The Federal Police (PF) understands that the current structure of the corporation is insufficient for the volume of work that will arise with the task of supervising the so-called CACs (hunters, shooters, and collectors). This is because all responsibility for CACs, shooting clubs and weapons stores is in the process of being transferred from the Army to the PF through a cooperation agreement. The change was determined based on the understanding that the military failed to monitor and that there would be more control in the Federal Police.
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The general coordinator of PF Services and Products Control, Cristiano Campidelli, states that, in this scenario, an organizational restructuring is necessary with the creation of 60 management positions, to be distributed throughout the country. The decree stipulates that the technical cooperation agreement between the Army and PF be concluded in September, and this agreement will define the guidelines for the migration of responsibility over the CACs. The document will include detailed information about how this transition will occur and a timeline. It will also specify the PF’s responsibilities in the process.
Number of Weapons
There are more than 1 million firearms in the hands of CACs in the country, according to Army data. These categories were the most benefited by rules issued during the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Army Remains Important
Despite the transfer of responsibilities to the PF, one of the stages related to restricted-use weapons will still require approval from the Army. A level 3 shooter (who can purchase a rifle) will initially have to request authorization from the military, and then the process will continue with the Federal Police.
Complex Change
The change will only be completed in at least a year and a half, that is, in 2025. This is because the transfer is complex, and the PF would still have difficulties in taking over supervision and presenting results. Meanwhile, supervision of CACs remains the responsibility of the Army.
Illegal Advertising
The São Paulo Court of Justice ruled that advertising weapons on the internet is illegal. The decision was taken on the 5th by the 27th Chamber of Private Law. By majority vote, it was determined that weapons advertising is only permitted in specialized publications and cannot be published on websites and social networks. The Chamber decided to immediately and unconditionally remove all advertising published on the Instagram social network and on the companies’ websites, under penalty of a daily fine.
Analysis:
The Bolsonaro government relaxed the rules regarding quantities and types, in addition to eliminating requirements that attempted to promote control over the weapons granted. This generated a quick multiplication of firearms in civilian hands in Brazil. The country has over 803,000 CACs, according to data from July. Becoming a shooter served as a “shortcut” to carrying a weapon. Today, the CACs are the largest armed group in the country, surpassing even the Military Police, with around 406,000 men on active duty. Inspections into CACs did not keep pace with the issuance of new registrations. In Bolsonaro’s four years, 2022 saw the most inspections, 21,222. The number corresponded to less than 3% of the total number of active CACs that year. Now, the new Brazilian government attempts to reverse the scenario, by making it harder to acquire a weapon and transferring the control of firearms to an institution better aligned with the present administration. However, a complete reversion of the previous policy’s results is unlikely, due to lobby by the weapons industry, shooting clubs and CACs. Therefore, the number of weapons in circulation will probably remain, but grow at a much lower rate, due to stricter rules for acquisition and controls of active firearms.
