Storming Brasilia: Bolsonaro's Second Amendment Culture War

Former president Jair Bolsonaro galvanized a U.S.-style gun culture in Brazil.  Although Brazilians still have no constitutional right to bear arms, the former president loosened gun control, and encouraged his supporters to arm themselves. After Bolsonaro lost the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, what happened next closely mirrored what happened in the United States after Donald Trump lost the election in 2020. 

 

So, how did Jair Bolsonaro leverage a Second Amendment culture war in a country...without a Second Amendment? And how did a fundamentally American ideology lead to an attack on Brazil’s Congress earlier this year?

 

Ray Suarez spoke with Reuters reporter Gabriel Stargardter about Brazil’s version of the January 6th Insurrection, and the Latin American nation’s fight over the "right" to bear arms.

 

Guest:  

 

Gabriel Stargardter, Reuters reporter in Rio de Janeiro

 

Host:

 

Ray Suarez

 

If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.