CACs buy 1 million rifle ammunition in 6 months and represent 2/3 of the market even with the changes under Lula

The unpublished data was collected by the Instituto São da Paz in collaboration with the Brazilian Army, through the Access to Information Act, and obtained exclusively by GLOBO.

The survey puts a magnifying glass on ammunition in calibers of particular concern, those of .223 REM, 5.56x45mm, 7.62x51mm, and .308Win rifles, which are widely used by organized crime in clashes with security forces. From January to June, 1.4 million rifle ammunition was sold in the country, of which 67% was sold to CAC companies – a total of 948.5 thousand, or an average of 5,270 per day.

For Bruno Langani, senior advisor at the São da Paz Institute, the survey data reveal that the restrictions imposed by Lula’s government, contrary to common sense, did not restrict the sale of gun ammunition.

— When we take a picture of 2025, we see that the volume of rifle ammunition purchased on the civilian market is still very high. And in a context where screening of this ammunition, and traceability, remains too risky – Langani shines the spotlight.

In January 2023, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in his first government action, decreed the suspension of new registrations for CACs, shooting clubs and gun stores. In July, a new decree was issued limiting the amount of weapons and ammunition allocated to this public and controlling the operations of these institutions. However, the actions of the current government did not require the handing over of rifles by the CACs.

Until 2019, CACs didn’t even have access to rifles. Only the armed forces were allowed to operate this type of large-caliber weapons. Experts say that the increased circulation of these weapons and this type of ammunition has made it easier for organized crime to obtain them.

Recent police seizures demonstrate this dynamic. In November last year, following intelligence information, civil police agents in Indayatuba, in the interior of São Paulo, approached two people who intended to sell firearms to interested parties who were in a taxi. The weapon negotiated, a Taurus brand rifle, model T4, .556 caliber, with number removed, will be purchased for R$45,000 and then resold for R$60,000. The seller, Vladimir Rogerio de Souza, claimed to be CAC. Later, police found more weapons and ammunition in his home and his family’s home.

Another long-standing issue that has gained importance due to the amount of weapons sold. In January 2022, the Goiânia Police arrested Vitor Furtado Rebolal Lopez, known as Bala 40, who used messaging apps to sell weapons, including to Comando Vermelho (CV). In Lopez’s home in Garajão, a middle-class neighborhood in the northern region of Rio, 26 rifles, 21 pistols, two revolvers, three carbines, a hunting rifle and a shotgun were seized, for a total of 54 weapons, in addition to a large amount of ammunition. According to investigators, the suspect took advantage of his records as a collector and sports shooter to obtain the items legally and resell them to the state’s largest criminal faction.

Factions like the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho use this large-caliber ammunition, especially in crimes involving city control, a method known as new cangaço, Langani says. And in the face of major police operations, such as in October, in the Benha and Alemão complexes in Rio de Janeiro, the deadliest action in history, which resulted in the deaths of 121 civilians, including four police officers.

We have barely had a discussion about what allows a faction to continue shooting at police for 18 hours. For this, there was a very brutal and very strong supply of ammunition – said Langani. – Who’s looking to throttle this supply? If we can choke, the police will carry out the operation more easily. These factions lose the ability to resist police and state actions.

Of the 93 rifles seized by the Red Command after the massive operation, preliminary analysis by the civilian police indicates that the majority are of the same calibers that were identified as prevalent in the southeastern region in a study by the São da Paz Institute, which was launched last September in a police academic journal. London School of Economics.

The research showed that in the Southeast region, seizures of military-style weapons increased from 1,494 to 1,665 units (11.4%) between 2019 and 2023 – including rifles, submachine guns and submachine guns that make up the illegal firearms market, confiscated by federal and state security forces.

According to the São da Paz survey, stores purchased 434,600 rifle ammunition in six months, or 30% of total sales, with a large concentration in the Second and Third Military Regions, which correspond to the states of São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. Combined, institutions in these states were responsible for 98% of gun ammunition purchases by store owners nationwide.

The First Military District, which includes the states of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro, is responsible for only 4% of the total ammunition sold to CACs nationally. However, this same area concentrates 17% of the rifle ammunition sold to CAC companies, a total of 165,000 ammunition between January and June 2025, or 920 ammunition per day.

Controlling the purchase of ammunition in the civilian market has a history of deficiencies. A report by the Federal Court of Audit (TCU), released in 2024, identified nearly 2 million ammunition purchased illegally in the country, using forged documents, invalid registrations and even CPFs of minors or deceased persons. One emblematic case in Maranhão identified the use of oranges that may have led to the diversion of up to 60 tons of ammunition onto the illegal market in the north and northeast of the country.