Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Shot

[Farmerjon]

Horrible situation for the family and friends. Kudos for past president Trump and past vice - president for sending condolences in a timely fashion.

 

[BigRed]

Video of the assassination is being taken down from a lot of websites, but still available here for the moment:

Video shows moment former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was gunned down

The politician clutches his chest and slowly tumbles to the ground as those around him take cover.

nypost.com

Interesting....It looks like the first shot missed him and then everyone just stood around for a few seconds until the second one did not miss him.

Seems like a very complacent group.

 

[Basher]

Interesting....It looks like the first shot missed him and then everyone just stood around for a few seconds until the second one did not miss him.

Seems like a very complacent group.

That was my take. He wasted a full second just by freezing, another second by looking behind him, and the last second just standing there without getting off the “X.”

If I hear an explosion/gunshot that close to me and it ain’t the Fourth or NYE (heck, even if it IS), I’m moving and scanning. Might not save me, but it won’t hurt my chances…

 

[HoughMade]

To be fair, isn't the entirety of Japan a GFZ? With under 900 murders in a country of a population of 125 million, they are not the same as our GFZ.

Yeah, I don't think the ability to improvise a gun to accomplish 1 murder in a country with a murder rate the fraction of the U.S. murder rate makes the point we want to make.

 

[manifest destiny]

I wonder what he used for ammo in his improvised weapon.

 

[Ark]

Does anyone have the Explain It Like I'm Five explaination of who this person is and what the significance is? I have a total blind spot for all things Japanese politics post-1946.

 

[jsx1043]

I just learned some things from this discussion on the assassination. East Asia isn't looking too good.

Erik Prince: Abe's Assassination Will Have 'Negative Ripple Effects' On Surrounding Areas In Asia

Erik Prince: Abe's Assassination Will Have 'Negative Ripple Effects' On Surrounding Areas In Asia

rumble.com

Before I even watched that video, I had Archduke Franz Ferdinand vibes. Political assassinations always serve a purpose, and this one sets to further destabilize Asia as China looks to swing it’s D around the region. Abe was pushing for more Japanese strength and bolstering of its national security, which makes it a tougher target in the theater when it goes hot.

 

[Sylvain]

Does anyone have the Explain It Like I'm Five explaination of who this person is and what the significance is? I have a total blind spot for all things Japanese politics post-1946.

Longest serving Prime Minister in Japanese history.
He served 9 years in office.

 

[tim87tr]

I wonder what he used for ammo in his improvised weapon.

I watched that NYpost video. As stated, wow, if he'd hit the ground after the first shot he could have survived. Easy to say now though. To me it didn't sound as loud or sharp as a gunshot and I suppose citizens aren't familiar with gunshot sounds? More like fireworks boom sound. Again as mentioned, this isn't the security crew you want. I hope that's not their version of the Secret Service.

Ammo? Serious question? I'd call it a Dragoon, handgun version of the Blunderbuss. First time I saw one on Pawn Stars and read the history I could see that it'd be a real nasty (low accuracy) weapon loaded with black powder and who knows what else. Of course his had electronic ignition for the powder. I know little about them but there's more than a few on here that could elaborate. I have shot black powder but don't reload. To me it didn't sound like much powder...but it doesn't take much. Think how much damage a .22 short can do.

 

[BigRed]

Before I even watched that video, I had Archduke Franz Ferdinand vibes. Political assassinations always serve a purpose, and this one sets to further destabilize Asia as China looks to swing it’s D around the region. Abe was pushing for more Japanese strength and bolstering of its national security, which makes it a tougher target in the theater when it goes hot.

Nah...the killer said it wasn't political and oniden said it would have no impact....so all good.

 

[manifest destiny]

I could see that it'd be a real nasty (low accuracy) weapon

This is why I wondered about the projectile. The shooter was several feet away when he fired. First shot missed but the second hit and killed. With nobody else appearing to take shrapnel I assumed (wrongly maybe) that the projectile was a single item as opposed to a bag of nails, bearings or whatnot. Also the pipe diameter was large. Wouldn't a Blunderbuss type setup require the projectile to be approximately or slightly less than the pipe ID? The pop or boom did seem muted but still enough to kill at, what, 15-20 feet maybe? The double barrel was an interesting spin on the typical hardware store 'gun'. I have zero experience with black powder guns. I've never even stood next to someone shooting one. So I may be way off in my understanding.

 

[indykid]

In the number one country for banning firearms, I can understand the reaction to the first bang. In a gun free country that should not be the noise from a firearm. Proves again that gun free zones just hurt the honest people.

And if I am not mistaken, Abe was a great friend of the United States. They are hard to come by lately.

 

[MrSmitty]

Looks like black powder, what with all the smoke, also looks like there was a first shot, with a little smoke, then the final shot, with a massive cloud of smoke.

 

[Twangbanger]

That was my take. He wasted a full second just by freezing, another second by looking behind him, and the last second just standing there without getting off the “X.”

If I hear an explosion/gunshot that close to me and it ain’t the Fourth or NYE (heck, even if it IS), I’m moving and scanning. Might not save me, but it won’t hurt my chances…

I am reminded of the infamous "show shoveling" video of the guy capping his neighbors for tossing snow on his property. Those people stood there for, like, 6 or 7 shots without being hit, to any effect you could see, before the blinded-by-anger shooter finally walked the gun onto target and got them down. And they were looking right at him with the gun in his hand, running their jaws the entire time.

Kind of an irrelevant comment, but didn't that seem like kind of a crummy run-down non-venue, for a former world leader to be making a speech? The Five Point Pastors get more of an audience on College Avenue than that.

It is sad to hear, because Abe-san did seem like one of the good guys. This will be Japan's introduction to American-style event planning and security. As a society, I suspect they will go to school on this event and changes will occur. I think about the "Pope-Mobile" being invented when I was younger, after the John Paul assassination attempt, years after the Kennedys. In retrospect, as an American, it seemed so obvious. If you're important...some loser, somewhere, has their sights on you.

 

[KG1]

What the **** does this have to do with the story?

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an arch-conservative and one of the country's most divisive figures, was shot and critically wounded...
(Kyodo News via AP)

Just more typical leftist media political bull**** Taking parting shots at Abe was lowbrow to say the least.