About

The connection between possession of firearms and concepts such as power, security and masculinity is not something new. However, during Jair Bolsonaro’s government, this connection reached new levels and is presently pointing towards a scenario of increasing violence, especially against women. Even though the country has witnessed a drop in murder rates in recent years, the numbers of femicides have not followed the same trend. In 2022 while there was a 1% decrease in the number of homicides, femicide cases increased by 5%, with one woman killed every 6 hours. Despite the discourse that possession of firearms empowers women, the reality is different, precisely because the firearms are not with them.

Bio note

Roberto Uchôa Santos | Federal Police, PhD candidate in Democracy in the Twenty-first Century - CES/FEUC Coimbra, Master in Political Sociology from UENF, Specialist in Public Security Management from UFF and Criminology from PUCRS, Councillor of the Brazilian Forum of Public Safety, Councillor for the National Federation of Federal Police Officers, author of the book “Armas para Quem? A busca por Armas de Fogo” and Consultant to the Parliamentary Front for Gun Control for Life in the Brazilian National Congress.