BRAZIL: Brazilian voters have decisively rejected a proposal to outlaw the sale of firearms and ammunition.
The vote in a referendum on Sunday followed an aggressive campaign by opponents of a ban, who argued that it would leave citizens defenceless against armed criminals.
With more than 92 per cent of the ballots counted, 64 per cent of voters opposed the ban, which its backers hoped would help Brazil to shed its image 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 proponents of gun control, who had argued that powerful lobbyists for the international gun industry had unfairly influenced government policy. They 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 which helped to co- ordinate the anti-gun campaign. "I hope the whole world will be able to deal with this again."
In the weeks before the referendum, supporters and opponents launched extensive media campaigns to try to sway opinion among the 122 million people who were expected to cast ballots. Voting was mandatory for voting-age Brazilians and optional for those over 70.
Existing laws in Brazil require buyers of guns 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 it would have allowed those who already have legally owned firearms to keep them.
Some of the advertisements included images of international personalities associated with struggles for freedom - such as Nelson Mandela - in an attempt to convince voters that a ban would strip them of the liberties such people fought to protect.
Lawyers representing Mr Mandela wrote to the pro-gun group, Front for Legitimate Defence, to ask that his image be removed from its posters.