Posted: 10/24/2005 11:50:33 AM EDT
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Brazil gun referendum defeated: a ‘lost opportunity’ for victims of gun violence Struggle to reduce extremely high gun death rates continues PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: Monday 24 October 2005 Campaigners for gun control in Brazil and around the world today expressed disappointment at the result of Brazil’s gun ban referendum in which 64% of the population voted ‘no’ to banning the sale of guns and ammunition. ‘The financial and marketing power of the gun lobby and the gun industry in Brazil won in the end,’ said Rebecca Peters, Director of the International Action Network on Small Arms. ‘We are disappointed at this lost opportunity to take a dramatic stand against gun violence, but we are still hopeful that the country’s strict new guns laws will continue to contribute to saving lives.’ The result is a victory for the financial and marketing power of the gun lobby and the gun industry. In the last 3 weeks before the referendum, Brazil’s election law required that each side be allocated equal air-time to promote their arguments. The pro-gun lobby used that period to run a slick, professional and misleading campaign of TV propaganda for the No vote. By contrast, the Yes vote depended on thousands of volunteers campaigning on the streets, but had very little money available to produce TV ads. The referendum was one of the measures contained in tough national gun laws introduced in December 2003, which made it illegal to carry guns, imposed tighter restrictions for obtaining a gun, and stiffened penalties for using or owning guns illegally. In 2004, the gun death rate dropped 8%, the first decrease in 13 years. ‘The ‘no’ campaign played on people’s fears: that police cannot effectively protect them; that the government was trying to take away their ‘right’ to buy guns. In spite of the results, we do not believe that Brazilians think guns make them safer, and we will keep fighting to prevent gun deaths,’ said Jessica Galeria of the NGO Viva Rio, an IANSA member that campaigned for the ban. The pro-gun lobby claims that if the sale of guns is banned, only criminals will have guns. But the fact is that the majority of crime guns were originally legally owned. The Brazilian referendum was the first time in the world that a country has put its gun laws to a popular vote. Brazil has the highest number of gun deaths in the world, around 38,000 a year – or more than 100 every day. This is a higher rate than in many conflict zones. It is the second largest producer of guns in the hemisphere. A full statement by campaigners working to end the sale of guns and ammunitions in Brazil will be available shortly. UK: Anthea Lawson +44 (0)20 7065 0875 or +44 (0)7900 242 869 Brazil: Jessica Galeria +55 21 2555 3750 or +55 21 8128 8808 |
doesn't the USA had the highest number of guns deaths in the world? 64% is pretty decisive. |
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"The result is a victory for the financial and marketing power of the gun lobby and the gun industry. In the last 3 weeks before the referendum, Brazil’s election law required that each side be allocated equal air-time to promote their arguments. The pro-gun lobby used that period to run a slick, professional and misleading campaign of TV propaganda for the No vote. By contrast, the Yes vote depended on thousands of volunteers campaigning on the streets, but had very little money available to produce TV ads". No, not really. When the campaign originally started, the vote was heavily in favor of the gun ban because the anti-gun media was giving the gun grabers free publicity and not broadcasting the viewpoints of the pro-gun side. That's the only side of the issue the voters got to hear until the pro-gun side was finally able to air their position. |
A no-good-hand-wringing-sob-sister-think-of-the-children-delusional-British-twit-of-a-hosebag-gun-grabber. www.iansa.org IANSA is also behind the effort for the UN small arms ban. |
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Guess where their money comes from? "IANSA’s work has been supported by funders including the Governments of UK, Belgium, Sweden and Norway, as well as the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Compton Foundation, Ploughshares Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Open Society Institute, Samuel Rubin Foundation and Christian Aid." Note the ones in red. Then watch PBS/listen to NPR and see who their major donors are. Semper Fi |