During chapter 3 I was really intrigued by the fact that the deterrent power of shaming or the strong punishment of public humiliation for one's wrongdoing traces back to the family really influences people into having good behavior. Unlike here in our western societies when an individual is convicted of a crime, there really isn't a shame factor or a trail back to the family. If we look at the gun-related deaths per 100 residents in Japan in comparison to the United States, the US 18 times the rate to China making 88.8 to 0.6. If we further investigate to why this is its because Japan's government made it really difficult for its civilians to own a firearm. In Japan, it takes months to own a gun after first applying they must first take a class in which they are required to review books and then pass an exam this class session happens once a month. Shortly after that they much contact their local police to apply for a training session in a licensed gun range, once their local police sets a date for them they must gather paperwork such as photo identification, a list of past work experiences with references, and certificate of residency and also must meet with a mental health professional for an evaluation. A short time after that they will go back to their local police where they will be asked a series of question such reasoning for wanting to own a firearm, where they live, and if they have any relatives with mental health issues. After that, their application will be reviewed again and a background check will be done, after this, they will be able to finally select their gun but will not walk away with it until all application is fully processed. Once they approved they will have to wait till their gun licenses come in to pick their gun up and any transaction made such as buying ammunition will be recorded under their name. The journey does not end after that they will have inspections in their homes to see if they meet the requirement of safely storing a firearm and every couple months they must take their firearm for inspection to see if there are no unauthorized modifications. Although this seems like quite a process it surely seems that it is very limited and the Japanese government has control over their citizen's firearms unlike in the US where passing a background check is all that is needed it seems that there is less of fear of your neighbor owning a firearm. In my opinion, I feel that the US should follow in Japan's footsteps but should shorten the amount of time.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Japan/United-States/Crime http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-japan-guns-buying-process-1009-story.html
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