Brazil firearms sale shoots up
14 May 2013 5:36 AM GMT
The number of new guns legally sold in Brazil shot up in the last eight years, growing from 5,161 in 2004 to a record 31,500 in 2012, a media report said. Figures from the Brazilian Federal Police showed a total of 183,722 new guns were registered in the country between 2002 and 2012, which equals two every hour, reported Xinhua.
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Among those sold in 2012, 60 percent of the weapons were purchased by policemen. The newspaper said the actual firearm sales could be much bigger as the disclosed figure does not include the trade of used firearms, the smuggled weapons or the ones illegally sold. O’Globo attributes the increase in firearm sales to the lack of public campaigns on gun control and the growing public concerns about violence in some Brazilian cities.
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Among those sold in 2012, 60 percent of the weapons were purchased by policemen. The newspaper said the actual firearm sales could be much bigger as the disclosed figure does not include the trade of used firearms, the smuggled weapons or the ones illegally sold. O’Globo attributes the increase in firearm sales to the lack of public campaigns on gun control and the growing public concerns about violence in some Brazilian cities.
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