Brazil's Supreme Court overturns decree banning gun sales October 19, 2000 Web posted at: 3:37 PM EDT (1937 GMT) SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- The Supreme Court has overturned a nationwide ban on gun sales decreed earlier this year as part of a government program to curb rising crime rates in Latin America's largest country. Ruling on an appeal filed by the Liberal Social Party, the court's 11 justices voted unanimously to overturn a June 21 decree that banned the issuing of gun permits through the end of the year. The decree in effect imposed a nationwide ban on firearm sales, because nobody can buy a gun without a permit. "Criminals don't buy their weapons in gun stores," Chief Justice Carlos Velloso told reporters in explaining the court's ruling. He said the decree had no impact in curbing crime in this nation where recent statistics say a killing takes place every 13 minutes. The Supreme Court accepted the party's arguments that the decree undermined the right to self-defense and violated the constitution's free enterprise guarantees. The government issued the now-defunct decree as a stopgap measure until a comprehensive gun-control bill that has been stuck in Congress for months is approved. The bill would restrict possession of firearms to the armed forces, police, private security personnel, collectors and gun clubs, people in rural areas, and private security agencies. Everyone else would have 360 days to turn in their guns and ammunition. Those who return the guns will be compensated, but the bill doesn't say by how much. Illegal weapons would be confiscated. The decree was part of a major anti-crime package introduced in June. Besides severely limiting gun sales, the $1.7 billion National Security Law also includes the hiring of 2,000 new federal agents, better training and equipping of police forces and improved lighting in neighborhoods across the nation. "The government did its part," Justice Minister Jose Gregori said when told of the Supreme Court's decision. "A ruling by the judiciary must be obeyed." He refused to comment further. The country's two biggest arms manufacturers -- Taurus and Rossi_ would not immediately comment on the Supreme Court's decision. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
