Brazil woman turns in 1,300 guns for bonanza

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - A Brazilian woman has surrendered an arsenal of about 1,300 firearms under the country's guns-for-money disarmament programme that started last week, police say.


A federal police spokeswoman in the city of Sao Paulo said on Friday that the woman, who will receive 36,000 pounds for the weaponry that ranged from muskets to mortar shells, told police she was the daughter of a late guns collector.


Police transported the guns from her house under heavy escort and would not reveal her identity.


Police across Brazil have received 5,362 weapons since the July 15 start of the government-sponsored campaign to cut firearm ownership in a country with one of the world's highest murder rates.


For every gun that is handed in, be it licensed or illegal, owners get up to 55 pounds and no questions are asked.


Federal police initially hoped to withdraw 80,000 guns by the end of the programme in December but they now expect higher numbers after the first week.


In crime-ridden Rio de Janeiro, state authorities are offering as much as 180 pounds for machine-guns and other heavy armaments, as well as extra payment to police who confiscate weapons from criminals.