Anti-gun zealots in Brazil thought their nationwide referendum to ban firearms was a slamdunk. As much as 80 percent of voters, according to polls, supported the ballot measure. "Most of the media supported the ban, so before the television spots, nobody gave it much thought, but when the pro-gun lobby got equal time the opinion really shifted," Jessica Galeria, a researcher for a Rio think-tank, told the Associated Press. "They were smart, using images of Nelson Mandela, Tiananmen Square and the Berlin Wall to link owning a gun with freedom." Brazilians got the message. On Sunday, they voted to defeat the gun ban by an almost 2 to 1 margin. Though Brazil contains 100 million less people than the United States, it witnesses significantly more gun deaths. Brazilians said no to giving a monopoly on gun ownership to the people who have done such a poor job protecting them. People living in dangerous places don't want to give up their guns, they want them close by.
IF YOU OUTLAW GUNS, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE THEM.
SURE,COPS WILL HAVE THEM, BUT ARE YOU GOING TO WAIT FOR THE COPS WHILE SOME MANIAC IS RAPING YOUR WIFE, OR YOUR KIDS? GET REAL! WITHOUT THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS, OUR FREEDOM IS MEANINGLESS.
ALL THESE IDIOT POLITICIANS WHO TRY TO TAKE GUNS AWAY FROM LAW ABIDING CITIZENS WON'T EVER GIVE UP THEIR OWN GUNS-EVEN IF THEY SUCCEED AT TAKING OURS. THEY'RE NOT STUPID;THEY KNOW THAT CRIMINALS WON'T OBEY THE "NO GUN" LAW;AND THEY WON'T OBEY THE "NO BREAKING INTO HOMES" AND THE "NO RAPING AND PILLAGING" LAWS EITHER.
THE ONLY THING THUGS RESPECT IS FEAR OF DEATH.
THAT'S WHY MY HOME WILL ALWAYS BE INSURED BY SMITH & WESSON,NO MATTER WHAT ANYBODY SAYS;
INCLUDING "BIG BROTHER".
I'LL TAKE MY CHANCES.
I agree that it is very important for the citizens of any nation to be able to own weapons. The reasons behind this should be more obvious in a state like Brazil, where the police are not so dependable and the military is conscripted.
That being said, the reason why the ban was defeated may have been because of the marketing campaign against it. However, the marketing campaign may not have "enlightened anyone". After living in Venezuela for a few years, I can tell you that one major reason why many of the governments down there are the way they are is that people vote like they are pulling slot machines. Blind luck. There are many very well educated people in all of these countries. But the masses, most of which are quite poor, don't even know the issues or candidates involved or what any of it means. So, if one were to advertise enough in ANY direction the masses would follow.
Guns don't kill people, people with moustaches kill people.
