Cultural Evaluation: Japan's Gun Control

Cultural Evaluation: Japan's Gun Control

Is there honor in shooting a person or animal with a gun? The Japanese culture has a rich heritage of warriors from the earliest days. In the past, simple weapons such as swords and knives were the key components in battle. The Japanese believe that there is honor in honest battle, man versus man, with an intimate weapon that required them to be close and personal with their foe. The basis of the feudal battle style has carried over in their restrictions on guns in the country. Japan has the strictest gun laws in the world and the vast majority of the citizens like it that way.

The majority of the Japanese people are for the strict gun control laws, and some would not mind even tighter control on guns. Handguns are banned from being owned by citizens and only shotguns, and some rifles, are allowed to be bought. Mainly farmers are the owners of these guns and use them to protect their crops from animals. The licensing process is so rigid to own a gun, which many do not even attempt to start the paperwork. With the country totaling 7 gun murders in 2009, most believe that further restriction is not needed (Jacobson L., 2011). Police around Japan are against any loosening of current restrictions, which may increase the likelihood of an increase in gun violence.

There is a fraction of citizens in Japan seeking looser regulations on the strict gun laws. The hunters and farmers in Japan are lobbying for an easier road to access shotguns and some small caliber rifles. These citizens are put through rigorous licensing and training courses, many that are designed to train them to be experts at wielding firearms. Relaxing the restrictions on gun would allow the farmers and hunters to be better able to provide and protect their land from animals detrimental to the crops (Kuchikomi, 2011). Harvest threatening animals, such as birds and wild boars, hurt the agricultural economy. Protection