The moment a merchant shoots a thief who had just stolen from him in the back

A theft victim shot the thief in the back as he escaped the cell phone store he had just robbed in the Brazilian state of Belo Horizonte.

The situation was captured by the Security Chamber of Commerce, which recorded how a 29-year-old man pulled out a gun while being treated by the merchant.

The victim of the theft offered no resistance and let the attacker take the money in cash and products. But as he escaped, the merchant drew a gun and shot three times, wounding the thief with two shots, who was taken to hospital for surgery.

The police also arrested one of his accomplices who was waiting on a motorcycle a few meters from the store, in the district of Castelo, in Pampulha.

According to the G1 portal, the store owner, who asked to preserve his identity, suffered four robberies in the last half of the year, so he had decided to buy a pistol. “It was only then that I suffered a loss of about 300,000 (reais, about $ 53,000). In November, during one of these flights, they took away more than 60,000 reais in cell phones and other devices, ”he told Brazilian media. According to him, it is suspected that the crimes were committed by the same gang.

The trader declared to the police station and He presented his gun registration to the police, valid until 2030. He was released as investigations continue, which so far indicates an act of self-defense.

Easing access to arms was one of the ideas President Jair Bolsonaro presented to Brazilians during the 2018 election campaign, but several of the measures he adopted in this regard were moderated or even canceled by Parliament or Justice.

In February, the president took a further step in his goal of promoting “self-defense” and further facilitating the purchase of weapons, through a decree. According to the text, citizens who have the corresponding licenses will now be able to purchase up to six weapons and 2,000 ammunition per year. In addition, the certificate of “technical training” necessary to access weapons, issued by the authorities, can be replaced by a declaration from a shooting club in which it must declare that the applicant practices “usually”. Likewise, members of shooting clubs and hunters will have the power to purchase up to 60 guns per year, without the express authorization of the military, required so far.

Bolsonaro, the leader of a far-right wing that openly claims to be an arms race, said ten days ago, when he announced he would revisit the issue, that he had no fear of the “armed people”, since it “prevents a leader from becoming a dictator.”

He also said he would insist that parliament approve the so-called “exclusion from legality,” which would prevent a police officer who kills a criminal in the line of duty from being brought to justice, even if he is suspected that abuse may have taken place.

(With information from EFE)

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