Referendo sobre comércio de armas é destaque no NYT

O correspondente Larry Rother diz no artigo no New York Times de hj que o referendo despertou uma raridade aqui no Brasil: debate cívico apaixonado.

With about 180 million people living here, nearly 40,000 were killed by firearms in 2003. That is almost four times the number in the United States, whose population is larger by more than 100 million people. Brazil's cities are growing more violent and dangerous, crime is rising and gangs often have more firepower than the police now.

But a government plan for a complete nationwide ban on guns has generated an impassioned civic debate of a kind rarely seen here.

Rother destaca os principais argumentos do "sim" e do "não" ouvindo líderanças das campanhas como o diretor do Viva Rio, Rubem Cesar Fernandes, e o Dep. Alberto Fraga (PFL/DF)...

Proponents of the ban, bolstered by a letter of support from several Nobel Peace Prize winners, say this is Brazil's chance to vote for a safer society. "This is not Switzerland or England or even the United States, this is the country that kills with firearms more than any in the world," said Rubem Cesar Fernandes, the director of Viva Rio, a civic organization that has championed the ban. "We're experiencing an epidemic, a plague, and radical steps are required to control the spread and irresponsible use of firearms."

Opponents of the ban, including groups that describe themselves as allies of the National Rifle Association, say it would only embolden criminals. "Once bandits know with certainty that law-abiding citizens no longer have guns in their homes, that they can go in without fear, then God help the Brazilian family," said Alberto Fraga, a member of Congress who is president of the Parliamentary Front for the Right to Legitimate Defense.

Rother diz que uma das dificuldades do "sim" na disputa apertada é a falta de investimentos em segurança e os escãndalos de corrupção no governo do presidente Lula.

...President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has instead made cuts in the budget and, distracted by the worst corruption scandal in modern Brazilian history, has not managed even to spend all of the reduced amount that is available.

"Middle-class voters are terrified because they don't see the investment being made in public security," said Raul Jungmann, a member of Congress who is the leader of the yes coalition. "That makes our task much harder."