A woman mourns at the site where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was murdered. Photo: Reuters
Unlike in the United States, gun deaths in Japan they are a rarity. The country has the strictest laws on the purchase and transport of weapons. The data adds even more confusion to the gunshot death of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a speech in the city of Nara.
According to a BBC report, the shooting shocked an entire country with its strict gun laws and where such violence is very rare.
is extremely difficult legally owning a gun in Japan.
Shinzo Abe takes the stage to deliver his speech. Shortly thereafter he was assassinated. Photo: EFE
Background and training
Although there are exceptions, even for hunting, who requires the license are subject to mental health and drug screeningas well as the controls of criminal record, personal debts, involvement in organized crime and relationships with family and friends.
Also, those who want to have a weapon need it a full day of training and must take a written test and pass a shooting range assessment.
As CNN reports this Friday, once the weapon is obtained, the owner must register it with the police and provide details of where the weapon and ammunition are stored, in separate and locked compartments.
The weapon must be inspected by the police once a yearand gun owners must repeat the course and take an exam every three years to renew their license
Tetsuya Yamagami is captured by the guards after the attack. Photo: AP
It is no coincidence then that Abe’s killer, Tetsuya Yamagami (a 41-year-old unemployed man who bore a grudge against the former premier), acted with a homemade weapon, possibly made with a 3D printer, but this information could not be confirmed. .
The restrictions have caused an increase in the number of private gun owners in Japan be extremely low.
In 2017, an estimated 377,000 weapons were in the hands of civilians in a country of 125 million people. That was 0.25 guns for every 100 people, compared to about 120 guns for every 100 people in the United States, according to the Small Arms Survey, a project by the University Institute of International Studies and Development in Geneva.
Deceased
The last known public shooting of a politician in Japan dates back to 2007, when andthe mayor of Nagasaki, Iccho Ito, was shot at least twice in the back from close range an alleged gangster. He died after suffering cardiac arrest.
Since then, Japan strengthened gun controls, imposing more severe penalties for armed crimes committed by members of organized criminal gangs.
In 2020, there were 32 deaths attributed to firearms in Japan, according to the Small Arms Survey, which tracks gun violence globally.
That’s roughly the same number of recorded firearm murders in England and Wales in the year through the end of March 2020.
But with around 125 million, The population of Japan is more than double that of England and Wales.
If the number is taken to the G7 countries, the number of gun deaths in Japan per 100,000 inhabitants is reduced to 0.03 in Japan compared to 7 in the United States.
Clarino editorial
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Source: Clarin