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© 2021 AFPJapan's strict gun laws trigger problems for Olympic shooting
By Andrew McKIRDY TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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© 2021 AFP
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Scarce
But despite their efforts, he fears "if they come here and feel it's inconvenient, they might complain afterwards".
LOL! Really..they might complain! Oh no! We don't want anyone to complain!!
Cricky
You would have thought with the years of preparation plus an extra year, someone would have thought of this!
But as usual there is no forethought, just a surprised panic reaction and more meetings. What if there is a sudden surge of gun crime by Olympic competitors, what do we do do if there is a sudden spike of ride buys on stolen bicycles, using air rifles/pistols. Really how incompetent can you get.
Darius
Should they of not solved this issue years ago?
sakurasuki
You'll need two hands in one item that can be fixed of one person. That's really showing those Olympics team Japanese efficiency.
divinda
Air-guns don't use normal bullets (with gunpowder) as with a standard "gun".
They use a type of metal pellet that is propelled with air.
It's a bit arcane to regulate an otherwise harmless pellet.
Cricky
Perhaps the coach and competitor could retire behind a closed door. Then be able to do “minor” repairs without technically breaking the law.
Tora
This. This issue here is that they have a rule/law/idea and work their meetings to consider every (and I mean every) possible outcome. Inevitably, ideas regarding possible outcomes start getting absurd, as the above. All logic goes out the window .
I remember being involved in organizing organsing events and once in yet another prolonged meeting it was suggested that there was a possibility that the VIP coming from Mexico transferring to the bullet train to get to Kansai for the event might be jet lagged after the long journey and could be asleep on the train so I had to go to the train platform and make absolutely sure the guy was getting off as scheduled. Of course, he arrived bright eyed and got off the train normally with no issues. He thanked me for the amazing service!
luthierinseattle
divinda,
I am here in Washington State, USA. We had a child killed with a pellet rifle last week. These are not anything like the pellet rifles that American (at least) kids grew up playing with. These are powerful weapons.
That said, it's the Olympics. Let them be, aside from the need to simply cancel the games this time around...
YuriOtani
This is one of the times when Japan stupid makes me want to wear a paper bag on my head.
Paul
My question is: Why bid for Olympics if you are unable to accommodate all the sports?
Paul
I am a shooter and owned many guns from and made my own ammunition because it is extremely important especially when shooting long ranges. Adjusting and cleaning is usually done by the coach. So not able to touch a gun is out of the question!
kohakuebisu
No doubt all this faffing about and intermediaries will be funded by the Japanese taxpayer.
Paul's question is a pertinent one. Hosts have to bend to the Olympics, not the other way around. "We're have a party in your house and you have to build a big deck, a jacuzzi, a dancefloor, and a massive car park. Oh, and you're paying for it."
divinda
While the gun may be a powerful weapon, I was speaking about the regulation on the ammo, which is not gunpowder based and otherwise harmless without the heavily regulated guns.
lucabrasi
Good to see that, while frivolous folk are fixated on trivia like the Coronavirus crisis, wiser heads are more concerned with the preservation of genuine safety throughout the nation....
Kumagaijin
Classic Japan! Their solution will probably be have the shooters run around the city collecting Hankos from city halls to embassies.
change
Do we even need this sport?
theFu
I'm a little shocked by these issues related to air guns. They aren't even classed as firearms here. For fun, I use about 400 rounds a week target shooting in the back yard with a fairly low-powered, pump, air rifle.
I could see an Olympic target shooter going through 300+ rounds per day in practice. Some of the competitions are 3 rounds of 50 targets, so just in the competition, 150 rounds.
Target air-rifles are tightly controlled? Srsly? Just put a muzzle velocity limitation on air-rifles to make them safer.
TrevorPeace
"Japanese people aren't really familiar with shooting sports..."?????
How long ago was it - a week or two?? - that here on JT there was a photo of about a dozen archers standing close together without masks, aiming at a target and being promoted as getting ready for an Olympic archery contest. And it was only a few months ago that about two dozen young women were featured in a photo story about a different 'domestic' (totally Japanese) archery 'tradition'.
Not familiar with shooting sports? I've done both guns and bows, and they're BOTH shooting sports.
Pfft.
jeancolmar
The IOC should have been aware of laws in Japan and cancelled this event.
Cricky
Simple solution several police should monitor all competitors with two of those hook stick devices applied at all times and be pounced on with vigour should the offending firearm/ air pistol be touched by an unauthorised person or persons wearing a team uniform or not.
‘By the way airsoft guns are classed as toys though limited to the power less than a thrown stale bun ? Seems only proper that these metal shooting machines of chaos in the hands of professionals are a bone of contention. Limit these crazed nuts to potato’s, potato throwing is a much better viewing sport anyway.
towingtheline
Welcome to Japan. A country that needlessly overcomplicates everything, and/or applies the inverse common sense approach.
Oh yeah, if you bring it up or complain, they will dig their stubborn heals in and it becomes impossibles to make any progress or change.
Ai Wonder
The US should learn from Japan.
Japan gun deaths = single figures in any given year.
USA in 2020 alone = 41,000
The difference is staggering. The difference is mass gun ownership in the US compared to hardly anyone having a gun or coming anywhere near one in Japan. Lives are much more important than owning a gun. High gun ownership in ANY country is correlated to high gun deaths.
Harry_Gatto
"rounds of ammunition" "bullets" ?
They are air guns, they shoot pellets, propelled by compressed air.
I would consider shooting a competition rather than a sport and as for calling the participants "athletes", that is stretching the meaning of the word a little.
robert maes
Well, there is also surfing without waves.
Rowing and kayaking in a stil very polluted Tokyo Bay.
Cricky
Javelins aren’t covered or are they? wouldn’t want to be hit by one. Knives over 30cm are illegal but machetes are ok? Archery seems ok but hunting arrows are illegal. Crossbows hand held are legal. Pepper spray, tasers. Those sticky rice cakes are legal, The laws are all over the place, it’s actually no wonder this happened as nobody really knows what the hell is going on.
Strangerland
There are zero problems with Japan's gun laws. The rest of the world should take note.
anon99999
They can totally suspend quarantine requirements for the 100,000, Olympic athletes and hanger ones, IOC dignitaries and guests, media etc, putting the whole population of Japan at risk, yet the cannot suspend their gun law requirements for the same event.
AramaTaihenNoYouDidnt
Another obvious reason to cancel the games!
NCIS Reruns
The article did not mention it, but actually in Tokyo prefecture, no places exist where firearms can be legally discharged. In other words, people who own a shotgun or rifle have got to drive to Saitama, Gunma, Ibaraki, etc. to shoot it. So if Olympic competition is held at a venue in Tokyo, the authorities are already bending the rules just to permit that.
nandakandamanda
So how did they manage at previous Olympics in Japan, I wonder?
kiwi07
I think the article might be talking about two different things. I have an air rifle license in Japan for a PCP air rifle, but there has never been a restriction on me buying .177 and .22 caliber pellets in Japan. They openly sell them on Amazon and Rakuten, and when I've wanted special types, I've had them sent to me from overseas without any issues, and they were always cleared by customs without needing to inquire about my license, etc. While the article starts off talking about air rifles, and limits on air pistol ownership, I think they're talking about the issues for other types of shooting events when they talk about limitations on ammunition. There are very strict limitations on proper
mikeylikesit
This isn’t a solution for competitive shooting. Lower muzzle velocity changes the accuracy and aiming. It also would require every shooter in the world to completely refit their gear for Japan, after which the rules revert to normal.
The problem is not one of safety. Nobody has ever been shot and killed by an air rifle at the Olympics. To limit harm from accidents among the general public, yes, lower muzzle velocity might have an effect, but only in a country where the general public has access to pellet guns. People in Japan don’t, and there are zero problems with people getting shot by air rifles.
Besides, even if muzzle velocity were lowered, the guns and pellets would still be highly regulated by Japan. It’s not a question of safety, but of regulation. Japan has rules that it won’t bend or amend, even in a situation where the rules make no sense and no possible harm could come from making an exception.
mikeylikesit
The shooting venue is at Asaka, the same location as in 1964, on the SDF base, where presumably those city/civilian gun rules don’t normally apply.
mikeylikesit
I’d not be at all surprised if a journalist unfamiliar with shooting conflated two things. It wouldn’t be the first time. A strict limitation on inert pellets seems nonsensical. Very likely, the bigger problems and strict limits are with shotguns for the skeet shooting events.
Goodlucktoyou
I heard you can get a gun from Yokohama container ships. But nobody wants to pay $3000 when a knife is available everywhere. $3.
Antiquesaving
So they had years and years to work on this and it still is a patchwork of try this or try that, maybe we can do this or that.
The IOC, JOC, Jgov can't even get this done properly in all these years of preparation but we are to believe they got the covid "bubble" all worked out!
Hey and the guy selling Rainbow Bridge is legitimate!
El Rata
Why is this even an olympic sport? Sounds more like a hobby to me.
Kei Kurono
No need to change laws the deaths will rise soon after changing and Japan will regret. Good laws.
Antiquesaving
I sort of agree but then archery, javelin, discus, hammer throw, shot put, etc...
Not much difference.
Ah_so
Factually incorrect. Switzerland has a high gun ownership rate and a low rate of fun death.
Ah_so
Here's another approach: allow the gun events to go ahead and don't enforce the laws for the period of the games for the participating teams.
I'm not sure if the Japa
Ah_so
...nese establishment could get its head around the concept, however. In Japan, all laws must be enforced regardless of the public interest.
Laguna
This is an inconvenience which I greatly appreciate.
Rockos Frediman
@Ai Wonder
The reason Japan has 0.2 murders per 100000 people is not because of strict gun laws .The reason is that is a single-race country by over 92%.USA has about 5 murders per 100000 and would have triple this if there was a gun ban.Also Switzerland has the most guns in Europe and has 0.5 per 100000 while at the same time Germany with strict gun laws has double this(1 per 100000)
Some dude
I wonder why they even bother having shooting events. Surely the USA would win every time. They have enough experience in blowing each other away every second day.
WilliB
That is just ridiculous. Then again, shooting as an Olympic sport is too.
Yohan
Ai WonderToday 08:59 am JST
The US should learn from Japan.
Japan gun deaths = single figures in any given year.
USA in 2020 alone = 41,000
The difference is staggering. The difference is mass gun ownership in the US compared to hardly anyone having a gun or coming anywhere near one in Japan.
In Japan you can go out day and night to everywhere you like to go and there is no danger at all.
No need to carry any weapon with you. Most crimes in Japan happen between people who know each other before, for example family members or co-workers. Japan is a low-crime society and outsiders are rarely attacked.
The Japanese prison population is about 50.000 inmates, compare that with USA with millions in jails.
In USA the problem is with criminals and their millions of illegal guns. Many honest US-citizens are - understandable - unwilling to give up their legal weapons for self-defence.
Nobody in USA expects police to protect them and their property. The 'cop' in USA has a remarkable bad reputation, I never heard a Japanese to refer to their police officers as 'gangsters in uniform' 'criminals with a badge' 'clowns with a gun' etc.
John-San
2010 IOC replying to bids for 2020 games,
Sorry Tokyo you have miss out on the game but that not final.
Tokyo Q: What was the problem with our bid ?
IOC A: Your gun laws, but we can make that problem go away by just providing a bigger paper bag.
Tokyo A: That can be arranged.
IOC A: Congratulation, you just won the 2020 bids Tokyo.