All things about the media, marketing, business, Japan and other musings by Mike in Tokyo Rogers.
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Friday, February 15, 2013
On Gun Control and Japan
When it comes to gun control in the USA the
logic of the progressives works in a very curious way. They often like to cherry
pick nations from around the world to compare with the USA. One of their favorite
nations to use as a comparison is Japan.
The argument goes like this; “Gun crimes are
out of control in the United States! In America, over eleven thousand people
are killed with guns every year! Japan has strict gun control laws and only a
handful of people are killed with guns annually. Therefore Japan proves that
gun control works. The United States should have gun control laws like Japan!”
You’ve heard this argument. I’m constantly
hearing it; “If the United States were more like Japan”… “If the United States
had gun laws like Japan, then gun crimes would virtually disappear.”
Is this true?
Well, it is certainly true that overall Japan
is a much safer place than the United States. The data show this to be fact. I
would also venture to say that, in many ways, it would be better if the United
States and American people were more like Japan and the Japanese people. But I
suppose that’s a samurai sword that cuts both ways; there are plenty of
unfortunate things about Japan and the Japanese that sometimes make me wish it
were more like the USA and American people.
Is directly comparing Japan’s gun laws and
crime rate with the USA a good and logical comparison? Does this make sense? Are
the progressives bringing up a point that is difficult to argue against? Can we
make an apples-to-apples comparison using Japan against the USA?
The answer is no. Unfortunately for the
progressives, we can’t sensibly make that comparison and I want to show you why
it’s absurd to even consider it. The only things that might make sense in a
Japan versus USA comparison might have to do with economics, automobiles, love
of sushi and baseball (and I’m not so sure about the baseball part). If we are
talking about gun control, crimes, or even universal health care, Japan and the
United States are two animals that are as different as night and day.
We probably can’t even fairly compare Japanese girl’s fashions
Let me show you why and then when anyone makes
this sort of comparison, you should smile and remind them of these few points…
You want to compare the United States to Japan?
The United States is a country that isn’t even
250 years old.
Some people consider that the USA has a huge immigration
problem. In the United States, there are estimates of up to 20 million illegal aliens in the
country.
Japan is not known to have an immigration
problem. Japan is extremely strict on immigration. About 150,000 people per
year are allowed to immigrate to this country.
Any child born in the USA is automatically
awarded citizenship even if that child’s mother is in the country illegally.
This accounts for about 380,000 new Americans annually.
Just because you were born in Japan doesn’t
mean that you can get Japanese citizenship. Even those living here today, as permanent
residents, whose grandparents were brought to Japan as slaves from Korea or
Taiwan over one hundred years ago, are not given Japanese citizenship upon
birth.
“Cultural Identity” and “United States of
America” are not words that I often note in the same sentence. The United
States is a good example of a country that is considered a “Melting pot.”
The Japanese have an extremely strong cultural
identity. Japan is a good example of one of the world’s few homogenous
societies.
The United States was born in a revolution against
a monarchy and all through its history it has had a civilian population that
has always been well armed.
Japan was a caste society for thousands of
years. The people – the peasantry – have never been armed. There was never any
idea of democracy in feudal Japan and the people never considered rising up
against the aristocrats and the warlords.
The United States was also founded on the
principle that “All men are created equal.”
In Japan’s feudal caste society, 98% of the population
was the peasantry; the remaining two percent were aristocrats, warriors and
merchants. People were far from equal.
In the United States, the law of the land,
written in the 1780s, says that the people have the right to keep and bear
arms. People in the United States have a history of a country awash with guns.
In ancient Japan, the people were not even
allowed to carry swords. The Great Sword Hunt was carried out in 1588 and
disarmed everyone. The only ones who were ever allowed to carry arms were the
warrior class. Guns? What guns?
According to the Global
Peace Index, the United States ranks a lowly 88th
place (One rank above the People’s Republic of China). Japan is ranked as the 5th
most peaceful nation in the world.
In the USA, the official numbers show
unemployment at 7.8% of the population. Unofficially, according to Shadow Stats, the unemployment rate is
about 23%.
In Japan official unemployment stands at about
4.2%. Unofficially it is at 5.7%.
And that’s just a few of the big differences.
There’s much more but I think you get the picture,
Now, you tell me, after considering the above, is
comparing Japan and the United States fair when it comes to gun control or even
Universal Health Care?
Can we find a cure for gun crime in the United
States by looking at how another country with a vastly different history, culture
and people with a completely different experience have dealt with it or do we
have to look within ourselves and our own nation?
Could it be that the gun crimes and murder rate
in the USA have little to do with the numbers of guns and everything to do with
what Henson Ong said at a gun violence
prevention public hearing said,
“Gun control does not work. Your own history is
replete with high school rifle teams, Boy Scout marksmanship merit badges. You
could buy rifles at hardware stores. You could order them – mail order them –
delivered to your home. Your country was awash in readily available firearms
and ammunition. And yet, in your past, you did not have mass shootings… What
changed? It was not that the availability of guns suddenly exploded or
increased, it actually decreased… What changed was societal decay…”
I think it must be pretty obvious to anyone who
thinks about it when talking about gun control and crimes (or even universal
health care) comparing the United States to Japan is like comparing a steak
barbeque to a slice of fish.
Men may be from Mars, and women are from Venus,
but never forget that the Japanese are most definitely from Japan… Americans
are from who knows where.
"Your country was awash in readily available firearms and ammunition. And yet, in your past, you did not have mass shootings… What changed? "
Answer: widespread usage of psychotropic drugs, prescribed by psychiatrists to children, teenagers, and unstable people.
The idea that these drugs are dangerous is something that must not be spoken of, not be thought of, according to the ruling party bosses, big pharma, and their bought and paid for media stooges.
Comments must be succinct & relevant to the story. Comments are checked frequently and abusive, rude or profane comments will be deleted. I’m just one of many bloggers who answer questions online and sometimes for the press. I usually handle questions about Japan, marketing or the economy, so in those areas I’m more likely to make sense and less likely to say something really stupid. If I post something here that you find helpful or interesting, that’s wonderful. This is my personal blog. If you don't like what you have read here then, just like when you go into a restaurant or bar that allows smoking, if you don't like it, there's something at the front that has hinges on it and it is called a "door."
Hello Mike!
ReplyDeleteBravo and kudos! I think this is one of your best pieces yet!
"Your country was awash in readily available firearms and ammunition. And yet, in your past, you did not have mass shootings… What changed? "
ReplyDeleteAnswer: widespread usage of psychotropic drugs, prescribed by psychiatrists to children, teenagers, and unstable people.
The idea that these drugs are dangerous is something that must not be spoken of, not be thought of, according to the ruling party bosses, big pharma, and their bought and paid for media stooges.
thank you you make very good points !
ReplyDeletethanks for the post you make very sound points ...
ReplyDelete