President Bolsonaro Further Eases Brazilians’ Ac

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BRASÍLIA—New rules relaxing gun-control laws took effect in Brazil on Wednesday, boosting access to foreign-made firearms and ammunition, raising limits on how much ammunition a gun owner can purchase and letting gun enthusiasts carry loaded weapons to shooting clubs.

“Public safety begins at home,” President Jair Bolsonaro said at a decree-signing ceremony here on Tuesday night. Celebrating before photographers, the far-right president and lawmakers simulated the finger-gun gesture he used in last year’s presidential campaign.

The controversial measures were part of Mr. Bolsanaro’s ongoing campaign to end an epidemic of homicides by loosening gun laws in a country that recorded nearly 64,000 gun deaths in 2017, more than any other country.

Mr. Bolsonaro’s measures allow hunters, collectors and sports shooters to transport ammunition in their firearms, which had earlier been prohibited. The rules loosen once-tightly restricted ammunition purchases, raising the annual limit from 50 to 5,000 cartridges for many types of guns. ]And they end import restrictions on foreign-made weaponry that were banned here if a Brazilian company made a similar product.

Gun enthusiasts and gun shops celebrated the measures, which drove up shares of Taurus SA, a Brazilian gun maker.

“Unarmed Brazilians are at the mercy of criminals,” said Mario Chimanovitch, 73. A long-time shooting enthusiast from São Paulo, Mr. Chimanovitch said he was always afraid of robbers when going to the shooting range with his .380-caliber Glock automatic pistol unloaded. “Now if they attack me, I will fill them full of lead.”

Critics of loosening gun restrictions say the widespread presence of guns in Brazilian households risks further empowering criminals. Most guns used by criminals in Brazil had been held legally only to be stolen or otherwise smuggled to gangs.

“More guns in the hands of civilians mean more guns available for criminals,” said Rafael Alcadipani, an expert in urban crime at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo. “This type of legislation is a shot in the foot for Brazil.”

In January, Mr. Bolsonaro’s government eased gun-buying restrictions on Brazilians living in rural areas or regions with high homicide rates, as well as business owners. Mr. Bolsanaro’s campaign is already having an impact in an industry that has been at a near standstill for years.

“Sales are going through the roof,” said Welker Costa, owner of a gun shop in Brasília as he read the latest decree’s more than 11,000 words to understand the changes. “Consumers are getting their permits faster and buying more.”

Mr. Costa said that since a 2003 law imposed strict rules for gun ownership, he sold only half a dozen weapons per year and had to diversify his business into sports equipment and camping gear.

But with the new administration dismantling regulations, his customers take no longer than 30 days to get their gun-ownership permit from federal authorities. People want to buy even though prices start at about $1,000 for a gun, a price tag beyond the reach of most Brazilians.

A former army captain, Mr. Bolsonaro was elected last year on a law-and-order platform that included pledges to make it easier for police to kill suspected criminals.

Polls show Brazilians are increasingly warming to the idea of permitting easy access to guns. About eight of every 100 Brazilian civilians possess a firearm, according to estimates by the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based research group, fewer than in most other Latin American countries. Citizens also have little confidence that police will solve crimes or ensure their safety, polls show, in a country where less than 10% of crimes are solved.

Fabrício Rebelo, a researcher at the public-safety think tank Cepedes, said easing access to guns could have a positive impact in the fight against crime.

“Brazilian criminals tend to take advantage of impunity and of their certainty that there will be no reaction,” he said. “This decree helps ensure the right to self-defense.”

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