This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
The Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul traced the origin of the weapons used in the robbery of a transport of valuables in Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul, and found that the weapons had been legally purchased by a Hunter, Shooter and Collector (CAC) and passed on to the group.
However, this case in Guaíba is not an isolated one: police investigations from four states show the role of CACs in supplying weapons and ammunition to gangs specializing in theft of large amounts – such as attacks on bank branches and transporters of values and robberies in the cities of small and medium-sized companies, a modality known as “Novo Cangaço”.
The rifle used by the criminals in the robbery in Guaíba was purchased by a CAC for R$14,000 at a weapons store authorized by the Army to sell the product, in August 2021. The money belonged to a criminal faction, associated with the gang of robbers. Eight months before the crime, the man was enticed by a member of the faction to become CAC and make the purchase. Since he had no criminal record, he got the certificate of registration. For his service, he earned R$2,000 from the gang.
More weapons
The number of weapons and ammunition in the hands of CACs has exploded in Brazil in the last four years, as a result of a series of decrees by President Jair Bolsonaro that expanded the rights of the category. The number of members of the category grew from 117,000 in 2018 to more than 673,000 by June 2022, according to the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook. By decree, the president increased the limit of weapons and ammunition to members of the category. Currently, shooters can own up to 60 guns and buy 180,000 a year; before, the maximum limit was 16 weapons and 40,000 cartridges. As a result, the arsenal in the hands of the category went from 350,000 weapons in 2018 to more than 1 million.
