BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO—Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a temporary decree on Jan. 15 making it easier for Brazilians to buy guns, delivering on a campaign promise to overturn strict regulations in a country suffering from a record wave of murders.
Bolsonaro won the presidency by running on a law-and-order platform, and often delighted supporters at campaign stops with his signature “guns up” hand gesture. His maverick presidential run energized a base of rural landowners, Christian conservatives, and free-market hawks who wanted a tougher response to years of rising violence and political graft.
