Big businessmen and shooting club owners fund arms campaign

Big businessmen, shooting club owners, gun store owners and CACs (hunters, shooters and collectors) help fund campaigns for candidates committed to the arms agenda.

Included in the list are entrepreneurs linked to groups such as Riachuelo, Havan, Três Corações and Localiza, as well as names in agribusiness.

The aforementioned donations are from candidates who receive support from Proarmas. The entity calls itself a movement in search of the “fundamental right” of self-defense and supports candidates for different positions in the October election.

In common, all are in favor of the re-election of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), a supporter of the arms of the population. Such as Sheet showed, Proarmas offered support to candidates who want to run for a seat in Congress in exchange for positions within the cabinets.

THE Sheet consulted the donations made to 91 candidates — some of them still haven’t done the partial rendering of accounts. Together they have already received more than R$50 million, R$100,100 of which through crowdfunding. The information is made available by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court).

The owner of Havan, Luciano Hang, donated BRL 300,000 to Jorge Seif (PL-SC), former secretary of Fisheries in the Bolsonaro government. A spokesperson for Havan announced on Tuesday (20) that the businessman closed his agenda until the date of the election to tour the cities of Santa Catarina alongside the candidate for the Senate. They are being received by businessmen, mayors and local leaders.

The brothers Lisiane, Flávio and Elvio Rocha, owners of the Riachuelo store chain, donated BRL 199,800 to Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), Bolsonaro’s former Minister of Regional Development.

Pedro Lima, president of Grupo 3 Corações, also donated R$ 75 thousand to Marinho. The candidate seeks a seat in the Senate.

Entrepreneurs were contacted, but did not respond.

Salim Mattar, founder of Localiza and former secretary of privatization of the Bolsonaro government, made a donation to candidates Paulo Martins (PSC-PR) and Alexandre Freitas (Podemos-RJ). The first tries for a seat for the Senate and the other for the Chamber of Deputies.

According to a note sent by Mattar’s press office, the names supported were chosen for their commitment to liberal ideas and not for candidates from specific movements.

Politicians also made donations to arms candidates, including Senator Eduardo Girão (Podemos-CE), against the agenda. The congressman donated BRL 50,000 to Magno Malta (PL-ES), who is seeking a seat for senator from Espírito Santo.

“Donation has nothing to do with weapons, I remain opposed to this misguided policy. There are guidelines with Magno Malta that I identify with, such as defending life from conception, against the liberalization of marijuana and gambling. If you have 80% of same ideals with someone, you can already consider yourself an ally”, said the senator.

Owners of shooting clubs, gun stores and CACs also donated to candidates supported by Proamas. This group sent amounts mainly through crowdfunding.

There were 913 donors who used this tool for six candidates: César Mello (PSC-PR), Marcos Pollon (PL-RS), Alexandre Freitas (Podemos-RJ), Dárcio Bracarense (PL-ES), Paulo Bilynskyj (PL-SP) and Flávio Pacca (PTB-RJ).

César Mello leads the number of donations received through the “virtual crowdfunding”, receiving R$ 51.6 thousand. “People donate because they believe in the democratic legitimacy of the agenda,” said the candidate.

Edison Fernandes Cazella, who donated R$ 150 to the candidate, appears on the Federal Revenue’s website as president of the Clube Associados do Tiro Esportivo. When contacted by the report, he declined to comment.

The partner-director of Espaço Tático WS, Wilson Saldanha, donated R$ 500 to candidate Flávio Pacca (PTB-RJ). The businessman said that the donation was made because of a 30-year friendship with Pacca and also because of the arms agenda. “He asked me, ‘Friend, can you help?’. I did,” he said.

Such as Sheet showed, candidates defending the arms agenda and aligned with President Bolsonaro have used shooting clubs to campaign politically.

With the flexibilization of arms regulations by the current administration, the number of clubs grew by 1,162%, according to data from the Army obtained via LAI (Access to Information Law). Until June, there were 1,906 such establishments in the country, against 151 at the end of 2019.

There was also a jump in the number of CACs, who are the main patrons of the clubs. Together, the members of this category already have more than 1 million weapons in their hands.

The CACs benefited greatly from the arms policy of the Bolsonaro administration. Candidates linked to the agenda also ask for votes for the representative.

Other presidential candidates have already promised to review the flexibilization of rules made in the current government. Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), leader in polls of voting intentions, reinforced his position against arming society. He said it was necessary to have common sense.

“No one is going to prohibit a farmer from having one or two weapons. Now, if he has 20, it’s no longer a weapon for defense. Thirty, even worse. It’s just common sense,” he said in an interview with Canal Rural, aired on Wednesday night (21).

In the Bolsonaro government, for example, there is no longer a division by level of sport shooter. Anyone can buy up to 60 weapons, and can buy up to 180,000 ammunition annually.

Before, the shooter was divided into three levels. The highest level, those participating in national championships, could buy up to 16 weapons and 40,000 ammunition a year.

In both cases, the shooter could acquire weapons of restricted use. However, based on a monocratic decision by the Minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Edson Fachin, the Army suspended the authorization of this type of weapon for the CACs. By nine votes to two, the court later upheld Fachin’s decision.