Brazilians To Vote On Gun Ban Referendum Poverty and drugs may be at the heart of Brazil's unwelcome claim to the most firearms fatalities in the world. A vote on Oct. 23, in which all of that nation's adults from 18 to 70 must participate, will decide whether all guns and ammunition will be banned nationwide except for the police and military. Reinaldo do Souza, retired from the Brazilian military, says, "No one I know would buy a gun to legally commit a crime. The gun ban won't do anything to help decrease crime because criminals will still be able to get guns." Do Espirito Santo says she doesn't think the ban would reduce the presence in her neighborhood and fears it would increase the black-market gun trade. The same points are being made by the ban's organized opponents, a coalition of legislators and private interests, reports the Washington Post Foreign Service.