Brazil gun laws: Bolsonaro vows to loosen ownership rules

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Brazil's incoming far-right president has said he will seek to issue a decree loosening the country's gun laws.

Jair Bolsonaro, who takes over on 1 January, had made the pledge a key part of his presidential campaign. Brazil currently has strict gun ownership laws, requiring any prospective owners to undergo psychological tests.

But Mr Bolsonaro has said more guns would allow "good people" in Brazil help combat violent crime.

What are Brazil's current gun laws?

In response to Brazil having one of the world's highest murder rates, the Senate passed the Disarmament Statute in 2003.

Under the statute, which stands to this day:

• only strictly defined groups of people, including police and security officials are able to obtain a gun licence
• anyone using a gun without a licence could face four years in jail
• proof of residence, employment, technical and psychological capacity are needed to get a licence.

In the first year after the statue was introduced, the murder rate in Brazil dropped by 8%. In the same time, about 500,000 guns were seized by police under a buy-back scheme.

How bad is the murder rate in Brazil?

Since that drop, murder rates have started to climb again. According to the World Bank, Brazil has the eighth highest murder rate in the world, behind countries such as El Salvador and Jamaica.

The Brazilian Public Security Forum, which collects and analyses crime data from state and federal government, there were 63,880 homicides in Brazil last year (equivalent to 175 a day) - an increase of 2.9% on the previous year.