Man Kills at Least Seven in Stabbing Rampage at Popular Tokyo Shopping District

[SteveBailey]

The worse part is I think you're actually serious...and I'm the ignorant one?


 Tronsky

Yes, you are. The 1938 law was not  limited to jews, I only posted a small portion of it.
Previous gun bans don't change the fact that one reason Hitler was able to abuse his populace and stay in power was due to tight gun control.  Had reason prevailed and Hiler been driven from office, WWII might have been quite different, perhaps it might not have occurred at all.

[SteveBailey]

switzerland and the US..   both were never attacked because of their lack of gun control laws.. the japs did not attack our mainland because everyone was armed.   



lazs

Yup:   

Switzerland was the only country in Europe, indeed in the world, where every man had a military rifle in his home. Nazi invasion plans acknowledged the dissuasive nature of this armed populace,

Lazs, this will interest you, regarding our Brit  members who are convinved they don't need guns:

British civilians, faced with the threat of invasion, desperately need arms for the defense of their homes." Indeed, the New York Times carried the same solicitations. After two decades of gun control, British citizens now desperately needed rifles and pistols in their homes, and they received the gifts with great appreciation.

[straffo]

the  nazi plan also integrated interest and geography and it out weighted largely the militia myth !
plus germany was already busy trying invading an insignificant country called Britain and later another insignificant country called USSR

but you're still free to believe what fit better your opinion

[SteveBailey]

the  nazi plan also integrated interest and geography and it out weighted largely the militia myth !
plus germany was already busy trying invading an insignificant country called Britain and later another insignificant country called USSR

but you're still free to believe what fit better your opinion

This is  obviously posted merely for the sake of belligerence. The '38 law was a follow up on the '28 law. It is utterly intellectually dishonest of you to refuse to consider that an armed populace might have been able to remove Hitler from power.

[Slamfire]

the  nazi plan also integrated interest and geography and it out weighted largely the militia myth !
plus germany was already busy trying invading an insignificant country called Britain and later another insignificant country called USSR

but you're still free to believe what fit better your opinion

Not so - Hitler desperately wanted to annex Switzerland because of the gold reserves + high percentage (majority) of indigenous Germans living there.  Yes the terrain played a MINOR part, but the main reason was the well armed population (after all - why would you go to the mountains and set up an insurgency if you had no weapons to fight with ?).

Consider if Switzerland was unarmed - do you really think mountains would have stopped Hitler's war machine ?  France has mountains too.

Look at a map and consider during the vast majority of WWII, LITTLE Switzerland was completely surrounded by Facist states.  Can you name me any other country in the region that was unarmed, surrounded by hostile states + avoided being invaded ? 

Even Machiavelli`s 16th Century political writings called Switzerland "most armed and most free.".  To this day, this has not changed... How many other countries can boast having avoided major turmoil and invasion for so long ?

Switzerland is the most well armed western nation on earth (in terms of private citizens) - private citizens can own fully automatic weapons, anti-aircraft weapons and even artillery.  Switzerland also has the SMALLEST government of any western nation - Switzerland is one of the freest nations on earth.

Incidentally, there is so little crime in Switzerland that official statistics are not kept.

Conclusion : Well armed citizens + small government = As Close To Utopia As You Will Ever Get.

[straffo]

we have mountain on our border with germany ?

it's new ?

and good luck to find any of your indigenous german  in switzerland

[AKIron]

we have mountain on our border with germany ?

it's new ?

You have the Ardennes. The forest will keep out the hun.

[straffo]

It's more a hill than a mountain !

[Slamfire]

we have mountain on our border with germany ?
and good luck to find any of your indigenous german  in switzerland

Look at a topographic map - the Swiss border with Germany is relatively flat - Switzerland's largest mountains are to the south - none of the large key cities (Bern, Zürich etc) are overly protected by mountains.

If mountains alone could have stopped Hitler's war machine, then the French would have simply headed for the french alps and held them at bay using Ewok tactics (hurling large stones, improvised log traps etc.).

Clearly mountains were not the deciding factor in keeping Switzerland free from invasion - a heavily armed civilian population was.  Hitler knew that every yard gained would have been heavily paid for in blood.

[straffo]

not only : http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizer_Reduit

[Shuckins]

Most of the military histories of WW II that I have read over the years have stated that Hitler chose not to attack Switzerland because his generals told him that the cost would have been prohibitive, despite the small size of the Swiss Army.  The Swiss Army is a militia in the truest sense of the word;  all healthy males can be called up for service, and have received several years of military training.  Even when they have finished their full time service, they can be called up for emergencies.

I traveled through Switzerland several years back.  While the terrain has a varied topography, it is sufficiently rugged to render the use of blitzkrieg tactics null and void.  Attacking forces would be forced to advance up river valleys that are like funnels.  The Germans might have prevailed, in the same sense that the Russians prevailed over Finland.  To paraphrase one Russian general, "We gained just enough territory to bury our dead."

One side benefit for the Swiss of this ability to mass mobilize a populace which has a high degree of military training, is one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world.

The Swiss have a long history of military excellence.  Swiss pike-men, supremely disciplined and fighting in highly mobile squares, kicked the Burgundians and their highly touted cavalry out of the cantons.  During the time of the Renaissance, they were considered the finest infantry in Europe.  It is the reputation for toughness and discipline that has maintained their neutrality for more than 200 years.

[Excel1]

Clearly mountains were not the deciding factor in keeping Switzerland free from invasion - a heavily armed civilian population was.  Hitler knew that every yard gained would have been heavily paid for in blood.

i'm sure having that having a geographically handily placed bank like switzerland to launder their plunder was never a consideration in the nazis decision not to invade.

your probably right.. carry on

[Hap]

With the Grand Canyon being there, there are more cliffs per capita than any other state.

(Image removed from quote.)

It's tough to fall off of Kansas.

Was going to read the whole thread.  Won't.  I'm stopping while I'm ahead.  Great post Holden!

[lazs2]

by the same token... Hitler knew he would face little resistance once he hit the beach in england if he defeated the air force and navy.. the population were just sheep with broomsticks carved to look like guns and real guns their former (and free) colony sent em.   I have a 1917 smith and wesson with brit proof marks.. it was sent to england and then sent back after the war.

Japan?  the japs made great strides at the end of the war to arm the fanatical population and the US did fear that the killing on both sides would be monstrous.

Japan is a culture of suicide right now... it is the worst in the world...  If you combine the culture of suicide with the culture of the "dark avenger" teen angst crapola... you get the kind of killings we have been getting at our schools.. it will be much worse in japan tho.   guns, knives.. about the same in crowds like japan has.

lazs

[-tronski-]

This is  obviously posted merely for the sake of belligerence. The '38 law was a follow up on the '28 law. It is utterly intellectually dishonest of you to refuse to consider that an armed populace might have been able to remove Hitler from power.

Yes and I'm sure if they had access to gigantic robots theymight also removed Hitler from power - but ignoring the fact that Hitler held on to power through other govt. controls and the restoration of social/economic stability ensured there was no actual popular resistance to take up any arms banned or not (or said robots) - again the only actual way Hitler could have been removed from power by 1938 was from a general mutiny of the armed forces - ignoring how Germany actually truly operated after 1933 makes your case utterly ridiculous and further faniciful fantasizing only reinforces the transparency of that argument.

 Tronsky