Alternet.org has published a postgame of the “no gun ban” vote in Brazil. They make very clear that not only will the result of the vote have a negative effect on Brazilians, but it also has the NRA’s fingerprints all over it.
Two months ago, polls showed 60 to 80 percent of Brazilians favored the ban as a way to control the estimated 17 million small arms that are circulating in the country. But as the vote neared, and as both sides of the issue were given free television time, a slick media blitz by the gun lobby appears to have shifted enough voter opinion.
…Sensing the restrictive laws coming its way, Brazil’s gun lobby turned to the National Rifle Association, which in 2003 sent one of its Washington lobbyists, Charles Cunningham, to São Paulo to discuss strategies. The NRA would not disclose the contents of that meeting but said it has no financial ties with any Brazilian groups. Gun control activists say the NRA’s influence was key in the referendum. Gun backers translated NRA materials into Portuguese and use statistics and arguments that were similar to those used in NRA infomercials aired in the United States.The thrust of the “no” campaign, mirroring NRA strategy, was to cast the ban as a violation of the “right” to have guns, even though Brazilians officially have no such legal right, says Galeria and other activists.
Some campaign materials also relied on other brands of fear mongering. One pamphlet, described by Reuters, featured an image of Hitler giving a Nazi salute in an effort to link the dangers of disarmament with Nazism. One particularly controversial tactic was unveiled last week. In one opposition commercial that aired in early October, the gun lobby inappropriately linked the image of Nelson Mandela, a gun control supporter, with its cause. The commercial at one point showed a newspaper photograph of Mr. Mandela on an earlier trip to São Paulo, raising his hand in solidarity. A voiceover said, “Nelson Mandela came out of prison to fight against apartheid and free the blacks in South Africa.”
After the ban’s proponents brought the commercial to the attention of Mandela’s legal representative, his attorney, Don MacRobert, contacted Brazilian Congressman Alberto Fraga, president of the Parliamentary Front for the Right to Legitimate Self Defense, a pro-gun group. MacRobert said it was “incorrect, improper and illegal” to use Mandela’s image in the video and to make reference to “Mr. Mandela’s fighting against apartheid when such struggle bears no relation to the issues described, i.e., the sale of guns.”
They lied to convince Brazilians into voting against themselves, plain and simple. Think the NRA doesn’t do it in America? Think again. Think about it the next time you hear the NRA say “rights” are being attacked, or that “more guns” means “less crime,” or that guns should be available in a camp full of hurricane victims, or that employees should be allowed to bring weapons to work, no matter what their employer says. That’s all they’ve got– their selfish, naive phrases and agendas that only work because they prey on fears and ignorance. They pulled the wool over Brazilians’ eyes, and we too should be tired of looking at fleece.
