nursery in Santa Catarina when a man massacred four children with an ax. The incident marked the ninth school attack in eight months. Authorities arrested over 300 people — including minors — who were accused of hate speech online or “stoking school violence” though the charges were not been detailed and investigations were kept under seal. Officials within the Lula administration have been pushing for legislation that will make certain speech on social media illegal.

Lula has also adopted an authoritarian approach to vaccinations, which he has made a prerequisite for welfare. In May, Lula’s Health Ministry demanded that the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) take action against health experts who do not embrace all vaccines.