New gun club opens every day in Jair Bolsonaro’s Brazil as weapons become key election issue
It is a quiet street in a fairly tough part of Sao Paulo, but the sound of high velocity weapons firing and the thud of rounds impacting every few seconds is somewhat disconcerting.
We ring the doorbell of an innocuous-looking building; after a few minutes the thick metal door opens, and we are greeted by a man wearing a smart black jacket over body armour.
He motions us inside and the door shuts. In front of us, another metal door slides open and the sound of shooting greets us through a cloud of barbecue-smelling smoke.
This is the G-16 gun club and it’s open 24 hours a day. It’s lunchtime and the BBQ, included in the membership fee, is on outside.
In the Brazil of President Jair Bolsonaro, gun clubs have been opening at the astonishing rate of one a day for the past four years.
The atmosphere is friendly but businesslike. At desks people fill out their forms for gun licences. Milling about, with pistols in holsters and dressed in military gear, the members and trainers prepare for the firing ranges dotted about the building.
Machine guns line the walls and handguns sit on display cabinets.
A young woman explains that people with licences can buy and take away the handguns, but they have to order the assault rifles.
“Or you can borrow them while you’re here and use them on the range,” she adds with a beaming smile.
Private gun ownership has rocketed under the right-wing government of Mr Bolsonaro.
He and his supporters contest that bearing arms is a fundamental right, although, unlike the United States, this isn’t actually mentioned in Brazil’s constitution.
‘Bolsonaro is a gun enthusiast’
The burly owner of the G-16 club, Gustavo Pazzini, is proud of how much his business has grown in the past few years. He started with one club, and he now has four with 12,000 members.
He is an unabashed Bolsonaro supporter – the president’s picture hangs in the club’s foyer.
“Bolsonaro is a gun enthusiast, a military man, a pro-freedom politician, and he managed to make some changes, and this has generally heated up the market, and it has rekindled the dreams of Brazilians who are gun enthusiasts and like guns.”
It’s a big booming growth sector and is another key issue in this desperately tight election battle.
Brazilians will head to the polls next Sunday for a second round vote after both Mr Bolsonaro and his rival Lula da Silva failed to secure enough votes for an outright win.
The highly polarised vote will determine whether the country returns a leftist to the helm of the world’s fourth-biggest democracy or keeps the far-right leader in office for another four years.
In what is arguably the country’s most critical election since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985, Mr da Silva of the leftist Workers’ Party won 48.26% of votes and Mr Bolsonaro secured 43.34%.
The owner of the G-16 club, Gustavo Pazzini
Threat of election-linked violence
An hour or so outside Sao Paulo, we pulled off the main road and drove towards a series of port-a-cabins on the edge of a big open space.
Even in our car the sound of machine gun fire, pump action shotguns and revolvers was really loud.
This is the Assault shooting range, a sort-of country club for amateur gun users and a training ground for police and more serious gun club enthusiasts dressed in matching uniforms, keen to learn battlefield craft like the military.
There is fear that Bolsonaro-supporting groups will fashion themselves on America’s Trump-supporting gun carriers.
That fear has been highlighted by the closeness of the election and the threat of election-linked violence.
But a day out at the Assault shooting range is also something of a family affair.
The Stopa family together on the shooting range
‘I think it’s cool’
All the generations of the Stopa family are on the range with a variety of weapons and an instructor showing them how to use them all.
Eighteen-year-old Georgia is firing a weapon for the first time today.
“I think it’s so cool, I’m very happy,” she told us excitedly after firing the shotgun.
Her proud mum took pictures the whole time.
Their instructor is deadly serious but there are laughs and smiles throughout the lesson.
The Assault club’s owner, a former police officer, has no doubts that anything but a Bolsonaro win will be bad for him and his business.
President Bolsonaro has used executive powers to relax the country’s previously stringent gun laws imposed by his electoral adversary Mr da Silva.
“People worry about Lula’s return to government, of course, if his first attitude is to disarm the population. The more insecure, the more disarmed and the more illiterate the population is, the better it is for them,” the club owner explained to me.
On our way back from Assault, we stopped off at one of the country’s biggest gun shops.
ISA comes complete with an upscale café restaurant and is pristine inside, with mood lighting and glass cabinets full of gleaming weapons of every description.
Clovis Aguiar shows off weapons he has imported
This is a very successful business, and it has blossomed under Mr Bolsonaro.
The gun shop’s owner told us he clears £1.7m every month.
Clovis Aguiar showed Jorge Seif, a Bolsonaro-supporting senator who is a big player in politics here, weapons he has imported from his factory in Israel.
I asked the senator if he would like one of the weapons – yes, he enthusiastically replied, laughing.
Senator Jorge Seif is confident of election victory
Mr Seif is confident that Mr Bolsonaro will win, and says if he does, and they control the senate, they will change the gun laws permanently.
“When a socialist government, a dictator government, an oppressive government comes to power, their first action is to disarm the population,” he said, referring to Lula da Silva’s Worker’s Party.
“But President Bolsonaro shows his commitment to the Brazilian people, right? Above all he respects democracy because he trusts his population when he gives them the right to buy firearms.”
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Mr da Silva and his supporters say that having more guns in a country that already has a terrible record for crime is at best reckless.
Mr Bolsonaro’s followers disagree, arguing guns allow people to protect themselves.
Like so many things in this election, they will never agree.
An Israeli delegation is heading to Qatar for indirect talks with Hamas on a possible hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The development comes ahead of a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Washington DC on Monday aimed at pushing forward peace efforts.
The US leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to secure a permanent ceasefire and an end to the 21-month-long war in Gaza.
Smoke rises in Gaza following an explosion. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump said on Tuesday on social media that Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a deal on a truce.
And Hamas, which runs the coastal Palestinian territory, said on Friday it has responded to the US-backed proposal in a “positive spirit”.
So what is in the plan?
The plan is for an initial 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial release of hostages held by the militant group in exchange for more humanitarian supplies being allowed into Gaza.
The proposed truce calls for talks on ending the war altogether.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Dozens of hostages have since been released or rescued by Israeli forces, while 50 remain in captivity, including about 30 who Israel believes are dead.
The proposal would reportedly see about half of the living hostages and about half of the dead hostages returned to Israel over 60 days, in five separate releases.
Eight living hostages would be freed on the first day and two released on the 50th day, according to an Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries, it is reported.
Five dead hostages would be returned on the seventh day, five more on the 30th day and eight more on the 60th day.
That would leave 22 hostages still held in Gaza, 10 of them believed to be alive. It is not clear whether Israel or Hamas would determine who is to be released.
Hamas has sought guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
A Hamas official has said Mr Trump has guaranteed that the ceasefire will extend beyond 60 days if necessary to reach a peace deal, but there is no confirmation from the US of such a guarantee.
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Possible challenges ahead
And in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained.
The concerns were over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Hamas’s “positive” response to the proposal had slightly different wording on three issues around humanitarian aid, the status of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) inside Gaza and the language around guarantees beyond the 60-day ceasefire, a source with knowledge of the negotiations revealed.
But the source told Sky News: “Things are looking good.”
The Times of Israel reported Hamas has proposed three amendments to the proposed framework.
According to a source, Hamas wants the agreement to say that talks on a permanent ceasefire will continue until an agreement is reached; that aid will fully resume through mechanisms backed by the United Nations and other international aid organisations; and that the IDF withdraws to positions it maintained before the collapse of the previous ceasefire in March.
Mr Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that changes sought by Hamas to the ceasefire proposal were “not acceptable to Israel”.
However, his office said the delegation would still fly to Qatar to “continue efforts to secure the return of our hostages based on the Qatari proposal that Israel agreed to”.
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Another potential challenge is that Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, which is a demand the militant group has so far refused to discuss.
Hamas has said it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war in Gaza.
Israel rejects that offer, saying it will agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile – something that the group refuses.
Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war’s end, while Mr Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the group’s destruction.
They rose to their feet in ecstatic surprise, shouting “heydar, heydar” – a Shia victory chant.
This was the first public appearance of their supreme leader since Israel began attacking their country.
He emerged during evening prayers in his private compound. He said nothing but looked stern and resolute as he waved to the crowd.
He has spent the last weeks sequestered in a bunker, it is assumed, for his safety following numerous death threats from Israel and the US.
His re-emergence suggests a return to normality and a sense of defiance that we have witnessed here on the streets of Tehran too.
Earlier, we had filmed as men in black marched through the streets of the capital to the sound of mournful chants and the slow beat of drums, whipping their backs with metal flails.
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Defiance on streets of Tehran
This weekend they mark the Shia festival of Ashura as they have for 14 centuries. But this year has poignant significance for Iranians far more than most.
The devout remember the betrayal and death of Imam Hussein as if it happened yesterday. We filmed men and women weeping as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran.
The armies of the Caliph Yazid killed the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh-century Battle of Karbala.
Shiite Muslims mark the anniversary every year and reflect on the virtue it celebrates, of resistance against oppression and injustice.
But more so than ever in the wake of Israel and America’s attacks on their country.
The story is one of prevailing over adversity and deception. A sense of betrayal is keenly felt here among people and officials.
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Many Iranians believe they were lured into pursuing diplomacy as part of a ruse by the US.
Iran believed it was making diplomatic progress in talks with America it hoped could lead to a deal. Then Israel launched its attacks and, instead of condemning them, the US joined in.
Death to Israel chants resounded outside the mosque in skies which were filled for 12 days with the sounds of Israeli jets. There is a renewed sense of defiance here.
One man told us: “The lesson to be learned from Hussein is not to give in to oppression even if it is the most powerful force in the world.”
A woman was dismissive about the US president. “I don’t think about Trump, nobody likes him. He always wants to attack too many countries.”
Pictures on billboards nearby draw a line between Imam Hussein’s story and current events. The seventh-century imam on horseback alongside images of modern missiles and drones from the present day.
Other huge signs remember the dead. Iran says almost 1,000 people were killed in the strikes, many of them women and children.
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Officially Iran is projecting defiance but not closing the door to diplomacy.
Government spokeswoman Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani told Sky News that Israel should not even think about attacking again.
“We are very strong in defence and as state officials have announced, this time Israel will receive an even stronger response compared to previous times,” she said.
“We hope that Israel will not make such a mistake.”
But there is also a hint of conciliation: Senior Iranian officials have told Sky News that back-channel efforts are under way to explore new talks with the US.
Israel had hoped its attacks could topple the Iranian leadership. That proved unfounded, the government is in control here.
For many Iranians, it seems quite the opposite happened – the 12-day war has brought them closer together.
To the sound of mournful chants and the slow beat of drums, they march, whipping their backs with metal flails.
It is an ancient ceremony going back almost 14 centuries – the Shia commemoration of Ashura.
But this year in particular has poignant significance for Iranians.
The devout remember the betrayal and death of the Imam Hussein as if it happened yesterday.
Iranians gather ahead of Ashura
We filmed men and women weep as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran.
The grandson of the Prophet Muhammad was killed by the armies of the Caliph Yazid in the seventh century Battle of Karbala.
Shia Muslims mark the anniversary every year and reflect on the virtue it celebrates – of resistance against oppression and injustice. But more so than ever this year, in the wake of Israel and America’s attacks on their country.
The story is one of prevailing over adversity and deception. A sense of betrayal is keenly felt here by people and officials.
Men and women weeped as they worshipped at the Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine
Many Iranians believe they were lured into pursuing diplomacy as part of a ruse by the US.
Iran believed it was making diplomatic progress in talks with America, which it hoped could lead to a deal. Then Israel launched its attacks and, instead of condemning them, the US joined in.
“Death to Israel” chants resounded outside the mosque in skies that for 12 days were filled with the sounds of Israeli jets.
There is a renewed sense of defiance here.
One man told us: “The lesson to be learned from Hussein is not to give in to oppression, even if it is the most powerful force in the world.”
‘I don’t think about Trump. Nobody likes him,’ one woman tells Sky News
A woman was dismissive about the US president.
“I don’t think about Trump. Nobody likes him. He always wants to attack too many countries.”
Pictures on billboards nearby link Imam Hussein’s story and current events. They show the seventh century imam on horseback alongside images of modern missiles and drones from the present day.
Other huge signs remember the dead. Iran says almost 1,000 people were killed in the strikes, many of them women and children.
Officially Iran is projecting defiance, but not closing the door to diplomacy.
Government spokeswoman Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani told Sky News that Israel should not even think about attacking again.
“We are very strong in defence, and as state officials have announced, this time Israel will receive an even stronger response compared to previous times. We hope that Israel will not make such a mistake.”
Dr Fatemeh Mohajerani said it would be a mistake for Israel to attack again
But there is also a hint of conciliation. Senior Iranian officials have told Sky News back-channel efforts are under way to explore new talks with the US.
Israel had hoped its attacks could topple the Iranian leadership. Those hopes proved unfounded. The government is in control here.
For many Iranians it seems quite the opposite happened – the 12-day war has brought them closer together.
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