Jair Bolsonaro, more concerned about guns than vaccines

Controversy grows in Brazil before the last measures of the president Jair Bolsonaro, which does not seem determined to speed up the vaccination process of the country, very affected by Coronavirus pandemic, but yes to expand the possibility that civilians have weapons, a subject on which he has already addressed more than a ten measures during his two years of government.

Brazilian President has signed now four decrees which further facilitate sale of weapons and reduce the state control over ammunition. Every citizen can have six weapons, who can be Eight in the case of members of the justice, prosecution and security forces.

Since December 2018, shortly before the inauguration of Bolsonaro, a follower of the “strong hand” and of “putting a bullet” to criminals, the possession of weapons in the hands of civilians increased 65 percent in Brazil. If justice does not overturn the decrees of the president, the total number of weapons in the possession of the people will exceed 1.1 million which he recorded last January.

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The president’s decision drew criticism from his own allies. “More serious than the content of the decrees is the fact of going beyond their regulatory power and entering an exclusive competence of the legislative power”, declared the vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcelo Ramos, from the Liberal Party, part of the ruling party.

“The president can discuss his claim – Ramos added – but by sending a bill to the House.” From the opposition, the criticisms were more severe. “The gun populism Bolsonaro, in addition to aggravating the problem of violence, is a smokescreen for his coup aspirations, ”he said. Marcelo Freixo, deputy of the PSOL (Socialism and Freedom Party).

In addition to allowing civilians to possess more weapons, the decrees also provide for the reduction of the control and tracing of weapons and ammunition, which, according to specialists, facilitates the accumulation of weapons by powerful organized crime.

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If the decrees are maintained, the control of the circulation of the most powerful weapons used by shooters and hunters, but also by the Drug traffic and groups paramilitaries, the same to which the president’s family has been linked.

Opponents have also demanded that Bolsonaro pay more attention to the crisis caused by the pandemic, rather than relaxing arms controls. “Facing the pandemic, advancing vaccination and aid to Brazilians without income must be the country’s priorities,” criticized the leader of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB). Rodrigo de Castro, in the Chamber of Deputies. Covid almost killed 240 thousand Brazilians.

“People don’t want guns. He wants vaccines, ”said for his part the former head of the Lower House, Rodrigo Maia. Some studies have recently pointed out that vaccination campaign in Brazil it would last four years at the current rate. The Bolsonaro government is the target of criticism for its management of the health crisis and for the delay in vaccination, to the point that 400 companies and NGOs of the country created an initiative, United for vaccination, to speed up the logistics of dose distribution.

SF CP