Mayor of Nagasaki Shot to Death

[Darion]

http://apnews.myway.com//article/200...D8OIHNT80.html

Ah, what times we live in.

Here's one for the pro-gun control crowd to chew on: they're banned in Japan.

[Maelgrim]

Here's one for the pro-gun control crowd to chew on: they're banned in Japan.

ROFL! Love it.

Any advances on the 'why' of it yet? Or was it another case of some polly getting too big for his boots and dishing out on organized crime on national TV without taking appropriate precautions.

(For an example of 'Appropriate precautions', read 'Red Dragon' by Thomas Harris, where Graham is giving the 'bait article' to the Tattler. )

[Gadiantor]

Originally posted by Darion
Here's one for the pro-gun control crowd to chew on: they're banned in Japan.

I'm definitely not in favor of banning fire arms, but I have to point out the obvious here. You can't point out the flaws of gun control laws by citing one incident. You'd have to look at trends in violent crime and compare it to similar areas that have more relaxed gun control.

I have to wonder if there was more to it than what the article states though. It seems rather petty to kill a guy because you aren't getting paid for damage done by the city. If the guy who ordered the hit is big in organized crime you'd think he'd have enough money to just buy a new car. There must be something else going on there.

[Darion]

You can't point out the flaws of gun control laws by citing one incident.

I would agree with that, except that the Virginia Tech shooting has suddenly brought gun control back to the forefront of public debate and it is a single incident.

On the other hand, I believe single incidences are more elucidating in Japan's case, as firearms are completely banned. Thus, there is no background check policy to criticize, there is no Second Amendment reinterpretation, there is no set of circumstances that could allow a former felon/sex offender/mentally disturbed person to purchase one and then go commit a crime with it. I look at it more as the archetypical case of "when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns".

[Snrrub]

Originally posted by Darion

Here's one for the pro-gun control crowd to chew on: they're banned in Japan.

From the same article:

The shooting was rare in a country where handguns are strictly banned

[Darion]

School shootings aren't particularly common either.