Brazil Implements Strict Gun Control Measures

A new gun-control law taking effect this month in Brazil is aimed at lowering the nation's high rate of gun deaths by reducing the number of accessible firearms. Brazil has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the world, the Seattle Times reported July 19. The law prohibits Brazilians from carrying firearms in public. Exempt from the law are police, security guards, and others with valid reasons to carry a gun.

The law prohibits Brazilians from carrying firearms in public. Exempt from the law are police, security guards, and others with valid reasons to carry a gun.

In addition, the new law requires gun owners to either register their firearms or turn them in. Violators could face up to four years in prison. The law also raises the legal age for gun ownership from 21 to 25, and requires background checks for anyone interested in buying a gun.

According to officials, guns kill more than 40,000 people each year in Brazil. "In six years, the U.S. lost 56,000 men in Vietnam. We have almost a Vietnam each year in Brazil," said Antonio Rangel Bandeira of Viva Rio. "I show the figures to people in other places and they say, 'Which country is Brazil at war against?'"

Also See: More Gun Control Headlines