MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil's Security Minister explains the future of shooting ranges

Some uncontrolled shooting ranges resulted in weapons diverted to the black market, Dino argued

Brazil's Security and Justice Minister Flávio Dino Wednesday elaborated on the scope of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's instructions to him regarding the closing of almost all shooting ranges.

Dino said Lula meant “regulating” these facilities, which “have grown in recent years without any control.” He also pointed out that many of them were “serious” and dedicated exclusively to sporting activities. However, in some of them, “unfortunately, due to the lack of control, illegal and criminal activities have taken place, with the diversion of weapons to the black market,” he added.

Lula's decree from last week on the “responsible control of arms” reduces from four to two the number of arms and their ammunition for personal defense purposes, and requires the demonstration of effective need to acquire them, among other issues.

In addition, it reduces from 30 to six the number of weapons for hunters, shooters, and collectors (CACs), and limits the hours of operation of shooting clubs, which must also be at least one kilometer away from schools. Under the new rule, CACs can no longer carry loaded guns and the control of hunters, sport shooters and collectors, shooting clubs, gun stores, and other premises shifted from the Army to the Federal Police.

Dino insisted that the Government was very concerned about those illegal shooting centers that appeared over the last few years amid the relaxation of the rules for owning guns under former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The minister specified that the guidelines given by President Lula have an impact on “regulating” and “controlling” this type of establishment and regretted that some have used his words to spread a “false discourse” on the defense of freedoms.

“Freedom to kill? Is there freedom to commit crimes? Is there freedom to swindle? To divert weapons to gangs? What kind of freedom is that?” Dino wondered.

“Whoever is a real collector, okay. A hunter, a sport shooter, very well. It is a legitimate activity and we will intensify the control of shooting clubs that do not comply with the law and they will be closed. With that we will expel bad professionals,” he stressed.

Lula had said that it was necessary to “close almost all” shooting clubs and “only leave open those that belong to the Military Police, the Army or the Civil Police,” who were the only ones that needed places to carry out these practices. “A police organization is the one that has to have a place to shoot, to train, it is not the Brazilian society, we are not preparing a revolution,” Lula said.

The president also argued that Bolsonaro had freed the purchase of guns to “please organized crime” and “people who have money.” Last week, the president signed a decree that once again limits access to arms and ammunition for civilians, effectively annulling the easing of restrictions on the purchase and sale of weapons that Bolsonaro had favored.