The man who could cost Bolsonaro the election

Many years later, as he fired a military-grade rifle at a Federal Police squad, former Congressman Roberto Jefferson was to remember that distant election during which he bragged about being an advocate for disarmament. In the early 1990s, Brazil was a very different country than it is now. But Mr. Jefferson, as we will see, was not that different a man.

Roberto Jefferson Monteiro Francisco was born in 1953 in Petrópolis, a historic city nestled in the mountains some 70 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro. The city was constructed in the 19th century by order of Emperor Dom Pedro II and named after him. 

Graduating in law in 1979, Mr. Jefferson rose to prominence after joining the cast of “O Povo na TV” (The People on TV), a now-defunct yellow journalism TV show where he worked as a sort of poor people’s attorney. 

In 1982, Mr. Jefferson used his platform as a TV personality to enter politics. He ran for Congress and won, going on to serve six consecutive terms in the lower house, as well as taking part in the 1987-1988 Constituent Assembly.

As a member of Congress, Mr. Jefferson served several masters. In the early 1990s, he was closely allied with President Fernando Collor, who resigned amid a corruption scandal after the House approved a motion to impeach him — but before the Senate could confirm it (the Senate impeached him regardless).

At that time, Mr. Jefferson was a member of Mr. Collor’s so-called “shock troop” — his most loyal allies who battled against the impeachment in Congress. The same group was also disparagingly referred to by the opposition and the press as the “check troop,” suggesting the government was trying to buy its way out of trouble.

Mr. Jefferson also worked as the rapporteur of a bill that elevated the illegal possession of guns to a federal crime, as opposed to a misdemeanor. The law, enacted in 1997, also banned the manufacture of replica guns in Brazil, and created a national firearms registration system.

The...