Modality athletes and representative entities highlight impacts on sport with new guidelines in gun and ammunition access policy
The restrictions imposed on access to weapons and ammunition in Brazil after the decree signed by the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), has had an impact on sport shooting practitioners. The modality was the first to guarantee the country a gold medal in the history of the Olympic Games, but for athletes and representative bodies the new regulation demonstrates prejudice and lack of recognition of the sport.
Brazil debuted its participation in the Olympics in the Antwerp edition, in 1920. That year, the delegation won three medals – one gold, one silver and one bronze – all in shooting.
As soon as he took office, Lula revoked all or part of seven decrees of the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government and issued new general guidelines on the policy of access to weapons and ammunition. The main subjects representing sport shooting, however, underline that the measure has caused damage to the sport.
“We are in favor of the regulation, as long as there is no harm to the sport,” says the president of the Brazilian Confederation of Shooting Sports (CBTE), Jodson Edington, noting that it is more difficult for athletes to participate in training and competitions, which can decrease their performance and technical level for the Olympic disputes.
As Jodson explains, suspending the issuance of new registration certificates (CRs) puts the start of the sport at risk for new athletes. As regards athletes who are already practicing, the new regulation has reduced the number of ammunition that can be purchased per year from 5,000 to 600, but there are ways in which this amount is used in a single step.
“There has also been a drastic reduction in the monthly quantity of ammunition that can be given to athletes by clubs (50 units), for exclusive use in the stages, as the necessary quantity cannot be transported by plane. Most of the time it is impossible due of distance,” he added.
In addition, two other changes that directly impacted sports shooters: a ban on buying inputs to reload ammunition; and a ban on small-caliber weapons, which are required for some sports.
“Olympic athletes are of very high performance, for this reason their training is constant and intense, therefore they need ammunition in quantities compatible with training and participation in competitions. This year there will be selective competitions for the Olympic teams, as well as the dispute over vacancies for the Olympic Games. Athletes have compromised training, which reflects negatively on their chances of winning vacancies,” she highlighted.
Impact on job creation
“The sport of target shooting involves an entire socio-economic chain. With the impossibility for athletes to attend clubs, due to the small amount of ammunition, this directly affects their billing, with the possibility of having to reduce their organic or even close”. Jodson Edington.
The CBTE president also says that this situation extends to the shops, which have had a sharp reduction in revenue, which could cause a wave of unemployment and even the closure of some of these establishments.
“It also affects the self-employment of shippers, instructors, technicians, gunsmiths, instructors. In addition to the imminent wave of unemployment in the industry, which is constantly growing, there will certainly be no new vacancies, if this continues it is that formal sporting activities are listened to in a way that presents their specificities,” he said.
To the EarthMarcelo Danfenback, president of the Liga Nacional dos Atiradores Desportivos (Linade) and owner of a shop and shooting club, reiterated how much the regulation has affected the lives of athletes and the generation of jobs. For him, the repeal shows a “lack of knowledge of the technical part, which underlies the entire study of this agenda”.
“Currently an average of 2 shops are being paralyzed a day, who simply shut down their doors and paralyze their operations, as it has proved far cheaper and more feasible to remain closed than with the doors open, piling up debt and despair. I have fired 8 people and no I should lay off 4 more in a few days, there was an 80% drop in general store sales.
Last 7, the Brazilian Confederation of Sport Shooting and the Brazilian Confederation of Practical Shooting, participated in a meeting with the National Secretary of Public Security, Francisco Tadeu Barbosa de Alencar, to collect the emergency requests necessary for the continuity of sport, in view of the effects of the decree. OR Earth he applied to the Ministry of Justice for a position, but received no response until the report was released. The space remains open, and the text will be updated if there is a response.
lack of recognition
These limitations placed on sport shooting occur due to lack of recognition of the sport. This is the thought of the Brazilian shooter Philipe Chateaubriand, classified for Paris-2024. “Unfortunately, sport shooting does not yet occupy a prestigious position among the Olympic modalities practiced in Brazil. A beautiful sport, which has refined technique, focus and concentration as premises, is often linked to completely antagonistic things precisely due to the nature of your sports equipment,” he complained.
For the athlete, one of the major impacts of the decree is to make high-performance training impossible due to the amount of ammo released and also due to the difficulty of moving accurate weapons in the mode.
“I currently shoot a 10m air pistol and the biggest impact I’ve had has been in relation to carry paperwork. However, I will soon start training with a rapid fire pistol, Olympic mode, in a 25 range m with a .22 caliber inserted in the context of limiting the purchase of ammunition, I would not even be able to carry out the training volume necessary to achieve high performance even in this mode,” he said.
Chateaubriand’s spending on transportation has become too expensive, especially for air travel, and according to him, it has also become much more difficult for new athletes to enter Olympic sports, due to all these restrictions. “Athletes representing the country in international competitions must undergo high-level training to compete for medals under the same conditions of preparation as athletes from other countries,” he stressed.
For the Olympic athlete, it is urgent that the federal government analyze the documents produced by the sports bodies to allow sports practice. “Our weapons are to take us to the podium. We achieved Brazil’s first gold medal in this modality. Not to mention the dozens of medals we won at the Pan American Games. The recognition is disproportionate to the achievements of athletes representing the Brazil” , he lamented.
Shielding service affected
The repeal of the decrees that regulated the sale and the authorization to possess and carry firearms has also stopped the vehicle armoring service in the country, since the rules that regulated the service have also been overturned. Armor is a safety alternative, as it consists of structural protection that aims to protect the occupants from hits and explosions against the vehicle.
Source: Terra
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