The Question of Disarmament in the Brazilian House of Representatives: The Role of Parties, Ideology and Congressmen Background,

Abstract

This article evaluates the decision made in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies with regard to the problem of disarmament in the country. I particularly intend to examine what factors can explain a parliamentarian’s vote in favor of the referendum which dealt with the prohibition of the sale of firearms, accessories, and munitions. In the United States, studies have shown that the topic of firearms is strongly linked to political ideology. However, there are no such studies in Brazil. Given this factor, I will test, among various other hypotheses, whether the support for the referendum increases as one moves to the left of the ideological spectrum. In addition, I will test my hypotheses by controlling for other variables that supposedly influence a parliamentarian’s decision such as: gender, profession, religion, educational background, parliamentarian’s state of origin (particularly if the state borders another country), and participation in pro-life groups.