As of 2005 in Brazil, all firearms are required to be registered with the minimum age for gun ownership being 25.^[1] It is generally illegal to carry a gun outside a residence, and a special permit granting the right to do so may be granted to certain groups, such as law enforcement officers and judges.^[2] For citizens to legally own a gun, they must have a gun license, which costs R$88,00^[3] and pay a fee every ten years to renew the gun register.^[4] The registration can be done online or in person with the Federal Police.^[5] Until 2008, unregistered guns could be initially registered at no cost for the gun owner, the subsequent referring fee each decade would then apply.^[6] As of the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva administration a civilian is only allowed to own 2 firearms.^[7]

This article needs to be updated. (October 2022)

It is estimated that there are around 17 million firearms in Brazil,^[8] 9 million of which are unregistered.^[1] Some 39,000 people died in 2003 from gun-related injuries nationwide.^[8] In 2004, the number was 36,000.^[1] Brazil has the second largest arms industry in the Western Hemisphere.^[9] Approximately 80% of the weapons manufactured in Brazil are exported, mostly to neighboring countries; many of these weapons are then smuggled back into Brazil.^[9] Some firearms in Brazil come from police and military arsenals, having either been "stolen or sold by corrupt soldiers and officers."^[9]

In 2005, a large majority of Brazil's population voted against banning the sale of guns and ammunition to civilians in a referendum.^[1] Executive Order No. 5.123, of 1 July 2004^[10] allowed the Federal Police to confiscate firearms which are not possessed for a valid reason; self-defense was not considered a valid argument.^[11]

These measures saw mixed results. Initially, the crime rate dropped,^[12] but subsequently rose in later years. 2012 marked the highest rate of gun deaths in 35 years for Brazil, eight years after a ban on carrying handguns in public went into effect,^[13] and 2016 saw the worst ever death toll from homicide in Brazil, with 61,619 dead.^[14] The death toll rose again in 2017 to 63,880, a 3.7% rise from 2016.^[15]

After the relaxation on gun laws in 2019 by President Jair Bolsonaro, the number of deaths registered by homicide was 19% lower compared to 2018 (51,558), while in 2019 the registered number was 41,635 being the lowest number of homicide deaths since 2007.^[16] However, according to experts, this drop in the homicide rate was spurred by varying causes—such as individual states' policies, an aging population, and a truce between rival criminal organizations.^[17]

• IANSA (NGO)
• Taurus (manufacturer)