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Two soldiers killed, one injured in shooting at Japanese army firing range
UPI ^ | JUNE 14, 2023 / 3:34 AM | By Thomas Maresca

Posted on 06/14/2023 7:59:01 AM PDT by Red Badger

Military personnel gather at a firing range in Gifu, central Japan after a shooting incident left two dead and one injured Wednesday. Photo by Jiji Press/EPA-EFE

June 14 (UPI) -- Two Japanese soldiers were killed and another was injured after being shot by a recruit at a training range Wednesday in the central prefecture of Gifu, Japan's military said.

The shooting took place at around 9 a.m. at the Hino shooting range in Gifu, Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force said in an initial report.

"During a live-fire drill in new recruit training, one Self-Defense Force candidate fired at three personnel," the GSDF said, later confirming that two of the victims were killed.

The 18-year-old shooter used an automatic rifle, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Police said he was arrested on the scene and later admitted to the shooting,

The two soldiers who died were aged 25 and 52, according to police, while the third SDF member shot was 25.

GSDF Chief of Staff Gen. Morishita Yasunori said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon that a committee will be set up to investigate the shooting.

"This kind of incident should never have happened at an organization that handles weapons," he said. "As the GSDF's chief of staff, I take this very seriously."

Shootings in Japan are extremely rare, as the country has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the world. However, a handful of high-profile violent crimes have rattled the public since the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last July.

In April, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped injury after a man threw a smoke bomb during a campaign appearance in western Japan. The incident, which took place shortly before the country hosted the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Hiroshima, sparked renewed calls for beefed-up public security measures.

Last month, four people, including two police officers, were killed in a shooting and stabbing rampage in Nagano.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Japan
KEYWORDS: asia; banglist; japan
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To: HartleyMBaldwin

“Why not?”

Because it is Japan.


21 posted on 06/14/2023 9:48:44 AM PDT by TexasGator
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To: TexasGator

I guess I needed to put the /s in a larger typeface, and perhaps in red or something. Sorry.


22 posted on 06/14/2023 9:50:20 AM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: HartleyMBaldwin

I meant font, not typeface. Oops. I always get the two mixed up.


23 posted on 06/14/2023 10:04:49 AM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: pfflier

We were taught shooting with 22’s on a fully enclosed target rifle range at my high school. If you were in MCJROTC you were taught gun safety, sight picture, and how to correctly shoot a rifle in prone, sitting, kneeling and offhand positions. Oddly we never fired from a supported position. Just an Old school 1st Sgt I guess. ( This was in the 70’s, and the 1st Sgt had been a PI Drill Sgt and and was a Korean war Chosin vet also about 260 Alabama lbs and 6’4” without his smoky the bear hat on). I saw him regularly put a boot down on the back of prone shooters who were not keeping their rifles pointed downrange while rising up or turning around to ask a question while on the firing line. By them time we had mastered prone shooting everyone knew what the consequences of not keeping your rifle pointed downrange, or not having your bolt open, rifle unloaded, barrel down when exiting the firing line. You also had to police your brass and account for all fired and unused rounds. I know for a fact he would “ miscount” and slide a few extra rounds into the issue boxes so that someone would have leftover rounds to turn in in each class. Just keeping us honest and following procedures. They should due this with all students. We had a few non MCJROTC students try out for the rifle team, but no one could outside MCJROTC could shoot as well as we did. Our Girls Team won more trophies than the boys team from a pool of shooters that was 15% the size of the boys team. No wonder the Russians used Female snipers. Our best shooter shot several 497/500 in competitions. I didn’t make the team for competition but I’m a much more responsible gun owner, hunter, and shooter because of the 1st Sgt. It’s all about sight picture. This is my rifle it’s not a gun, it’s made for shooting and not for fun. Verify target,obtain proper sight picture, steady, fire, verify round impact. repeat as necessary. Do not threaten anyone with your firearm, your asking to get shot. Only aim a weapon at something you intend to pull the trigger on.
Thanks to the USMC for the instructions and lessons of MCJROTC. Not just on the rifle range. The teamwork and leadership skills have served me well my entire life.


24 posted on 06/14/2023 10:35:39 AM PDT by Waverunner
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To: Red Badger

Occasionally one of the US services will have accidental shooting at the range because hot brass from the guy the next shooting point over will go down some other guy’s blouse collar. Which makes him twitch reflexively, jerking the trigger and waving the muzzle around like he’s directing an orchestra.

A guy who used to work in DoD’s M-16 program told me these incidents had become substantially more frequent since the fielding of the M16A2 because brass ricocheting off the brass deflector tends to take a higher trajectory than off the non-deflector A1, and the higher trajectory makes it more common for the flying brass to make it to the next shooting point over.

I’ve heard of it happening at civilian ranges, too, but in those cases it’s usually some guy shooting himself at a range where there are screens between pistol firing points that flying brass can bounce off. He shoots, the brass ricochets off the screen and goes down his own collar.

https://myfox8.com/news/video-man-accidentally-shoots-himself-in-face-at-gun-range/

When reflexes take over, muzzle discipline goes out the window.


25 posted on 06/14/2023 11:21:53 AM PDT by threefinger
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To: Waverunner

Alec Balwin’s dad was a champion team high school shooting coach and had even been shot in an accident on the range in the Marine Corps.

“Asked if his father had worked in heavy industry or near a steel mill due to “very high lead content” in his blood, Baldwin said: “I told the doctor my father coached riflery in a high school for 28 years, and he ventured that an unventilated shooting range may have been a cause.

“For over a quarter century, lead dust was inhaled not just by my dad, but by his team members and my brothers and me as well.”
He said other schools ventilated their ranges “long before”.


26 posted on 06/14/2023 11:36:55 AM PDT by ansel12 (NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.)
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To: threefinger
Depends on how good your discipline is - my daddy (Combat Engineers 1942-1948) raised me right!

I had a hot .45 ACP empty go down the neck of my shirt on the range. I neither moved nor even squeaked. Cleared the pistol, dropped the magazine, set it safely on the tray, then shook the shell out of my shirt.

I still have a little semi-circular scar. But I didn't let down the family!

27 posted on 06/14/2023 3:19:08 PM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ecce Crucem Domini, fugite partes adversae. Vicit Leo de Tribu Iuda, Radix David, Alleluia!)
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To: GingisK

Are you referring to civilian range operators?

Because I’ve never seen that in the military.


28 posted on 06/15/2023 3:04:27 PM PDT by 2CAVTrooper (Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.)
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To: 2CAVTrooper
I saw this at a military range at IGMAR in 1971 or so. One of my peers was a range officer at Fort Sill around 1980, and said they were armed and had lookouts in towers. I remember towers at IGMAR, but didn't pay much attention to them.

My old roomie said they had to be careful to search the troops after a trip to the range because they frequently tried to sneak off with ammunition.

29 posted on 06/15/2023 3:27:25 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: AnAmericanMother
I had most of the brass from a magazine of an M14 go down my shirt collar. I put mine on safe, chucked it on the ground, and ripped off my shirt. I buttoned the top button after that.

The M14 had a remarkably high rate of fire. You couldn't anything after the first round, but the magazine emptied just the same.

30 posted on 06/15/2023 3:31:51 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: GingisK

That’s an embarrassment of riches right there!


31 posted on 06/16/2023 6:19:13 AM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ecce Crucem Domini, fugite partes adversae. Vicit Leo de Tribu Iuda, Radix David, Alleluia!)
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