A proposal to stop the sale of guns in Brazil has been defeated in a referendum by a margin of nearly two to one. Last year, there were thirty-six thousand gun deaths in Brazil, more than any other country. This report from Steve Kingstone:

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The result may come as a surprise to outsiders, given the horrific scale of gun violence in Brazil but the 'no' campaign convinced voters that the proposed ban would have no effect on hardened criminals on the grounds that criminals don't buy guns legally in shops.

The referendum was also portrayed in terms of civil rights. The 'no' campaign acknowledged that not every Brazilian would want to buy a gun. But it said that in a crime-ridden society, citizens should have the right to choose how to defend themselves and their families. Organisers of the failed 'yes' campaign admit they were out-manoeuvred. Given the overwhelming opposition to a gun ban, it may be many years before politicians feel able to revisit this issue.

Steve Kingstone, BBC, Sao Paulo

Listen to the words

went to the polls
voted

banned
legally stopped

a firearm
a gun that can be easily carried

outsiders
people who do not live in Brazil

hardened criminals
people who have been criminals for a long time and commit many crimes

on the grounds that
because

acknowledged
agreed

a crime-ridden society
a country where there is a lot of crime every day

they were out-manoeuvred
the other side had better tactics in the election

to revisit this issue
to talk about the subject of gun control again

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