Lula from Brazil says facilitating access to firearms is not on his agenda, education is


BRASILIA: Presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Sunday that if elected he would not issue new decrees aimed at further facilitating the use of firearms in the country and instead called for measures to strengthen education.

“There will be no gun edicts in this country. There will be edicts on books. There will be edicts to strengthen education,” he told a meeting with domestic workers in Sao Paulo.

The former president and current frontrunner in the Oct. 2 election said some thought the freeing up of gun sales was a positive change, but said it would make it easier for criminals to get their hands on them and will no longer need to steal weapons from the police.

“They’re buying new, zero-mile, discounted, legalized guns,” he said. “I am 76 years old and I have never wanted to own a gun. I have faith in God and in my own behavior.”

With the issuance of several executive orders making weapons more flexible, right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has used the topic aggressively as one of his main government showcases and also during his re-election campaign.

Some of the decrees he issued have been challenged by Brazil’s Supreme Court.