Brazil Vendors: Gun Ban Won't Do Much Licensed firearm vendors in Brazil say gun sales are already so low that a ban on gun sales is not needed, reports Reuters. The country is preparing for an Oct. 23 referendum that will likely ban all firearm and ammunition sales to civilians. Vendors say gun sales have already dwindled to about one-tenth what they were before strict gun control measures went into effect in 2003. "It's already more difficult to buy a gun legally than to be admitted to a medical college. This referendum is nonsense," said Vera Ratti, owner of a big Interarmas shop in Sao Paolo, Brazil's largest city.