Japan's strict gun control laws mean mass shootings are rare. -2022.07.09
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(CNN) The shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shocked Japan, a country with one of the lowest gun crime rates in the world. Gun crime rates are low because of laws that severely restrict gun ownership.
According to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Mr Abe was shot during a campaign speech in Nara on the morning of the 8th, received emergency treatment in a severe condition, but later died.
Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan.
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According to data compiled by the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, in 2018, only nine people died from firearms in Japan, a country of 125 million people. In the same year, 39,740 people died from guns in the United States.
Nancy Snow, director of the International Security Industry Association, said the incident would change Japan forever.
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"It's not just rare, it's culturally incomprehensible," he said. "I can't imagine the Japanese having a gun culture like we have in the United States. It was a speechless moment. I'm speechless, too." (Mr Snow)
According to NHK, citing police, the suspect in the incident was a local man in his 40s who used a homemade gun.
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Under Japan's gun control laws, only hunting rifles and air rifles can be sold; handguns are illegal. Moreover, acquiring a gun is long and complicated, requiring effort and patience.
To obtain a gun permit, a person must attend a one-day course, pass a written test, and take shooting lessons. They also undergo a psychological evaluation, drug tests, and a rigorous background check, which includes criminal history, personal debts, involvement in organised crime, and relationships with family and friends.
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Even after purchasing a gun, the owner must register it with the police and report where the firearm and ammunition are stored. Guns and ammunition are kept in separate locked rooms. Firearms are inspected by the police every year, and to renew your licence, you must take a refresher course and a test every three years.
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Because of these regulations, there are very few civilian gun owners in Japan. As of 2017, there were an estimated 377,000 guns for a population of 125 million (0.25 firearms per 100 people). According to the independent research project "Small Arms Research" at the Graduate School of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, there are about 120 guns per 100 people in the United States.
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Before this incident, the last shooting of a public figure in Japan appears to have been in 2007, when the mayor of Nagasaki, Kazunaga Ito, was killed. Mayor Ito was shot in the back at point-blank range by a suspected gang member and later died.
Since then, Japan has tightened gun regulations and sought to impose harsher penalties for gun crimes committed by members of organised crime groups.
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Under the amendment, organised possession of firearms would be punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Possession of two or more firearms is also a crime and can result in up to 15 years in prison and life imprisonment if the weapon is fired in a public place.
Japan's strict gun control laws mean mass shootings are rare. -2022.07.09
https://www.cnn.co.jp/world/35190207.html
