Originally posted by dadudemon
Dude...you literally just cited the same thing I did. 😬
Uh huh, I know. And it highlights the Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law (originally enshrined in 1958) as a reason for the low crime rates in Japan, and says that it 'successfully regulated a broad range of firearms'. Of course, as it goes on to say, these laws had to updated and intensified with the changing situation, but the 1958 regulations set the groundwork for those laws through the prohibition of firearms for civilian use regardless of license, which was followed up by the banning of unauthorized gun imports in the 1960s (source:loc.gov).
So to say that the strict gun control in Japan begun in the 1990s, as you did, is false. It predates those amendments by many decades. That was my point.
Don't quote my post, pretend to contradict it with a citation, and then literally use the same exact citation I did to support your shitty position.
If the exact same citation happens to support the gun control that you deride, then I can't really help it. But anyway, my position is that the ultra-strict gun controls did not begin in the 90s, but in the 1950s with the literal prohibition of firearms for civilian use regardless of license, and the subsequent banning of unauthorized gun imports in the 60s. The 90s amendments obviously intensified gun regulations in several ways, but Japan's gun laws were already stunningly restrictive beforehand (general prohibition). This is mainly supported by the loc.gov link, which you didn't cite.
Massive changes occurred in the 1993 and 1995 legislation which is where a significant portion of those "strict regulations and enforcement" come from in Japan.
Okay, cool, but the underlying principle of Japan's gun regulation (ie.
the literal prohibition of firearms for civilians regardless of license), predate the 1990s legislation. The 1990s legislation was updating and strengthening the laws with the changing situation, and it produced numerous positive results. For instance, the large drop in crimes involving guns and those shot dead by guns, which you conveniently decided to sidestep for some reason.
Citing the 1958 version demonstrate a clear lack of understanding of the law and time frame. Specifically, shifting to the individual as opposed to organizations (random home inspections, for example).Homicides in 1957:
2.78
Homicides in 1958:
2.92
Homicides in 1959:
2.9
Okay, and now let's look at the homicide rate beyond that tiny cherrypicked timeframe, using the statistics you provided earlier.
In 1960:
2.81
http://www.nationmaster.com/country.../All-stats#1960
1970:
1.9
http://www.nationmaster.com/country.../All-stats#1970
1980:
1.44
http://www.nationmaster.com/country.../All-stats#1980
1990:
0.98
http://www.nationmaster.com/country.../All-stats#1990
In 2014 (the latest I could find from this site):
1.02
http://www.nationmaster.com/country.../All-stats#2014
Clearly, Japan has seen a significant long-term drop in homicides since the 1950s. Not all of this can be attributed to gun policy, but the original study you cited highlights the 1958 law as a reason for these low rates. The minuscule rebound in homicides since the 90s is worrying, but there are still positive signs amongst the data and in gun statistics in particular. For instance, far less people being shot dead by guns, which would obviously be a downward pressure on homicide rates and means that the greater gun control is certainly not linked to the rebound.