The US gun problem is also Brazil’s

As US President Donald Trump loosens restrictions on arms exports this week, new research highlights the extent to which American weapons end up in the hands of Brazilian criminals. A study published by the London School of Economics and the São Paulo-based Sou da Paz Institute found that the US is the main foreign supplier of military-grade firearms seized from organized crime in southeastern Brazil, followed by Germany and Belgium.

With heavy firepower and ostentatious appearance, such weapons are central both to threatening police and to controlling entire communities across Brazil’s largest urban regions.

According to the study, more than 30% of 5.56x45mm rifles seized in the Southeast between 2019 and 2023 came from American brands — especially Colt. For the two other most common calibers in the illicit rifle market, the US share reached up to 9%.