No guns at home, so Japanese shoot 'em up in Guam
TAMUNING, Guam (AP) - Their well-equipped arsenals offer everything from tiny revolvers (for ladies) to Berettas, Glocks, semi-automatic pistols and M16 military assault rifles. If kids can see over the counter, they are welcome too.
Forget the white sandy beaches, coral reefs and laid-back island culture. For many tourists from Japan, the biggest thrill is the chance to shoot a gun at one of Guam's ubiquitous ranges, dozens of which are tucked between upscale shopping centers.
The U.S. territory of Guam - a tropical island often described as a cheaper version of Hawaii - has long been the perfect place to put guns in the hands of tourists, especially from Japan, where gun ownership is tightly restricted and handguns are banned.
Despite a shared sense of shock over the recent rampage by a gunman at America's Sandy Hook Elementary School, the gun tourism business here is as brisk as ever.
"It was such a feeling of power," Keigo Takizawa, a 30-year-old Japanese actor, said after blasting holes in a paper target with a shotgun, a .44 magnum and a Smith & Wesson revolver at the Western Frontier Village gun club, a cowboy-themed indoor shooting range and gift shop on Guam's main shopping street.
"But," he said, "I still don't think anyone should be allowed to have one of their own."
Many Japanese see America's gun culture as both frightening and fascinating. Back home, the only people with handguns are in the military, the police or the mob.
Because guns are so hard to find, gun-related crime is extremely rare. They were used in only seven murders in Japan - a nation of about 130 million people - in 2011, the most recent year for official statistics. In the U.S., with 315 million people, there are more than 11,000 gun-related killings annually.
The Japanese are proud of their low crime rate and generally support tough gun-control policies.
But this Pacific island halfway between Tokyo and Honolulu is America. Guam's gun ranges are to the Japanese what Amsterdam's cannabis cafes are to backpackers from the world over.
"I think it's human nature to be curious about something that is forbidden," said Tetsuo Yamamoto, a Japanese native who emigrated to the United States 30 years ago and runs the Western Frontier Village range. "Most of our customers are from Japan and have never had the opportunity to shoot a gun. It's very exotic for them, and it's very exhilarating."
So exhilarating that he sometimes asks his guests to stay around for a while to calm down after they've finished shooting.
Many other tourists - from South Korea, Taiwan and increasingly Russia - are less impressed. All South Korean men, for example, learn how to shoot during mandatory military service.
"To them, learning how to use a gun was a chore," said Patrick Chon, general-manager of the Hafa Adai indoor shooting range. "It brings back bad memories. They hardly ever come here."
Visitors to his range are greeted by movie posters for "The Terminator" and "Die Hard," with their iconic, gun-toting action heroes. The Hollywood shoot-'em-up image is a common motif at many ranges, playing into an image of America that many Asians share.
"When most Japanese people think of American culture, one of the first things they think of is guns," said Natsue Matsumoto, a 38-year-old Osaka woman who said she enjoyed shooting so much she was back at a range for the second time in three days. "American movies and video games are full of guns and that's appealing, in a frightening sort of way.
"But I think Japan has it right," she added. "If you don't have a gun, you can't kill someone with it."
Forget the white sandy beaches, coral reefs and laid-back island culture. For many tourists from Japan, the biggest thrill is the chance to shoot a gun at one of Guam's ubiquitous ranges, dozens of which are tucked between upscale shopping centers.
The U.S. territory of Guam - a tropical island often described as a cheaper version of Hawaii - has long been the perfect place to put guns in the hands of tourists, especially from Japan, where gun ownership is tightly restricted and handguns are banned.
Despite a shared sense of shock over the recent rampage by a gunman at America's Sandy Hook Elementary School, the gun tourism business here is as brisk as ever.
"It was such a feeling of power," Keigo Takizawa, a 30-year-old Japanese actor, said after blasting holes in a paper target with a shotgun, a .44 magnum and a Smith & Wesson revolver at the Western Frontier Village gun club, a cowboy-themed indoor shooting range and gift shop on Guam's main shopping street.
"But," he said, "I still don't think anyone should be allowed to have one of their own."
Many Japanese see America's gun culture as both frightening and fascinating. Back home, the only people with handguns are in the military, the police or the mob.
Because guns are so hard to find, gun-related crime is extremely rare. They were used in only seven murders in Japan - a nation of about 130 million people - in 2011, the most recent year for official statistics. In the U.S., with 315 million people, there are more than 11,000 gun-related killings annually.
The Japanese are proud of their low crime rate and generally support tough gun-control policies.
But this Pacific island halfway between Tokyo and Honolulu is America. Guam's gun ranges are to the Japanese what Amsterdam's cannabis cafes are to backpackers from the world over.
"I think it's human nature to be curious about something that is forbidden," said Tetsuo Yamamoto, a Japanese native who emigrated to the United States 30 years ago and runs the Western Frontier Village range. "Most of our customers are from Japan and have never had the opportunity to shoot a gun. It's very exotic for them, and it's very exhilarating."
So exhilarating that he sometimes asks his guests to stay around for a while to calm down after they've finished shooting.
Many other tourists - from South Korea, Taiwan and increasingly Russia - are less impressed. All South Korean men, for example, learn how to shoot during mandatory military service.
"To them, learning how to use a gun was a chore," said Patrick Chon, general-manager of the Hafa Adai indoor shooting range. "It brings back bad memories. They hardly ever come here."
Visitors to his range are greeted by movie posters for "The Terminator" and "Die Hard," with their iconic, gun-toting action heroes. The Hollywood shoot-'em-up image is a common motif at many ranges, playing into an image of America that many Asians share.
"When most Japanese people think of American culture, one of the first things they think of is guns," said Natsue Matsumoto, a 38-year-old Osaka woman who said she enjoyed shooting so much she was back at a range for the second time in three days. "American movies and video games are full of guns and that's appealing, in a frightening sort of way.
"But I think Japan has it right," she added. "If you don't have a gun, you can't kill someone with it."
Crime in japan is low because of cultural differences, not due to lack of guns. Â More people die in america from knives and bats than many asian countries murder rates combined. Â Guns are needed in Japan because violent crimes on the innocent is so low and most crimes are tech and theft related, like robbing ATMS or credit card fraud, etc... Â
If you give guns to the japanese people, murder rates will still be low.
If you take away gun from America, people will still die at nearly the same rate, they'll just die from other means.
"But," he said, "I still don't think anyone should be allowed to have one of their own."
I see that while Japan has eliminated their Samurai class, the vast majority of the population are still serfs. Interesting, but sad.
For a country full of people who are anti gun, its funny that the airsoft look allike fad started there.
Using this tourism/gun range event as a perfect media opportunity to write the paragraph "I still don't think anyone should be allowed to have one of their own." is journalistic politics once again. Not to mention quoting a countryman of a nation whose invitation to join WWII/Pacific could not be ignored.
It is also funny that they report this but no one reported about the man stabbing and killing multiple people there this week,
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/12/us/guam-stabbing-deaths/index.html
@beetle73 Used a car and a knife, Those aren't on the agenda for the MSM.
@DarkParty @beetle73 What ironic about your silly comment is the fact that beetle73 linked to a mainstream media (CNN) article. Â
Too funny.Â
@lakeview @DarkParty @beetle73 i know the irony, but this was the only news agency here in the states that carried it.
The Japanese also go to Guam for prostitutes. Maybe they can do an article on that.Â
Thanks for the tip!
"the only people with handguns are in the military, the police or the mob."
Sounds like the way all the anti gun people want America to be.
Only 7 murders from guns. Pretty impressive. I wonder what the total murder rate is, however, and what weapons were used.
@TheBronze I think if you add their suicide rate to their gun murder rate it will probably be much higher than ours... They have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.
@TheBronze they also don't report the truth over there. there was a a running gun fight with the mafia there and there was wounded but they did not report it on the news that night or the next. the kicker was it happened a few blocks from a navy base there.
Japan does not allow guns because it detracts from the herd mentality and slavish lack of independent thought that is required to live there.Â