Brazil Rejects Gun Confiscation Law

Brazilians Reject Measure To Ban Sale of Firearms
Issue Defeated Decisively in National Vote
By Monte Reel
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, October 24, 2005

BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 23 -- Brazilian voters on Sunday decisively rejected a proposal to outlaw the sale of firearms and ammunition following an aggressive campaign by opponents who argued it would leave citizens defenseless against armed criminals.

With more than 92 percent of the ballots counted, 64 percent of Brazilian voters opposed the ban, which its backers hoped would help Brazil shed its label as one of the world's most dangerous countries. More people are killed by firearms in Brazil than anywhere else; about 36,000 gun fatalities were reported by the government last year.

The referendum marked the first time a country has put a gun ban to a nationwide vote. The defeat disheartened gun control proponents, who had argued that powerful lobbyists for the international gun industry unfairly influenced government policy. They had also argued that a popular vote could have allowed an anti-gun majority to set a precedent for other countries.

"This closes the issue now, but maybe the next generation will be able to have this discussion again," said Rubens Cesar Fernandes, director of Viva Rio, a civic group that helped coordinate the anti-gun campaign. "I hope the whole world will be able to deal with this again."

In the weeks before the election, supporters and opponents launched extensive media campaigns to try to sway opinion among the 122 million people expected to cast ballots. Voting was mandatory for voting-age Brazilians and optional for those over 70.

Existing laws in Brazil require gun buyers to be at least 25, not have a criminal record and pass psychological and gun-handling tests. The ban would have prohibited the sale of all guns and ammunition to anyone except police, security personnel and licensed target shooters, but would have allowed those who already legally owned firearms to keep them.

This is good news for Brazilians and the world's gun owners. Only a fool will support this kind of gun control in light of the results from this kind of legislation in Australia and Britain. Gun ownership is not the problem, criminal activit is. It would be interesting to know exactly how many of those 36,000 fatalities were the result of self-defense and how many were crime related. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.

Full Story: Brazilian Gun Rights

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