Moraes Orders Brazilian Army to Destroy Seven of Bolsonaro’s Guns

Brazil’s Army Special Operations Command has been ordered to destroy seven firearms belonging to former President Jair Bolsonaro, under a decision by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Moraes cited the Penal Code, which provides for the loss of instruments used to commit crimes in favor of the state, as well as the confiscation of products obtained through offenses. He said the seized weapons, when used or intended for the activities of an armed criminal organization, qualify as instruments of crime and are subject to confiscation as an effect of a conviction.

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The determination of destruction does not cover the aforementioned firearm, whose final disposition should be considered at an appropriate time, after notification that the investigations have concluded and that the weapon is no longer useful to establish the facts.

The order does not cover a 9-millimeter Glock pistol belonging to Bolsonaro that police seized from one of his security guards during a traffic stop in June. Moraes said its final disposition should be considered later, after investigators report that the inquiry has concluded and that the weapon is no longer useful to the investigation. Until then, it will remain in the custody of the investigative proceedings.

The seizure had prompted Moraes to consider whether Bolsonaro should return to the Papudinha prison unit. In early July, the justice authorized an indefinite extension of Bolsonaro’s house arrest but ordered him to surrender all 10 of his firearms, revoking his weapons permit and registration certificates. The former president was convicted by the Supreme Court in September 2025 in the coup-plot case. He was arrested at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília in November after trying to break his electronic ankle monitor, then transferred in January to Papudinha, next to the Papuda complex.

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From this perspective, the seized weapons, used or intended for the activities of the armed criminal organization, qualify as instruments of crime and are subject to confiscation as an effect of the conviction.