RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday defended a decree signed earlier this week, which provides more flexibility for possessing firearms in the country.

Bolsonaro tweeted that it is fallable to believe that the initiative "does not solve the problem of public safety," noting that the decree aims to secure "the inviolable right of self-defense."

The president signed Tuesday the decree that allows citizens aged 25 years and above to purchase up to four firearms, as long as they pass a psychological test and have no criminal record.

"For those who are still against it, effective measures for public security will still be taken and proposed," tweeted Bolsonaro, who took office on Jan. 1.

The decree, promised by Bolsonaro during his presidential campaign, has received harsh criticism, as it will make it easier for people to buy guns in a country that recorded 63,880 homicides in 2017, mostly by firearms, according to data from the Brazilian Yearbook of Public Safety. Enditem

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