Benjamin Lessing "Banning Guns in Brazil : The Disarmament Referendum in Perspective" October 20, 2005

Benjamin Lessing describes his experiences and the current state of the disarmament campaign in Brazil.

On October 23, Brazil will hold a nationwide, obligatory-vote referendum on a single question: “Should the sale and purchase of firearms be prohibited in Brazil?” With parliamentary fronts formed and media campaigns regulated by the Federal Election Court , the first referendum in Brazil ’s history is forcing a national debate on crime, public security, constitutional rights and the democratic process itself. A brief presentation, including an update on the current state of the campaign, will be followed by an open discussion of the implications of this historic event.

Benjamin Lessing has worked as a researcher on public security issues for the Small Arms Survey and the Brazilian NGO Viva Rio since 2002. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at UC Berkeley.

Mr. Lessing argued that the forces against the disarmament proposal have run an effective campaign, trying to tie disarmament to dissatisfaction with the current government.