Pair of key chains deemed lethal by authorities.

In October of 2019, a 54-year-old man was arrested in a parking lot in Nerima, Tokyo for having two revolvers in his possession. Possession of firearms is a relatively rare crime in Japan anyway, but this case was especially odd due to the fact that each gun was only about 7 centimeters (2.76 inches) long.

▼ News report showing the confiscated firearms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9l3m5XY1AY

The police were tipped off by customs officials in a Kawasaki post office who noticed small amounts of gunpowder in a package from the USA that was addressed to the suspect. After being caught slightly red-handed, the man admitted to purchasing the puny pistols, claiming, “I had them for self-defense.”

It would seem that the reason charges are only being pressed now is that the police weren’t clear whether these revolvers were technically weapons. But after investigating them, they were judged to have “lethal force.”

▼ For reference, here’s a YouTube demonstration of a similar revolver. The shooting starts at about 6:20.

It certainly did a number on that carton of half & half, but I’m not sure how easy it would be to kill a person with one. Maybe if you fired it directly into their ear….

That being said, the guns in this case do look a little sturdier than the one in the video, but they both come with a sporty key chain so you can just slip it into the front pocket of your jeans with your tangled mess of keys: the perfect place for a loaded firearm.

Readers of the news were highly skeptical that those little guns were really such a threat to society, but also agree that the suspect wasn’t very bright for getting them in the first place.

“Is that really lethal?”
“Those things look like they’ll just get jammed and blow themselves up anyway.”
“They won’t shoot straight at all.”
“Did he feel like a bad ass with those little things?”
“Those must have a range of two meters or so.”
“Anything can have lethal force if you try hard enough.”
“Do they mean lethal against humans? Not mice or cockroaches?”
“Those rubber band guns look stronger.”

For what its worth, I would like to add that I believe these weapons are highly lethal. If I were to shoot someone with one, I imagine they would get pissed off enough that they would then kill me rather handily. They also seem perfect for those who want put a little sport into their roach control efforts.

It’s just too bad that the precedent has now been set for miniature gun prohibition in Japan. But at least air guns of all kinds are still plentiful here as are some nice toilet paper armaments for all your half-assed self-defense needs.

Source: TV Asahi, Nikkei Shimbun, Itai News
Top image: ©SoraNews24
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