Study Charts Surge of 9mm Pistols and Rifles in Brazil’s Southeast Illegal Gun Market

Overview

• The Instituto Sou da Paz released a study on December 8 analyzing 255,267 firearms seized in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo from 2018 to 2023.
• Pistols grew from 25% to 36% of seizures as revolvers fell, with 9mm’s share of all weapons rising from 7.4% to 18.8% after its 2019 authorization for civilians.
• The interval from manufacture to seizure shrank across the region, including a tenfold jump in guns under two years old in Minas Gerais, indicating rapid diversion from recently purchased stock despite a 2023 curb on civilian 9mm sales.
• Seizures of rifles, submachine guns and machine guns increased 55.8%, and the arsenal is overwhelmingly industrial, with Brazilian maker Taurus linked to 47% of identified brands.
• Rio de Janeiro recorded 45,897 weapons seized, with pistols averaging 49.8% of cases and 9mm accounting for 54.8% of pistols overall, while Federal Police seizures rose 595% from 2022 to 2023; data gaps include missing serial numbers and many unmarked brands.