Deputy Alexandre Leite, who reacted to the robbery, receives a vote of praise

The Financial Inspection and Control Commission (CFFC) of the Chamber of Deputies approved, this Wednesday (20), a vote of praise for federal deputy Alexandre Leite (União Brasil-SP), who on Saturday night (16) reacted to attempted robbery and, in an exchange of gunfire, shot one of the criminals, who died. Another criminal who participated in the action and, according to the Civil Police, had a history of drug trafficking, managed to escape and is being sought.

The request was proposed by deputy André Fernandes (PL-CE). Only PT deputies Tadeu Veneri (PR) and Jorge Solla (BA) voted against.

“The act of bravery by Deputy Alexandre Leite, who managed to neutralize a criminal during an attempted robbery in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, is worthy of recognition, applause and admiration. His courage and dexterity not only saved lives, but also served as a reminder of the value of self-defense,” the application says.

The approved text also criticizes the restrictive way in which the Lula government has dealt with the issue of legal access to weapons and ammunition. “It is believed that allowing citizens the right to own and carry an instrument for self-defense can serve as a deterrent to crime, as potential criminals may be discouraged by the possibility of encountering resistance. Furthermore, in areas where police response may be slow or insufficient, possession of these instruments can offer citizens a form of personal protection.”

Understand the self-defense episode involving Alexandre Leite

According to the São Paulo Public Security Secretariat, the parliamentarian, who carries a weapon, was with his wife in the vehicle when he was approached by two men on a motorcycle at the intersection of Pinheiros waterfront and Interlagos Avenue, in the south zone of São Paulo. . Shots were exchanged and the deputy’s vehicle was hit by two shots, but he and his wife were not injured. The parliamentarian’s weapon was seized for forensic examination.

Son of Milton Leite (União Brasil), president of the São Paulo City Council, Alexandre Leite is a defender of making access to weapons more flexible in the Chamber of Deputies, where he has held office since 2011. In 2022, he supported the re-election of Jair Bolsonaro (PL ) in the dispute against Lula (PT) for the Presidency of the Republic.

He was the rapporteur of the bill sent to the Chamber by the Bolsonaro government in 2019, to simplify the rules for registration, possession and sale of firearms for hunters, shooters and collectors (CACs). The proposal was approved later that year, but has been parked in the Senate since then.

This year, Leite has been an opponent of Lula’s decree issued at the beginning of the year, which created a series of restrictions on access to weapons and ammunition. He even collected signatures for the approval of an urgent request to overturn the measure.

“No decree can change a law that regulates weapons. This violates the legal system and compromises the CACs’ collection and transit possession”, said the parliamentarian in March, in one of the efforts to overturn Lula’s anti-gun decree.