Jamaica, Brazil
Brazil Youth, Gun Focus May Hold Answer to Jamaica's Gun Crime Problem
Jamaica Gleaner
7 May 2008
A multidimensional strategy including a strong emphasis on improved police-community relations has been credited for Brazil's success in curbing crime in its second largest city. The anti-crime push -- which is also hinged on rehabilitating troubled youths and seizing guns from the streets -- has been critical to Cesar Rubem battling lawlessness in his native Rio de Janeiro. "Our work has tried to look at these three components... ( gunpolicy.org )
World, United States, France, Canada, Germany, Angola, Thailand, Australia, Colombia, South Africa, Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil, United Kingdom, India, China
Guns Around the World: Civilian Firearms per 100 People in 16 Nations
Economist
30 April 2008
An estimated 875m small arms are in circulation worldwide: one for every seven people on the planet. Nearly three-quarters of these are owned by civilians. And about 80% of those guns in civilian hands are found in just 30 countries, according to the Small Arms Survey, a research group. Although America accounts for 40% of firearms in civilian ownership, people put them to more deadly use elsewhere. The gun murder rate in Colombia... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Protestors Place 2,000 Crosses for Victims of Gun Violence in Rio de Janeiro
IndiaTimes / Reuters
27 April 2008
On Saturday a group called "Peace for Rio" placed 2,000 crosses along one of Rio's main roads to commemorate the death of each person to have been gunned down in the city in 2008 thus far. Some 17 people are killed every day in Rio. Gun violence is the leading cause of death. "It is a real tragedy this massacre of human lives. Behind each of these crosses there is a family tragedy, those who are living and today are inconsolable... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina
Women's Groups Demand to Know Where Caribbean Gangs Get Their Guns
Stabroek News (Guyana)
5 March 2008
A two-day meeting for parliamentarians and NGOs to review the impact and "responses to small arms diffusion and violence in the Caribbean" is set for Trinidad today and a women's group is asking where the gangs are getting guns and ammo for killings like those at Lusignan and Bartica . According to a press release the Women's Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD) said the meeting hopes to explore a Caricom instrument to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Gun Deaths Outpaced Births: Gun Buyback Saw 8% Homicide Drop
ISN Security Watch (Switzerland), Web Page
28 February 2008
Results from a recently released study that measured population growth and homicides in Brazil between 1996 and 2006 revealed that homicides dropped by eight percent between 2003 and 2006, a time period that overlaps with a nationwide gun buy-back program during which nearly 500,000 firearms were removed from circulation. Gun buy-back programs have met with mixed success in Latin America, but according to the study, authored by... ( gunpolicy.org )
Paraguay, Brazil
Paraguayan Military Men Arrested for Ammunition Theft, Gunrunning to Brazil
LatinNews Daily, Web Page
9 January 2008
The involvement of high-ranking Paraguayan military officers in the clandestine supply of arms to criminal gangs in Brazil appears to have been confirmed with the arrest of a colonel and a major in a case involving the theft of army munitions and their sale on the black market in Ciudad del Este, in the notorious Triple Border area. On 24 December an audit of the arsenal of the 3rd infantry division just outside Ciudad del Este... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Celebratory Gunfire Kills Brazilians, Stray Bullets Fly in Rio's New Year Bash
International Herald Tribune / AP
1 January 2008
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- One man was killed and five people were wounded by gunfire at a New Year's bash that drew some 2 million people to Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, the government's official news agency said Tuesday. A 29-year-old man died of a gunshot wound in the stomach, and a 63-year-old woman shot in the back and a 24-year-old man shot in the head were hospitalized in critical condition, the official Agencia Brasil... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Santa Retreats: Festive Helicopter Takes Bullet Holes, Visiting Kids in Rio
Associated Press
19 December 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Not even Santa is safe in Rio de Janeiro. A helicopter carrying a Santa Claus to distribute gifts at a Christmas party came under fire when it flew over a Rio shantytown, authorities said Wednesday. The chopper was hit by two rifle shots Sunday, but no one was injured and the aircraft returned safely to its base, police inspector Aldari Vianna said by telephone. Gang members apparently... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa, Brazil
Brazilian Ammunition Manufacturer Pioneers Laser Marking on Each Round
Institute for Security Studies (Tshwane), Web Page
21 September 2007
If the recent reports of a South African Metro Police officer's dealing in ammunition from his vehicle are anything to go by the answer must be a resounding 'yes'. The case of the Metro Police officer has made it clear that current control mechanisms over ammunition in State armouries are ineffective. The measures did not prevent the corrupt official from selling ammunition to criminals. The seriousness of this is made worse given... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela
Illegal Gun Smuggling 'Rampant' Across Porous Guyana-Brazil Frontier
Stabroek News (Guyana)
2 September 2007
Illegal trafficking in arms and ammunition is rampant across the border between Guyana and Brazil, with one speedboat operator at Lethem telling this newspaper on Friday that he frequently transported men with weapons stashed in suitcases via the many illegal crossings over the Takutu River. The speedboat operator also told this newspaper that criminals in Brazil and Guyana would often trade drugs for guns, with the Guyanese mostly... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil, United States
Gun Control Helped Sao Paulo, Brazil Halve its Murder Rate - US Study
KYW News Radio (Philadelphia)
25 June 2007
Criminologists in the US have been studying how one city in Brazil managed to halve its murder rate in seven years. Ted Goertzel, professor of sociology at Rutgers University-Camden, says the out-of-control murder rate in San Paolo, Brazil was cut in half in less than seven years by a nationwide firearms ban. He says the same thing has been thought of in the US, but it's the politics that differ: "They don't have the protection... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Stray Bullets Rain Down on Rio de Janeiro: 87 Innocents Hit in 3 Months
San Francisco Chronicle / AP
20 June 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- The toll from stray bullets that rain down on Rio from the city's steep hillside slums as police and drug gangs battle with automatic weapons has grown sharply, with one innocent bystander killed or wounded every day. Businesses and schools in the line of fire have been shuttered. Thousands of children are staying home. Even air travel is affected -- domestic jet routes were diverted from Rio's downtown... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil, South America, Central America, United Nations
Global Gun Control Week Builds Pressure on Gun Violence in Latin America
O Globo (Brazil), Opinion
11 June 2007
It is Global Action Week against Armed Violence and we need to follow up on two important processes: internationally, the Geneva Declaration, and in Brazil, the new National Plan of Public Security and Citizenship. The Geneva Declaration on armed violence and development is an initiative of the Swiss government aimed at reaching a resolution on this issue at the UN General Assembly by the end of 2008 and defining goals for security... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
São Paulo's Murder Rate Halved Since 2000, Gun Control Partly Credited
Brazzil Magazine
10 June 2007
The murder rate in the state of São Paulo has been cut in half since 2000. This will come as a surprise to many readers because there has been so much news coverage of brazen attacks by organized criminals on police stations and public transportation in São Paulo as well as in Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian cities. These attacks are intended to generate media coverage, embarrass officials and intimidate law enforcement. They... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Drug-related Gun Battles in Rio de Janeiro Leave 19 Dead
BBC News
18 April 2007
Nineteen people have been killed in gun battles between rival drug gangs and in a separate incident involving police in Brazil's city of Rio de Janeiro. The battles are said to have involved drug dealers trying to gain control in the Morro da Mineira shantytown. The shootings caused chaos in the central district of the city. They happened as the government considers a request from Rio's governor for troops to be... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
In Rio, Ambulance Crews Carry, Spray-fire M-16s to Ward Off Drug Gangs
Washington Post Foreign Service
30 March 2007
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Emergency medical technician Antonio Carlos Maia doesn't ride shotgun in his ambulance. He rides assault rifle. The scuffed barrel of his M-16 juts out of the passenger-side window, locked and loaded with a magazine full of bullets. Just in case, a 9mm pistol is holstered under the bottom edge of his bulletproof vest. The ambulance driver and two additional EMTs riding in the back have their own guns, meaning that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazilian States Which Destroyed Most Guns Saw Crime Rates Fall
Reuters
25 September 2006
BRASILIA, Brazil -- More than 150 Brazilians were murdered each day last year on average, putting Brazil on a par with some war zones in terms of its homicide rate, the Justice Ministry said on Monday. Some 55,000 Brazilians died of homicide in 2005 -- a few thousand more civilians than in three years of war in Iraq, according to leading estimates. Brazil, a continent-sized nation of 185 million people starkly divided into... ( gunpolicy.org )
Australia, Canada, Brazil, United Nations
Nations Disarm: Australia Set Off a Universal Gun-Control Revolution
Australian (Sydney), Opinion
28 April 2006
Today we remember the Port Arthur murder victims in church services and vigils, prayers and concerts, books and documentaries. The cross listing their names overlooks the memorial garden, a quiet place for contemplation and tears in honour of those so brutally slain on April 28, 1996. Another memorial to those killed and wounded on that awful day is less visible or tangible but powerful nonetheless: Australia's nationally uniform... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Former Soldiers Confess to Stealing Assault Rifles from Brazilian Army
United Press International
17 March 2006
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Two former Brazilian soldiers confessed to stealing weapons from an armory, prompting a military operation to recover them, O Globo reported Friday. Some 1,500 troops staged search operations in Rio's hillside slums known as "favelas" in an effort to find the cache of weapons. However after 10 days of searching, the patrols supported by tanks and helicopters did not find the guns. The operation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazilian Army Recovers Assault Rifles Stolen by Shantytown Robbers
Associated Press
15 March 2006
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- The recovery of stolen weapons won't stop the army from searching shantytowns for the bandits who took them, security officials said Wednesday. The army announced Tuesday that it had recovered the 10 assault rifles and a pistol stolen from an army barracks on March 3 by seven gunmen wearing army-issue camouflage gear and ninja masks. The robbery triggered a massive military operation, with some... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazilian Troops, Police Storm Favelas in Search for Stolen Army Guns
Associated Press
8 March 2006
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Army troops and federal highway police set up checkpoints on Rio de Janeiro's major access roads Wednesday, trying to prevent thieves from fleeing with rifles stolen from a Brazilian army barracks last week. Some 1,500 troops and police officers have occupied nine shantytowns searching for the guns stolen Friday by seven gunmen wearing army-issue camouflage gear and ninja masks. The gunmen overpowered three... ( gunpolicy.org )
Caribbean, Central America, Honduras, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil
Guns and Cocaine in Caribbean, Central America: A Market Out of Control
ISN Security Watch (Zurich), Web Page
28 February 2006
Gone are the days when the black market for cocaine required a few strong men, limited bribes, and involved the purchase of a few revolvers. The cocaine trade has expanded well beyond the Andean mountain corridor and the control of local actors there. The market for small arms and light weapons has completely overlapped the cocaine market. Purchases for arms are no longer made with cash but with cocaine, and the same routes used... ( gunpolicy.org )
El Salvador, Paraguay, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Central America, South America
At Least 90 People Killed in Latin American New Year Celebrations
Australian Associated Press
2 January 2006
SAN SALVADOR -- At least 90 people were killed in Latin America in road, fireworks and other accidents during New Year's celebrations. The highest death toll was registered in El Salvador, where some 33 people were killed and another 89 injured during celebrations marking the start of 2006, officials said. Carlos Alvarado, a spokesman for the country's civil defence system, said that many of those killed and wounded from... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Amnesty Uses Brazil Violence to Promote Gun Control in the World
Brazzil / Agência Brasil
5 December 2005
During the course of 2006, Amnesty International plans to present its report entitled "They Come In Shooting -- The Policing of Socially Excluded Communities in Brazil," on police violence in Brazil, in various European, Latin American, and US cities. The full text of the 52-page long document, which was released internationally on Friday, December 2, is available on the website: www.amnesty.org. The presentations will... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Brazil
Brazil Wiser Than San Francisco
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia), Opinion
16 November 2005
Jurisdiction No. 1: High rate of violent crime; a widely publicized anti-gun measure on the ballot; voters decisively reject a measure to ban the sale of firearms and ammunition. Jurisdiction No. 2: High rate of violent crime; a widely publicized anti-gun measure on the ballot; voters decisively adopt a measure to ban sales of firearms and ammunition. Two jurisdictions. Two gun-ban measures. Two very different results.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Isolation, Many Dangers Explain Why Brazilians Rejected Gun Ban
Knight Ridder / Tribune (USA)
30 October 2005
CAREIRO CASTANHO, Brazil -- For Ezaias Guedes da Lima and his neighbors in this Amazonian town, the idea of giving up their guns is as ridiculous as surrendering the machetes they have used to carve out livelihoods in the thick jungle. Life here is an isolated, dangerous affair, with only a handful of police covering a huge area and wild boar, alligators and other menaces a constant hazard. That isolation was demonstrated... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Another Defeat for Gun Control: Gwynne Dyer
Trinidad and Tobago Express
27 October 2005
Last Sunday in Brazil, a country with the second-highest rate of gun deaths on the planet, almost two-thirds of Brazilians voted against a total ban on the sale of firearms. Explain that. Brazil loses 38,000 people a year in gun-related killings. That is twice as bad as the United States, generally regarded as the industry leader in these matters: the US has one and a half times Brazil's population, but only 30,000 Americans are... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Unfortunate Rejection of Much Needed Ban on Guns
Khaleej Times (Dubai), Editorial
26 October 2005
It is unfortunate that Brazil voters have rejected the sensible and much needed ban on gun sales. About 64 per cent people voted against and 36 per cent in favour of the ban in a referendum held on Sunday. The referendum results do not really come as a surprise though since most opinion polls ahead of the vote had predicted a defeat for the government proposal. Yet it is hard to justify the overwhelming opposition to gun sales ban.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Ban Rejection Blamed on Discontent With Lula
Financial Times (UK)
25 October 2005
SAO PAULO -- Brazilians voted by more than three to two on Sunday to reject a ban on the sale of firearms and ammunition in the country. The size of the rejection was seen as a protest at the failure of public policy on security and as a reflection of discontent with the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The vote was held to ratify a clause in the 2003 statute of disarmament. The statute made it harder... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Control Advocates Lash Out at Failed Sale Ban
Jamaica Gleaner / AP
25 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Stunned by the crushing defeat of a referendum to ban the sale of firearms in Brazil, gun control advocates yesterday blamed a lack of public safety and government corruption. On Sunday, more than 120 million Brazilians were asked: "Should the commerce of small arms and ammunition be prohibited?" With 99.85 per cent of the votes counted, 63.92 per cent of Brazilians voted 'no', while 36.08 per cent voted 'yes'.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Shot Down: Lobby Kills Brazil Gun Ban
CorpWatch
25 October 2005
Every 15 minutes, someone in Brazil dies from a gunshot wound, according to the United Nations. Yet the world's first ever referendum on banning civilian guns in this country failed to pass this past Sunday. Instead the proposed ban went down to a resounding defeat with almost two thirds of the population voting no to the question: "Should the sale of all types of guns and ammunition be banned nationwide for everyone except the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil, United States
The NRA Takes on Gun Control - in Brazil
AlterNet
25 October 2005
Brazilians flatly rejected a plan to ban the commercial sale of firearms and ammunition in a historic national referendum on Sunday. The vote is a victory for Brazil's wealthy gun lobby which opponents say used strategies learned from the National Rifle Association to shift public opinion. An estimated 122 million citizens took part in the referendum -- the first of its kind in the world -- and preliminary counts showed 64 percent... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Arms Makers Accused of Funding 'Gun Rights' Campaign to 'Manipulate Fears'
Independent (South Africa) / Reuters
24 October 2005
SAO PAULO -- From sprawling cities plagued by violence to the backwaters of the Amazon, Brazilians voted decisively on Sunday to keep gun sales legal in the country with the world's highest death toll from firearms. About 64 percent rejected banning arms sales in the nationwide referendum, the electoral court said, with more than 90 percent of the expected 122 million votes counted. Only 36 percent supported the ban, even... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazilians Reject Measure to Ban Sale of Firearms
Washington Post Foreign Service
24 October 2005
BUENOS AIRES -- 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.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazilian Voters Appear to Have Beaten Ban on Weapons
New York Times
24 October 2005
BUENOS AIRES -- In a national referendum on gun control, voters in Brazil appear to have overwhelmingly rejected a sweeping permanent prohibition on the sale of arms and ammunition. With three-quarters of the vote counted there, the gun ban proposal, endorsed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and scores of actors, pop stars and other celebrities, was trailing by a ratio of almost two to one. Voting was obligatory, and nearly... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Rejects Gun Sale Ban in Referendum
Agence France Presse
24 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure to ban gun sales in Brazil, which has one of the world's highest murder rates. With 74 percent of the electronic ballots counted, election officials said that about 65 percent voted no and 35 percent yes. Opinion polls had indicated most would vote against the ban. The government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, human rights groups and the Roman... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil's Lula Says Access to Guns Won't Help Citizens' Security
Bloomberg (USA)
24 October 2005
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazilians' vote in favor of keeping access to handguns won't make them any more secure. Brazilians voted 64 percent to 36 percent in a referendum yesterday to reject a proposed ban on retail sales of guns and ammunition, the national elections authority said on its Web site. The balloting marks the first time a country put a gun- control measure to a popular vote, according to the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Firearm Ban Rejected Despite 'Badly Organised, Weak' Gun Owners
Newsday (New York)
24 October 2005
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Voters in Brazil, a country with one of the world's highest rates of gun-related homicide, overwhelmingly rejected a measure yesterday that would have banned the domestic sale of small arms and ammunition. More than 63 percent of the electorate voted against the ban, including majorities in all 26 Brazilian states and the federal district. Firearms are involved in the murders of about 38,000 people... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Ban Campaign 'Heavy in Celebrity, Light in Argument'
BBC News
24 October 2005
SAO PAULO -- Statistically, Brazil is one of the most violent places on Earth. Last year, 36,000 people were killed with guns -- more than in any other country. And yet the Brazilian people have voted in a referendum to reject a proposal to ban the sale of firearms. So what happened? To outsiders, this referendum looked like a no-brainer. In a country where one person is killed with a gun every 15 minutes, surely... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
In $215 Million Gun Ban Referendum, the Real Question Was...
OpenDemocracy.net
24 October 2005
In a small Brazilian city, José Maria da Silva woke up on Sunday 23 October after a hard working week and prepared to observe a compulsory duty. Not to attend church, even on this saint's day, but rather to go to a polling-station and vote "yes" or "no" on a simple question: "Do you think the commercial sale of firearms and munitions should be prohibited in Brazil?" As he walked to the polling-station, José Maria da Silva pondered... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Rely on the Police? No Way, Say Most Voters
Reuters
24 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- The rejection of a government-backed ban on gun sales by Brazilians has shown their lack of faith in the police and courts in a country where the gun death toll is comparable to war zones. Nearly 64 percent of voters in this country of 185 million people opposed the proposed ban on Sunday in the world's first national referendum on gun sales. It was a sign that the fight against crime will be a hot issue... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Voters Not Yet Ready to Bid Farewell to Arms: Interesting Summary
InterPress Service News Agency
24 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- The resounding defeat of a proposed ban on the sale of guns and ammunition in a referendum Sunday reflected one of the most sudden shifts in public opinion ever recorded in Brazil, and some fear that it could usher in more conservative, authoritarian security policies that trample human and social rights. The firearms ban was voted down by almost two thirds -- 64 percent -- of voters, an even more sizeable majority... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Ban Referendum Could Hinge on Suspicion of Police
Reuters
23 October 2005
SAO PAULO, Brazil -- From Brazil's violence-plagued slums to the guarded enclaves of the rich, people voted on Sunday on whether to ban guns sales in the country with the world's highest death toll from firearms. Surveys released before the referendum indicated they would reject the ban despite the fact that some 36,000 people were killed by guns last year in Brazil, where bloodshed and violent crime are a daily worry for many citizens.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Polls Show Brazil Will Vote Against Ban on Firearms
CNN / AP
23 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- A nationwide antigun referendum has stirred many Brazilians to defend a right they feel they deserve, although it's not guaranteed by their Constitution: The right to bear arms. Just weeks ago, antigun advocates thought they'd win easily when they proposed a nationwide referendum to ban the sale of firearms in Brazil, which kill nearly 40,000 people a year. But as some 122 million Brazilians prepare... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
'Since the Bandits Have Guns, You Need a Gun at Home'
Associated Press
23 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazilians soundly rejected a proposal to ban the sale of guns in a national referendum Sunday, striking down the bid to stem one of the world's highest firearm murder rates following a campaign that drew parallels to the U.S. gun control debate. Brazil has 100 million fewer citizens than the United States, but a staggering 25 percent more gun deaths at nearly 40,000 a year. While supporters argued that gun control... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
US Groups Watch Closely, But Deny Funding Gun Ban Fight
Knight Ridder / Tribune (USA)
23 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Brazilians Sunday overwhelmingly rejected a controversial proposal to ban almost all sales of guns and bullets to civilians. With about 80 percent of electronic ballots tabulated Sunday night, 66 percent of voters rejected the proposal while 36 percent voted in favor of it, a spread that guaranteed the measure's defeat. Polls just three months ago found that four-fifths of Brazilians were prepared... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
'World Agenda on Disarmament' Slowed by Pro-gun Vote
Bloomberg (USA)
23 October 2005
Brazilians, voting in a referendum today, may reject a proposal to ban retail sales of guns and ammunition, a law advocates including President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva say would curb the country's rising violence. The nation-wide balloting marks the first time a country has put a gun-control measure to a popular vote, according to the human-rights group Amnesty International. The latest polls ahead of the vote showed a majority... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Holds Contentious Vote on Gun Control Law
National Public Radio, Weekend Edition (USA), Audio
22 October 2005
Interviews recorded with parties to the Brazilian gun ban referendum. Advocates of the right to bear arms clash with those who say guns lead to chaos and violence ahead of Saturday's vote. An estimated 36,000 people were shot dead last year in Brazil. ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Votes on Deadly Obsession With Guns
Guardian (UK)
22 October 2005
About 120 million Brazilians go to the polls tomorrow to vote in a referendum on the sale of guns in a country which has the second highest rate of gun deaths in the world. Nearly 39,000 people are killed with guns each year in Brazil -- around 22 deaths per 100,000 people -- according to UNESCO. A fierce battle over the referendum entered its final stages this week, as voters pondered the question: "Should the sale of arms and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Ban Referendum Misses its Target
Financial Times (UK)
22 October 2005
As an exercise in participative democracy, it seems badly flawed. Brazilians will vote in a mandatory referendum tomorrow to decide the question, "Should the sale of firearms and ammunition be prohibited in Brazil?" There should be little doubt about the answer. Gunshot wounds kill more than 107 Brazilians every day, more than traffic accidents and fewer only than heart and brain disorders. Restrictions on the owning and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
In Referendum Deception, Mandela Threatens to Sue Gun Lobby
Al Jazeera
22 October 2005
Former South African president Nelson Mandela has threatened to sue Brazil's pro-gun lobby for illegally using his image in their campaign against a proposed ban on firearms, an anti-violence group says. According to Viva Rio on Friday, Mandela's lawyer sent a letter to Brazil's pro-gun group Front for Legitimate Defence, asking it to stop using Mandela's image in its ads urging people to oppose the ban in a nationwide referendum... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Murder Toll Forces Gun Ban Referendum
Independent (UK)
22 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- A hand-written sign hangs from the emergency room door, with the warning: "Restricted due to overcrowding (Risk of Death)". Inside it's a typically hot Friday night at Bonsucesso General Hospital (HGB) in Rio's sprawling north side, and the gunshot victims are rolling in. They are part of an annual tide of firearms casualties that tops 40,000. That is four times the number in the United States, despite the fact... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Population Sticks to its Guns: Referendum Set to be Rejected
Times (UK)
22 October 2005
One hundred people die from gunshot wounds in Brazil every day, making it one of the world's most dangerous countries. Yet tomorrow Brazilians look set to reject a proposal to ban the sale of firearms and ammunition. The world's first national referendum on gun control appears likely to result in a victory for the "no" campaign mounted by an alliance of Brazil's conservative parties and funded by gun manufacturers. Latest... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil, United States
As Brazil Votes to Ban Guns, US Gun Lobby Warns of Global Fight
Nation (USA)
21 October 2005
On October 23 an estimated 122 million Brazilians will vote in a national referendum on whether to ban the sale of guns and ammunition to private citizens. The first of its kind in the world, this referendum has divided the population of Brazil, a world leader in gun deaths, along sim or não lines. In 2003 voters here passed what is the strictest gun law in the Americas; now the nation's top leadership is divided on how much further... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Ban Referendum Support Slides as Opposition Attacks
BBC News
21 October 2005
Campaigning is nearing a climax ahead of an unprecedented national referendum on banning gun sales in Brazil -- where one person is killed with a firearm every 15 minutes. Many landowners, who often live in remote areas out of the reach of law enforcement agencies, are fighting hard for a No vote. Opinion polls suggest the comfortable lead earlier allocated to the Yes vote has now been eroded. The head of the parliamentary... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Guns Ban Likely to Be Shot Down
Agence France Presse
21 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil, which has one of the world's highest murder rates, will hold a referendum on Sunday on whether to ban sales of guns to the public. More than 500,000 were killed in Brazil between 1979 and 2003, according to UN figures, and many tourists now think twice about a walk along Rio de Janeiro's famous Copacabana beach for fear of being held up at gunpoint. There are more than 17 million firearms in Brazil,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
In a Global First, Brazilians Voting on Banning Gun Sales
Christian Science Monitor
21 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- The debate over gun control is entering uncharted waters in Brazil, where for the first time anywhere in the world, a proposed ban on gun sales will be put directly to voters. Sunday's referendum follows an ambitious gun buyback scheme last year that prompted people to turn in more than 420,000 weapons ranging from antique rifles to semiautomatic assault weapons. Gun homicides fell by 8 percent the following year,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
John Lott: Q&A on Brazil's Gun Referendum
Council on Foreign Relations (USA), Interview
21 October 2005
Brazilians go to the polls October 23 to vote in a referendum to ban the sale of guns and ammunition. The referendum -- the first of its kind in the world -- is aimed at curbing Brazil's soaring murder and violent crime rates. John Lott, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the book More Guns, Less Crime, suggests a ban would do little to stem gun violence in Brazil. He points to inadequate law enforcement... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Q&A on Gun Ban Referendum: The Key Issues
BBC News
21 October 2005
Brazilians are to hold a referendum on 23 October on whether to ban the sale of firearms and ammunition to civilians. The authorities say it is the world's first nationwide vote on guns, and that it could set a precedent for campaigns in other countries. The BBC News website looks at some of the key issues surrounding the referendum. Why is the Vote Important for Brazil? The South American country has the second-highest... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Rio Slums Blighted By Gun Crime: Firearm Prices Up Since Ban
BBC News
21 October 2005
As Brazil gears up for a referendum on banning the sale of guns and ammunition, Jo Wright visits some of Rio de Janeiro's slums, or favelas, where many residents live with the constant threat of gun violence from heavily armed drug traffickers. The names of the favela residents have been changed. In the favelas, buildings are pock-marked with bullet holes and youths with military-style small arms patrol the streets at night. Incursions... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil, World's Leader in Gun Deaths, Divided Over Firearms Ban
Bloomberg (USA)
20 October 2005
Brazil, the world's leader in gun- related murders, is divided over a proposal to ban the sale of firearms that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says would help curb an increase of violence in the country. The Oct. 23 referendum marks the first time any nation has put a gun-control measure to a popular vote, according to the human-rights group Amnesty International. A poll this month of 2,002 people by Rio de Janeiro-based Ibope... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Country Divided Over Gun Ban Referendum
Knight Ridder / Tribune (USA)
20 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil, which has more annual gun deaths than any other country, could be poised to launch dramatic measures to stop the violence that's paralyzed whole cities. This Sunday the 186 million-person country will become the first in the world to hold a nationwide referendum on banning the sales of guns and bullets to almost all civilians. The result is anything but certain. A public opinion survey this month... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Control is Saving Lives: Voters Will Now Decide its Pace
The Economist
20 October 2005
DIADEMA -- In the late 1990s the citizens of Diadema were so ashamed of living there that they registered their cars in neighbouring São Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, rather than be seen driving around with local plates. The source of the stigma was crime: in 1999 there were 374 murders in Diadema, a rate of 110 per 100,000 people, staggering even by Brazilian standards. The dense and gritty satellite town became notorious nationally as... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun-Happy Brazil Hotly Debates a Nationwide Ban
New York Times
20 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazilians have a startling propensity to shoot each other. With about 180 million people living here, nearly 40,000 were killed by firearms in 2003. That is almost four times the number in the United States, whose population is larger by more than 100 million people. Brazil's cities are growing more violent and dangerous, crime is rising and gangs often have more firepower than the police now. But a government... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Shantytowns Ground Zero in Gun Control Referendum
Associated Press
20 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- When kids play cops and robbers in Rio's Mare shantytown, many of the guns aren't make-believe. Boys playfully take aim at their buddies with loaded assault rifles. They don't shoot; it's just a game. But the violence is real -- so real that one piece of Mare is known as the Gaza Strip for its frequent shootouts between police and drug gangs. Shantytowns like Mare are ground zero in a battle over Brazilians'... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Poll Shows Brazilians Would Vote Against Total Gun Ban
Reuters
19 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Voters in Brazil, which has the world's highest death toll from guns, will reject a ban on firearms sales in an upcoming referendum, according to a poll published on Wednesday. Some 52 percent of nearly 2,000 people surveyed in 11 cities would vote "no" to the ban and 34 percent "yes", the poll by Toledo and Associates said. A further 10 percent were undecided. The survey shows a swing away from sentiment... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Sales Rise at Possible Prohibition: Vote Could Be Close
Prensa Latina (Havana)
16 October 2005
BRASILIA -- Arms sales increased 27.85 percent in Brazil so far this year, according to a survey prior to an October 23 referendum, when most citizens are expected to vote for a ban on sale of weapons. Daily O Globo dedicated several pages to this referendum, including the survey reporting 68,800 firearms sold up to October, a 27.85 percent rise compared to 2004. Sales dropped last year following enactment of a law in late... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil's Referendum to Ban Gun Sales: Facts & Figures
Reuters
14 October 2005
Brazil holds a national referendum on Oct. 23 on a government-proposed ban on the sale of firearms and ammunition to civilians. Below are some key facts about the ballot: - It is the first time a nation uses a referendum to decide whether to ban gun sales, according to Brazil's government. - Voting is compulsory in Brazil, where about 121 million people between the ages of 18 and 70 are expected to participate. Some 407,000... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Tough Clash Ahead in Brazil Referendum to Ban Guns
Reuters
14 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Dire adverts warning Brazilians could be made defenseless against any Nazi-like tyranny have not budged Lourdes Lima in her plan to vote to ban gun sales in a national referendum. "I'm sick and tired of guns, we see them or hear them every day. I made up my mind and will vote to ban them," the 54-year-old street sweeper said, crumpling a leaflet warning of the dangers of disarmament by showing Hitler giving a Nazi... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazilians to Vote Whether to Ban Gun Sales Nationwide
Daily Journal (Caracas) / AP
13 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- A rap group interrupts the TV evening news with a rapid-fire tirade about the need to protect family and friends. No gangsta rap here -- they want Brazil to ban the sale of guns. Then a young woman tells viewers that banning guns won't stop violence, and that she won't give up her constitutional right to bear arms. If Brazil outlaws guns, she warns, only outlaws will have guns. Latin America's largest country is... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa, Brazil
Follow Brazilian Lead and Close the Arms Industry
Cape Times (Capetown), Opinion
13 October 2005
Brazil will hold a referendum on October 23 to prohibit private ownership of firearms and the sale of ammunition. An 80% "Yes" vote is expected and voting is compulsory under Brazilian law. The disarmament movement follows demands in Rio de Janeiro and other cities when groups of up to 50 000 people marched peacefully to demonstrate that they had had enough of gang violence. The Brazilian Congress responded to the marches... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Vendors Say Gun Sales So Low, No Ban Needed
Reuters
9 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Licensed gun vendor Antonio Alves last sold a firearm four months ago in Brazil's crime-ridden city of Rio de Janeiro and has reluctantly switched to selling drums and guitars instead. Brazil, which holds a grim world record for deaths from firearms, is preparing for a referendum on Oct. 23 that is likely to ban all gun and ammunition sales to civilians. Vendors say there is little the ban can... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Most Rio de Janeiro Crime Guns Came from Legal Owners: Study
Williston Herald (North Dakota)
5 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Most of the guns used by criminals in Rio de Janeiro were initially bought by law-abiding citizens, according to a study released weeks before a national referendum on whether to ban the sale of firearms. The findings counter claims by the gun lobby that the illegal arms trade is responsible for most shooting deaths in Brazil's tourist mecca, which has one of the world's highest urban crime rates. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Legally Owned Guns Supply Brazilian Crime, Says Government [Espanol]
Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
4 October 2005
Translated summary: A study by the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro finds that 72% of crime guns were once legally owned, and 65% of registered guns used in crime once belonged to civilians. The report also looks at how the guns were used in crime. Guns that had once been legally owned were used in: - 78% of armed theft - 67% of rapes at gunpoint - 58% of gun homicides - 32% of kidnappings at gunpoint... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
First Country to Vote on Issue, Brazil Weighs a National Gun Ban
Washington Post Foreign Service
1 October 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- As she walked home through the twisting, narrow passageways that honeycomb the large hillside slum of Rocinha, Denise do Espirito Santo spotted a young man following her. She recognized him as a drug dealer, part of an armed gang that holds sway over much of the neighborhood, but she wasn't afraid. When she reached home, she said, she waved goodbye to him and stepped through the door she had left unlocked while... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Nobel Laureate Jodi Williams Promotes Brazil Gun Control Referendum
O Globo (Brazil), Opinion
24 September 2005
When the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) was launched in 1992, even the most optimistic among us did not think it likely that we would remove landmines from the world's arsenals. Because their use was so longstanding and so widespread, the vision of a ban seemed far from reality. But in just five amazing years, the ordinary citizens who made up the landmine campaign came together to accomplish the extraordinary --... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Survey Shows Civilian Disarmament Overwhelmingly Approved
Agência Brasil
14 September 2005
BRASILIA -- As Brazil prepares for a national referendum on disarmament next month, the National Transportation Confederation (CNT) has run a poll asking the same question that will appear on the October 23 ballot: "The sale of firearms and ammunition should be prohibited in Brazil?" The answer was: 72.7% said yes; 24% said no; and 3.3% said they had no opinion or did not respond. However, the survey found that opinion was divided... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Gun Deaths Down After Disarmament Campaign
Reuters
3 September 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- A government disarmament campaign has helped cut gun deaths in Brazil, which has the worst record in the world for such killings, for the first time in 13 years, the Health Ministry said on Friday. The report was released seven weeks before a referendum on banning guns and arms sales in Latin America's largest country, which is gripped by rampant crime. It said gun deaths fell by more than 8 percent to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Drop in Gun Deaths in Brazil Follows Disarmament Measures
BBC News
3 September 2005
SAO PAULO -- For the first time in 13 years Brazil has seen a fall in the number of deaths caused by firearms. Last year 36,000 people were killed by guns -- a drop of 8% from 2003, according to the health ministry. The government says the change is due to innovative disarmament measures, including a gun buy-back scheme. The figures were released on Friday, seven weeks before a national referendum on whether to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Launches Gun Ban Referendum Campaign [Francais]
Le Monde (Paris)
13 August 2005
Translated excerpts: "There are about 17 millions of weapons in the country." NGO Viva Rio voices pro-ban opinions, followed by opposing views "mostly from wealthy people afraid for their security." The campaign towards the national referendum is also said to be overshadowed by a worsening crisis in government. « Le pays est fatigué de la violence et les gens en ont assez des armes à feu », a déclaré le sociologue Rubem Cesar... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
President of Senate Opens Disarmament Campaign
Agência Brasil
1 August 2005
BRASILIA -- Today the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL), will be in Campinas (SP) to open the country's disarmament campaign, officially known as the Parliamentary Front for a Brazil without Firearms. The idea is to mobilize support for a "yes" vote on October 23 when voters will be asked if they want to halt the sale of firearms (and ammunition) in Brazil. Calheiros declared that the only beneficiaries of the sale... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Congressional Blocs Will Campaign for and Against Firearms
Agência Brasil
28 July 2005
BRASILIA -- On October 23rd more than 120 million registered voters in Brazil will go to the polls, not to vote for candidates, as they normally do on election dates, but to decide whether firearms should continue to be sold in Brazil. The referendum is dividing opinions among members of the Brazilian Congress and society, even though a competition for legislative seats is not involved. Next week two groups of Federal Deputies and Senators... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Crime-Hit Brazil Split Over Possible Gun Sales Ban
Reuters
20 July 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Rio de Janeiro taxi driver Luiz Marcelo is normally mild mannered, but he loses his temper when Brazil's upcoming referendum on whether gun sales should be banned comes up in a conversation. "All you see around us in the streets is crime, and the best they can think of is to disarm honest citizens like me and you," the 50-year-old almost shouts. "I have a gun at home and another one in this car and I'm... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Sets Date for Referendum on Gun Sales Ban
Reuters
8 July 2005
BRASILIA -- Brazil's Congress on Thursday approved a plan for a nationwide Oct. 23 referendum on whether to ban the sale of firearms in a country that had the world's second highest death rate from guns. Senate leader Renan Calheiros put into effect the bill that had been passed by the lower house just before midnight on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority of 258 deputies. There were 48 votes against and five abstentions. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Set for Vote on Gun Ban
BBC News
7 July 2005
The Brazilian Congress has approved a plan for a nationwide referendum on whether to ban the sale of firearms. A majority of lawmakers voted in favour of holding the referendum, which is now expected to take place on 23 October. Campaigners for a ban welcomed the decision. Brazil has the second-highest number of gun-related deaths in the world, outstripping many war zones. A recent UN report said more than 500,000... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Referendum on Gun Sales Still Bogged Down in Congress
Agência Brasil
28 June 2005
BRASILIA -- The publication of a Unesco study of deaths in Brazil by firearms has ratcheted up the pressure on the Chamber of Deputies to vote authorization for a referendum on the sale of firearms and ammunition (Congress has already passed a bill prohibiting the sale of firearms and ammunition in Brazil). Voting in the chamber is presently tied up because of other measures that have priority (temporary measures (MPs) and bills... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
UN Highlights Brazil Gun Crisis: Worse Than Most War Zones
BBC News
27 June 2005
SAO PAULO -- More than 500,000 people have been killed by firearms in Brazil between 1979 and 2003, according to a new report by the United Nations. The study found that there were more gun-related killings in Brazil than in most war zones. Guns are the single biggest cause of death among young people in the Latin American nation, the organisation says. The UN has urged lawmakers to approve plans for a referendum... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Brazil Police Confiscate Guns from Iraqis at Summit
Reuters
11 May 2005
BRASILIA, Brazil -- Brazilian police confiscated four pistols from an Iraqi security team on Monday when they arrived in Brasilia for the South American-Arab summit. A federal police spokesman said the security agents did not have permission from Brazilian authorities to carry the Glock 9 mm guns. The agents were accompanying Iraq's new president, Jalal Talabani, who is making his first trip abroad to attend the summit of 12 South... ( gunpolicy.org )
Venezuela, Brazil
Venezuela, Brazil World Leaders in Gun Deaths, Says UN
Reuters
5 May 2005
BRASILIA, Brazil -- Venezuela and Brazil have the highest gun death rates in the world, according to a U.N. study released on Thursday in Brazil as the country's legislators considered a referendum to ban firearm sales. Gun murders are the leading cause of death in Brazil, which ranked second only to Venezuela in gun murders out of 57 countries studied by the United Nations report. In Venezuela, 22.15 people out of every... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil, World
Fighting the Global Scourge of Small Arms and Light Weapons
InterPress Service News Agency
27 April 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO -- The real weapons of mass destruction are small arms and light weapons, which kill half a million people around the world every year, according to the international movement pushing for greater control over the trade in these instruments of death. The unchecked proliferation of pistols, revolvers, assault rifles, grenades, machine guns and similar weapons has had drastic consequences for health and public security,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Death Squad 'Guns Down 30' in Favela
BBC News
1 April 2005
A death squad has killed at least 30 people in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, police say. Several teenagers and a child were among those gunned down on Thursday night in towns in the districts of Queimados and Nova Iguacu. Authorities say they are looking at the possible role of what they call rogue police, in a potential act of reprisal for recent arrests of eight officers. Rights groups accuse police of carrying... ( gunpolicy.org )
Haiti, United Nations, Brazil
UN and Brazil Work to Rid Haitian Guns
United Press International
14 January 2005
BRASILIA -- The United Nations and Brazil are studying ways to collect the hundreds of thousands of illegal arms among Haitian citizens, Brazilian officials said Friday. Brazilian troops are leading the U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti that took over duties from a U.S.-led interim force back in May. Foreign troops first arrived in Haiti following the Feb. 29 departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who left amid growing... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Buyback Extended, Aims for 500,000 Firearms
Associated Press
10 December 2004
BRASILIA, Brazil -- The government on Thursday extended a successful gun buyback program for six months with hopes of taking as many as 500,000 firearms off the streets. Brazilians have turned in more than 200,000 guns since the program was launched in July, Justice Minister Marcio Thomaz Bastos said. The program will now run through June 2005 "Our original goal was to collect 80,000 weapons by December 23," Bastos said... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Buyback Exceeds Hopes: Viva Rio
Los Angeles Times
24 October 2004
Officials have collected nearly 130,000 firearms in a program to make the violent country safer. Up to 20 million may still be out there. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Every time he hit the road as a traveling salesman, Francisco Pereira packed two things: clothes and heat. It was just a simple handgun, small and cheap. "He was afraid something would happen," said his wife, Palmyra Goncalves Pereira. "He felt safer with it." Thankfully,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
New Gun Law Comes Into Force
BBC News
22 September 2004
Tough new anti-gun legislation comes into force in Brazil on Wednesday, in a bid to curb what the UN says is the world's fourth-highest murder rate. Under the new rules, anyone carrying a gun without a licence will face a prison sentence. Permits will be issued only to police, security guards and others in high-risk professions -- but they must be at least 25 years old. Anyone else caught carrying a firearm will... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Hope Emerging in War on Gun Violence
Reuters
21 September 2004
BRASILIA -- A campaign to scoop up the firearms that give Brazil a higher gun death rate than some countries at war is providing a glimmer of hope in a nation that has become almost numb to news of violent crime. A tough new law backing that program came into force on Tuesday, making it more likely that the number of guns recovered will continue to rise. Some experts say killings appear to have fallen since the collection program... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Buyback Could Be Wildly Successful, Say NGOs
InterPress Service
20 August 2004
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's national civil disarmament campaign will triple or quadruple the government's goal of collecting and destroying 80,000 firearms in civilian hands this year. But it could increase that quantity tenfold if civil society were given greater participation, said Antonio Rangel, coordinator of the Viva Rio arms reduction project in Rio de Janeiro, who based his argument on the fact that 57,000 weapons have already... ( gunpolicy.org )
Peru, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
Latin America Top of the Global Gun Death Chart
Latin America Press
19 August 2004
A recent report by the Institute for International Studies in Geneva found that between 73,000 and 90,000 people are killed each year by firearms in Latin America and the Caribbean. With an average of 16 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants, Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest percentage of firearm deaths in the world. "At least eight Latin American and Caribbean countries have indices of firearm... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Gun Amnesty is a Hit
Brazzil Magazine
17 August 2004
Brazilians who own unregistered weapons must turn them in or register them by December 23. Brazil's Disarmament Statute determines that illegal bearing of weapons is a crime without bail. The country is now promoting a disarmament campaign. In one month, more than 50,000 guns have been surrendered to police. Brazil's first demolition of firearms turned in to the Federal Police (PF) as part of the National Disarmament Campaign will... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Ronaldo to Shoot Against Small Arms in UN Campaign for Haiti
United Nations News Service
12 August 2004
Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo, who is to play with his country's team in a friendly "peace" match against Haiti next week, is to use his goal-scoring prowess in a second game to raise funds for a United Nations anti-poverty campaign in the strife-torn Caribbean nation, the poorest in the Americas. "I am very keen to go to Haiti with my team to play for peace and as a Brazilian I am very proud to be one of the few who are given the... ( gunpolicy.org )
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