Citation

Cavalcanti RP. Bull. Latin Am. Res. 2017; 36(1): 36-51.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Society for Latin American Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/blar.12476

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article analyses the factors behind the paradoxical result of the Brazilian gun-control referendum. It adopts a qualitative approach to explore the dissemination of ideologies surrounding crime, gun control and security. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with activists involved in the referendum's campaign. The results reveal that ideologically driven campaigns in a context of corruption scandals, high levels of violence and fear influenced the result. The neoliberal discourse of individual freedoms played a role, as did the phrasing of the referendum's question, fragile confidence in public institutions and unequal campaign funding and regulation.

Language: en

Keywords

Brazil; deliberation; firearms; gun control; policing; public security; violence