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In Brazil, the number of hunters, shooters and collectors was shot during the Jair Bolsonaro mandate. In the south of the country, especially in Santa Catarina, arms defenders question the restrictions imposed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva since 2023. In this state of marked conservative character, the arms lobby is already being mobilized for the next elections.
As Brazil heads to the polls, one issue that could influence votes particularly in the rural south is access to firearms. Under Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil became more heavily armed than ever before: the number of registered hunters, shooters and collectors – known by the acronym ‘CACs’ – increased sevenfold in four years. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised to reverse this trend, much to the irritation of the powerful gun lobby. France 24’s team in Brazil sent this report.
After football and fishing, France's third-favourite pastime is hunting. The ancestral activity is popular but also divisive, with passions running high between those who defend hunting traditions and a growing number of animal rights activists. Though it's become statistically safer, a majority of French people say they don’t feel secure walking in nature during hunting season. So what steps has the government taken to regulate hunting? And why is the hunting lobby so strong and influential? We take a closer look in this edition of French Connections.
Right-wing policies allow significant benefits for powerful economic groups at the cost of reducing the quality of democracy
