The number of Brazilians who would like to carry a firearm doubled in seven years, but they are not yet a majority. This was revealed by the Barometer of the Americas (LAPOP), an opinion poll that assesses the perception of democracy, political institutions, and other issues in the American continent.
Between January and March, the Barometer interviewed 1,498 Brazilians in cities across the country. Vanderbilt University in the United States coordinated the study, which been conducted since 2006, usually every two years. The margin of error is 2.5 percentage points more or less.
In 2012, when the study asked the question the last time, 21% said that if they could, they would carry a firearm. Now, it's 43%—still the minority, however.
The same question was asked in four other countries: Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The latter two have two of the highest homicide rates in the world.
In 2012, Brazil was the last in the ranking of arms support. Now, it is in third place, losing to Peru (49%) and Ecuador (46%).
Brazil was also the only country that showed growth in the index. In all other countries, there were no significant variations in numbers.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon