I help teach the "First-Shots" program in Lafayette, next door to Purdue University, at a really nice indoor range. It's called Applied Ballistics Systems Inc.
Anyway, we get a lot of foreign exchange students come into the range. A lot of orientals, but a lot of others as well.
They all are fascinated that we have the right to own arms, let alone bear them.
We went to Hawaii last year and evidently the ranges there do a booming business catering to a largely Japanese clientele.
There is an outdoor range across the highway from Hanauma Bay (great place to snorkel) and it was going strong the whole time we were there.
Carrying a gun in Hawaii is just about impossible, but they still find a way to have shooting ranges.
Typical one-sided AP propaganda and lies. Low crime in Japan is most often attributed to oppressive government as well as other social factors. When you compare both Japan and Switzerland you find very quickly there is almost no correlation between gun ownership and levels of crimes being committed in either direction. Seems to me most often it is other social factors that drive violence. Not ownership of an otherwise inanimate tool.
It almost feels like they are trying to tell you to give up your guns and then you can just go to a pre-designated range and rent one if you feel like it.
Guam freaked me out flying into it back in the '60s. Geez, talk about a tiny dot on the huge ocean. I swore the pilot would miss it or not get the plane stopped.
I'm happy we've got our rights. IF I had to go to Guam to shoot I'd be as bad as a bootlegger for sure.
I have read articles that talk about Japan's gun crime. From what I have read, they don't attribute the crime rate to less guns, but the strict gun laws they have. If a gun is used in the act of a crime, the sentence could be very long (life if I remember correctly). I think we could utilize something like this in America to keep criminals off of the street. Armed robbery? Go away for 40 years. I haven't researched their laws though, just read some "news" articles, so it could be bologne
I was in Guam back in 1990 and again in 1991 the Japan tourist industry was big back then. Go to the shooting ranges and shoot the "dirty harry" .44 magnum and the M-16 (AR's probably). Stopped by one of them one day and couldn't get in it was so packed. Also just as big was the rental car places had tons of Chevy Camaro convertibles and you saw them everywhere with Japanese tourists driving them. My favorites were Barneys, a beach bar over on the Marianas Trench side, two lovers point and gun beach.
Buck-a-Bud at Barney's, those were the days. Yep, 8 miles wide and 32 miles long- pretty much any place you go you're at the beach. I saw alot of those rental places as well, and they were always packed. Those and Karaoke bars, never went inside either.
Hafa Adai! Was deployed to Andersen AFB for six weeks after 9/11. Because of the world-wide scare to fly commercial, Japanese tourism dropped off to nothing. Bars, hotels, stores, everyplace was empty. The private ownership of firearms was very strict. The gun ranges were offering all sorts of specials. Many businesses related to tourism went bust.
Got a day off and decided to drive around the island. Went to Jeff's Pirate Cove Bar on the South end. It is a really beautiful paradise with the nicest people in the world. Celebrated Thanksgiving in the chow hall.