Brazilian Gun Laws Have Created a Nightmare
Russ Chastain 05.24.18
Many of those in anti-gun circles like to point to foreign countries with strict gun control as examples of their ideal. But most of the time, reality is far different from their idyllic fantasy. This is true of Brazil, a nation which I nave never visited but to which I have family ties.
One of my aunts married a Brazilian man, and they lived in the USA for years. The photo above is my uncle with his son, taken during that time. In the late 1970s, they moved to Brazil with their young daughter and son, my cousins. They had a home in Rio de Janeiro as well as a rural ranch.
My family eventually moved back to the USA. My cousin Chris traveled back and forth between USA and Brazil regularly and recently, going to and from Rio maintaining relationships and conducting business. He has had to stop this travel because of increased violent crime in a place where he has no legal ability to protect himself.
Chris recently wrote the following, which I share here in hopes that some who still believe that banning guns will magically reduce or erase crime will see the light.
My father (from Ibicaraí, Bahia, Brazil) took me on my first hunt when I was about 4 years old. At 10, I was shooting skeet with a single-shot 410 shotgun. At 12, I was shooting skeet and hunting doves with a 12 gauge shotgun. I continued to shoot after I moved overseas to Brazil at age thirteen.
In 1977 just about anyone could own a gun in Brazil. My father and I did. As the years went by, Brazilian gun laws became more strict and at one point I couldn’t get a hold of ammo anymore.
After Lula came into power in 2003, the government convinced many to give up their guns in return for a small compensation. Now, fifteen years later, it’s almost impossible to purchase a firearm in that country. They took away most of the remaining firearms by passing even more stringent gun laws.
Today, Brazil has become one of the most violent and dangerous countries in the world.
Don’t be fooled, there are guns in Brazil. They are just in the hands of the bad guys — so millions of Brazilians live at the mercy of murderous bandits who go around unchallenged, robbing and killing hundreds of innocent people by the day (Chicago is child’s play compared to Rio). It’s a shame.
Many Brazilians really did (some fools still do) believe that getting rid of the guns would get rid of gun violence (a naive and delusional concept).
But back to being a child and shooting guns at an early age. If I had a son, I would most certainly share the same experiences that my father, my friend’s father, and my uncles all shared with me. I learned how to respect guns and how important they may become at any given time.
Today, I continue to own guns and shoot on a regular basis. I just don’t care to hunt anymore.
My takeaway from this: Disarming law-abiding people is never a good idea. Pass down the tradition of gun ownership and shooting skills. Enjoy your rights, and work to preserve them.
Future generations will thank everyone who stood up for civil rights — and despise all who fail to resist.
