A Harvard Law visiting professor known for his gun control advocacy was arrested Wednesday night after firing a pellet gun near a Massachusetts synagogue during Yom Kippur. The incident has drawn attention to the irony of a longtime anti-gun activist facing weapons-related charges.
Carlos Portugal Gouvea, described by Harvard Law School as a “human rights activist” who helped pass Brazil’s landmark Gun Control Act of 2003, was taken into custody after police responded to reports of gunfire near Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Mass. Officers arrested Gouvea after a “brief physical struggle,” according to law enforcement, and later found a car with a shattered window nearby. Gouvea told police he was “using the pellet rifle to hunt rats in the area.” Authorities determined he was not targeting the synagogue.
Gouvea’s background underscores the irony of the arrest. In his home country of Brazil—where gun laws are among the strictest in the world—he co-founded Instituto Sou da Paz, which led the campaign for sweeping firearms restrictions. His group defended the law’s constitutionality in court, helping cement Brazil’s national gun registry.
Harvard confirmed Gouvea has been placed “on administrative leave as the school seeks to learn more about this matter.”
At Harvard, Gouvea has taught courses such as “Sustainable Capitalism” and “Corruption and Inequality.” He did not respond to requests from the Washington Free Beacon for comment.
