SAO PAULO

In a meeting with supporters outside the president's official residence, Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday that everyone should buy a rifle.

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Bolsonaro, who has tried to change the laws to allow more Brazilians to bear arms for self-defence, said gun opponents should stop bothering gun buyers.

During his election campaign, Jair Bolsonaro promised to relax Brazil's gun laws.

The idea was that citizens could use their own weapons to combat the country's rampant crime and violence.

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Since being elected president, he has issued a number of decrees to carry out his promise.

In Brazil, it is now much easier to buy and carry firearms. 

The relaxation of Brazil's gun laws has resulted in a 65 percent increase in firearms ownership two years into Bolsonaro's term.

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While there were approximately 700,000 legal private firearms in private ownership in 2018, hunters, collectors, and citizens seeking to defend themselves now own 1.2 million weapons.

As part of a study conducted by the Brazilian daily newspaper O Globo, this information was obtained from federal police and the military. 

(With inputs from agencies)