Gun's Don't Make People Safe

One of the National Rifle Association's beliefs is that guns help keep people safe. Its basic theory has always been that if everyone were armed then crimminals would be to scared to act.

Well, that theory has been proven false in Brazil, but it seems the average Brazilian doesn't understand the situation. That country just held a referendum on banning gun and ammunition sales and the pro-gun side won grabbing 64% of the vote. Brazil has a higher gun ownership level then even the United States and it also experienced more then 36,000 deaths by firearm last year.

According to Bloomberg News: Brazil is the world's leader in gun deaths and its urban centers, including the seaside city of Rio de Janeiro, are among the most violent anywhere. Brazil's annual rate of gun death has climbed to 21.7 per 100,000 people, second only to Venezuela among 57 countries surveyed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in a June 2005 survey. The U.S.'s rate was 10.3.

There are more than 17 million firearms in Brazil, of which nine million are not registered, according to the Higher Institute of Religious Studies, which carried out a study with non-governmental groups Rio Alive and Small Arms Survey.
About 36,000 Brazilians a year are killed by firearms -- more than cancer or traffic accidents, its government said.

A coincidence. I'm sure the NRA does not think so.