For example, Dave Kopel traveled to Japan to observe its gun culture and interviewed three different gun owners from different parts of the country. Hideki Maki, a rural landowner who owns a World War II Arisaka, a .22 Calibur Bolt and a Mauser 98, said he teaches his children to use firearms exclusively for game hunting and pest control, not self-defense, explaining that hand-to-hand combat exists for this. However, Hibiki Masaru, owner of a sushi bar and tea room, offered a different view, saying self-defense is not bad. Masaru has a revolver that he keeps in his holster, as well as a hidden shotgun that he didn`t want to show interviewers. Manami Hikaru, a 22-year-old woman who lives in Nagoya City, said she used guns to target and felt uncomfortable using them to defend herself. Japan`s low crime rate is attributed to strict gun laws. Japan has a low crime rate and incidents involving weapons are rare. „The killing of Abe Shinzo [underscores that] even if you don`t have your own weapon, you can make one or steal one. Gun regulation is important, but there will always be something it will miss,“ Young says — though she notes that`s no reason not to regulate guns. Even the most basic framework of Japan`s approach to gun ownership is almost the exact opposite of America. U.S. gun law begins with the affirmation of the „right of the people to own and bear arms“ in the Second Amendment and restricts it from there.
However, Japanese law begins with the 1958 law which states that „no one shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords,“ and later added some exceptions. In other words, U.S. law is designed to enshrine access to firearms, while Japan assumes it is prohibited. The history of this is complicated, but it`s worth noting that the U.S. gun law has its roots in opposition to British gun restrictions, while some academic literature links Japanese law to the nationwide campaign to forcibly disarm samurai, which may partly explain why the 1958 mentions guns and swords side by side. Most illegal weapons are manufactured in the Malwa Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, Shamli and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, near Munger in Bihar. In addition to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, weapons from Pakistan have also been smuggled with drones. „Ever since guns entered the country, Japan has always had strict gun laws,“ says Iain Overton, executive director of Action on Armed Violence and author of Gun Baby Gun. Japan has the strictest gun laws.
Apart from the police and military, no one can keep lethal weapons in Japan. Civilians cannot buy a handgun or rifle. Only air rifles are allowed, even for a specific purpose. The Japanese government conducted a gun investigation in 2014 and asked Japanese citizens why they used a gun. About 59% of the people who participated in the survey reported using weapons for hunting, about 65% reported using them for both hunting and sport shooting. About 19% said they have a firearm for a small arms license (Japanese: 小型武器ライセンス) to be required for people who want to buy handguns. To apply for a small arms licence, a person must hold a firearms licence. The minimum age for a small arms licence is 21, and this is usually a strict process. The person must undergo a thorough background check, mental and physical examinations, interview a police officer and provide five family references attesting that they are healthy enough to hold a firearm. There is a two-month waiting period. Nagasaki samurai Takashima Shūhan (高島秋帆) began importing flintlock rifles from the Netherlands in the 1840s, known as the „Geweer“.
He organized the first modern Western military demonstration for the Tokugawa shogunate at Tokumarugahara (north of Edo) on June 27, 1841.[20] While city dwellers often view firearms as negative, traditional Japanese families and those living in rural areas of Japan view training and shooting with a gun as the „ancestral way“ and a reminder of Japan`s warrior spirit. That`s not all. Handguns are totally banned. Only shotguns and air rifles are allowed. The vast majority of Japanese use weapons for hunting, pest control, gathering and target shooting. About 19 percent of respondents to a gun survey said they would use their guns to defend themselves if they had to. Some Japanese rural families teach their children that a weapon should be used exclusively to hunt game and control plague-like animals so they never take their lives. Some people have been ostracized by their families for using a weapon to protect themselves. The Indian Ordnance Factory has a duty to manufacture and sell these weapons and ammunition in India. A person who wants a gun license in India must be 21 years old. Valid reasons for owning weapons are sports, plant protection and self-defense.
Isolation did not reduce weapons production in Japan – on the contrary, there is evidence of about 200 gunsmiths in Japan at the end of the Edo period. But the social life of guns had changed: as historian David L. Howell argued that for many in Japanese society, the firearm had become less of a weapon than an agricultural tool to deter animals. [18] Almost no one in Japan owns a weapon. Most species are illegal, with onerous restrictions on the purchase and maintenance of the few species allowed. Even the country`s notorious mafia yakuza tend to give up guns; The few exceptions tend to become big national news. Acceptance of arms reduction in the country is attributed to factors such as social norms that emphasize respect for authority and voluntary government initiatives for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in response to the atomic bombings that devastated Japan, according to an article in the Asia Pacific Law Review. In addition, Japan`s island geography limits the smuggling of illegal goods into the country. Previously, illegal weapons were limited to domestically produced pistols, but recently, even sophisticated weapons such as AK 47, AK 57 are produced in illegal factories. In some cases, assault rifles have even been found smuggled from abroad. Kidnapping laws in Japan depend solely on the type of weapon carried. Long guns may only be transported loaded for hunting and survival purposes.
They can only be transported loaded during the execution of the activity or session, and they must be unloaded before or after. According to Iain Overton, Japan`s „almost taboo level of gun rejection“ means the country is „heading to a perfect location“ – although he points out that despite a much higher rate of gun ownership, Iceland also achieves a very low rate of gun crime. The police must be informed of where the weapon and ammunition are stored – and they must be kept separately under lock and key. Police will also check weapons once a year. And after three years, your driver`s license expires, and then you have to take the course and take the exams again. Japan.2020. » Changes in the number of weapons, swords and swords allowed (2015-2019). Reiwa 2 (2020) Police White Paper Statistical Data.Tokyo:National Police Agency, January 1. (Q14336) Imperial troops mainly used Minié rifles, which were much more accurate and deadly, and had a much longer range than the „Geweer“ smoothbore guns, although they were also muzzle magazines, but were also limited to two shots per minute. It is known that improved breech loading mechanisms, such as the Snider, which developed a rate of about ten rounds per minute, were used by Tosa Domain troops against the shogunate`s Shōgitai at the Battle of Ueno in July 1868. In the second half of the conflict, in the northeast, troops from Tosa province are known to have used American Spencer repeating rifles.
[23] American handguns were also popular, such as the Smith & Wesson Army No. 2 of 1863, imported to Japan by Scottish merchant Thomas Blake Glover and used by Satsuma`s forces.[23] [23] Japan was at war during the Sengoku period between 1467 and 1600, when feudal lords vied for supremacy. [7] Wick cannons were widely used and played a crucial role in the war. In 1549, Oda Nobunaga ordered 500 matches for his armies. However, the usefulness of firearms was still relatively questionable compared to other weapons. At that time, weapons were still quite primitive and cumbersome. According to an estimate in 16th century Japan, an archer could shoot 15 arrows in the time it took a shooter to load, load, and fire a gun. [8] The effective range was also only 80 to 100 meters, and at this distance, a bullet could easily bounce off the armor.