Rio de Janeiro is the southeastern state where crime most often uses 9mm pistols, a more modern and powerful weapon. Previously reserved for security forces, the caliber was distributed to collectors, shooters and hunters (CAC) under the Bolsonaro government, which the current government vetoed, but it continues to grow in the illegal weapons market.
This is what the research “Crime Arsenal: Analysis of the profile of firearms seized in the Southeast (2018-2023)” reveals, launched today by the Instituto Sou da Paz. The unprecedented investigation analyzed 255,267 weapons seized, between 2018 and 2023, in the four southeastern states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais.
Describing the murder weapon profile in the region, the institute concluded that the traditional stockpile, previously dominated by old .38 caliber revolvers, smooth-bore rifles and shotguns, was being replaced by new semi-automatic weapons, with more powerful calibers and which can fire multiple shots in seconds.
Data relating to the 45,897 firearms seized in Rio de Janeiro during the period, obtained exclusively by GLOBO, shows significant trends regarding the illegal arms market in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
During this five-year period, between 2018 and 2023, seizures experienced strong fluctuations, with a significant decline in 2020, followed by a resumption of growth starting in 2021. The year 2023 saw 8 thousand weapons seized, returning to the pre-pandemic level and consolidating Rio de Janeiro as one of the main centers for the circulation of illegal weapons in the Southeast, with a high presence of pistols and rifles.
Statewide, on a five-year average, nearly half of seizures are for pistols (49.8%), followed by revolvers (32.9%), shotguns (7.2%) and rifles (6.8%).
Among pistols, more than half (54.8%) use 9 mm, reaching 64.9% in 2023. The predominance of this caliber reinforces the progression of semi-automatic weapons on the illicit market.
Firing accuracy, minimal recoil and the highest firing capacity in a single magazine made the 9mm the favorite of CACs under the Bolsonaro government. On the other hand, experts criticized the launch of the weapon for its great power of “transfixion”, that is, its ability to pass through a target and hit two people with a single shot.
The 9mm is more dangerous and is precisely for this reason that it has come under heavy pressure to be reassigned from CACs to security force professionals. In 2023, after the decrees of the Lula government, it was banned again.
Malu Pinheiro, researcher at the Instituto Sou da Paz, emphasizes that, even after the ban, the illegal market will still feel, in the years to come, the effect of the “regulatory dismantling” that occurred with the flexibility of access to weapons and ammunition promoted by the Bolsonaro government.
— The increase in the number of weapons of this type in circulation represents greater firepower in the hands of crime, events involving greater risk for people’s lives. This power will indicate a more serious injury and greater risk to the life of the one receiving this shot. In addition, there is also an ease of crime during police clashes, to reload the weapon faster, for example — explains Malu.
Seizures on public roads
The investigation mapped the agencies responsible for the largest seizures in Rio de Janeiro. State forces are in the lead (93.9%), but it is worth noting the significant increase in the participation of the federal police, whose seizures increased by 595% between 2022 and 2023, due to significant operations to crack down on irregular trade. According to the study, this action strengthens the strategic role of federal forces in the fight against the diversion and illegal trade of arms.
The temporal analysis indicates, according to the institute, a concentration of crises on Wednesdays and Mondays, and in the periods between the beginning of the afternoon and the evening (51.3%). Public roads constitute the main place of seizure, with 36.8% of cases, followed by residential environments, with 18.2%.
The city of Rio de Janeiro concentrated 70.4% of seizures during this five-year period, followed by cities in the metropolitan region such as Duque de Caxias, São Gonçalo and Nova Iguaçu.
In proportional terms, the capital also leads in the rate of foreclosures per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by coastal municipalities such as Cabo Frio and Niterói. The BR-101 and BR-116 highways appear as strategic traffic axes, connecting the state to Espírito Santo and São Paulo.
The vast majority of weapons seized, underlines the study, are of industrial type (98.4%), with only 1.6% artisanal weapons. The number of rifles seized is particularly alarming (3,067 weapons), the highest among states in the South-East region, reflecting the dynamics of armed conflict between factions and between them and security forces.
The illegal arms market is a problem essentially of national origin, underlines the investigation. The Taurus group represents 47% of seizures, while Glock (7.6%), Bersa (3.1%) and Canik (2.3%) lead the foreign brands. As a result, weapons made in Brazil come first with 50.2%, followed by Austria (7.6%), the United States (5.5%) and Turkey (5.3%).
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