UN highlights Brazil gun crisis

[justinsb]

UN highlights Brazil gun crisis

By Steve Kingstone BBC News, Sao Paulo


Brazil has one of the world's highest murder rates

More than 500,000 people have been killed by firearms in Brazil between 1979 and 2003, according to a new report by the United Nations.

The study found that there were more gun-related killings in Brazil than in most war zones.

Guns are the single biggest cause of death among young people in the Latin American nation, the organisation says.

The UN has urged lawmakers to approve plans for a referendum in October on whether to ban the sale of firearms.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4628813.stm