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From: Dale.Amon@FAS.RI.CMU.EDU
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Guns in Japan
Message-ID: <8601080907.AA17847@s1-b.arpa>
Date: Wed, 8-Jan-86 04:05:20 EST
Article-I.D.: s1-b.8601080907.AA17847
Posted: Wed Jan  8 04:05:20 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Jan-86 00:10:03 EST
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Organization: The ARPA Internet
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Just to keep the history straight, guns were indeed banned in Japan, and I
believe the enforcement was via the death penalty. It was quite succesful.

Of course, the REASON that they were banned was so that the highly trained
Samurai could continue to keep the Japanese peasantry from becoming uppity,
since a peasant with a gun was the equal to any wealthy noble. Had we had a
similary perspicuity in the European nobility, we might well still be living
under feudalism. (Although that is, of course, somewhat of a simplification)

This has little to do with space, but when historical references are bandied
as 'proofs' of something, I feel it is important to look a little deeper
than simple bald statements.