3D-printed gun maker in Japan gets sentenced

[BigInJapan]

3D-printed gun maker in Japan sentenced to two years in prison

YOKOHAMA (Jiji Press) — The Yokohama District Court sentenced a former Japanese college employee on Monday to two years in prison for producing guns with a three-dimensional printer.

Yoshitomo Imura, 28, a former employee of the Shonan Institute of Technology, was found guilty of violating laws that strictly restrict the possession of guns and large knives and the production of weapons. The prosecution had demanded a 42-month prison term.

Imura’s actions were “vicious” because he made it easy to imitate his production method, presiding Judge Koji Inaba said, noting that Imura had released 3-D design data for his guns on the Internet.

The accused had “flaunted his skills and knowledge and attempted to make gun controls toothless,” the judge said.

Imura produced two guns using a 3-D printer at his home in Kawasaki between September and December last year, the ruling said, adding that he still possessed the guns in April this year.

Older article from the Japan Times: May 8, 2014
Man held on suspicion of owning guns made with 3-D printer

YOKOHAMA – A 27-year-old man who allegedly made handguns with a 3-D printer was arrested Thursday on suspicion of illegal weapons possession, the first time Japan’s firearms control law has been applied to the possession of guns made by this method.

The suspect, Yoshitomo Imura, an employee of Shonan Institute of Technology in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, had the plastic guns at his home in Kawasaki in mid-April, the police said. No bullets have been found.

The police launched an investigation earlier this year after Imura posted video footage online of the guns, which he claimed to have produced himself, along with blueprints for them, according to investigative sources.
Continued on the Japan Times

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[matsuki]

Imura’s actions were “vicious” because he made it easy to imitate his production method, presiding Judge Koji Inaba said, noting that Imura had released 3-D design data for his guns on the Internet.

I thought he just printed them using instructions from the net? He actually made the designs/construction data?

Sort of on topic question but with all the anti-gun laws here, are crossbows legal? I assume bows and arrows are since I see them almost daily, being carried by students.

[IparryU]

Our FG brethren at FG Riders did some DD on this apparently:
http://www.gaijinriders.com/archive/ind ... 10791.html

[Wage Slave]

From that thread:

Among the stringent requirements, they have to inspect your storage for the weapon as well as your storage for the ammunition. That's right! They have to be stored in separate and secure storage.

The horror! Gun control!

[matsuki]

Slingshots can be used too but are unregulated.

[wagyl]

I'm not entirely sure that the conclusions on that Gaijin Riders thread are correct.
It appears to be correct in so far as crossbows, or any other bow and arrow, are not an approved method of hunting, but the law does not ban other uses (whatever the fuck they might be) of crossbows.
http://www.env.go.jp/nature/choju/hunt/hunt2.html

The Firearms and Swords Regulation Act deals with, well, firearms and blades. And there are more than a few online stores offering crossbows.
http://www.body-guard.jp/kate/bougan.htm
http://www.crossbow.jp/

Where you would get out to actually use the items is another matter.

It is not authoritative of course, but this Yahoo! Chiebukuro thread rings true to me
http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa ... 1073418280
The gist is if you try to ban crossbows it becomes hard to draw a line so that archery and kyudo are safe from a ban.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Did this moron want to get arrested? It seems like he went out of his way to get discovered.

[matsuki]

Right on!

[matsuki]

Did this moron want to get arrested? It seems like he went out of his way to get discovered.

He didn't get the memo about how many idiots have already been arrested for posting pics/vids of their crimes on facebook and such