17 wounded, 7 dead in stabbing spree in downtown Tokyo

[BenningBoy]

Originally Posted by General Geoff

This guy obviously knows how to use a knife. If a guy who actually knows how to use a rifle decides to go on a shooting spree, the body count could very easily be much higher.

That's true.

[Charlie B]

He must have used a Ginsu – They can really Slice and Dice.

[paul]

I don't really think it would take too much skill on a crowded city street amongst a population that has even less crime than us, a gun requires skill, or getting really close to the victim, and the loud noises that go along with it tend to scatter people. I'd much rather face down a guy with a gun to be honest, knifings are messy, and you have to be very lucky to see one coming, many people don't even realize they are being stabbed at first, It feels like getting hit.

[policemedic]

Originally Posted by paul

I don't really think it would take too much skill on a crowded city street amongst a population that has even less crime than us, a gun requires skill, or getting really close to the victim, and the loud noises that go along with it tend to scatter people. I'd much rather face down a guy with a gun to be honest, knifings are messy, and you have to be very lucky to see one coming, many people don't even realize they are being stabbed at first, It feels like getting hit.

Paul is right.

A knife, in my opinion, is just as deadly as a gun, and sometimes even more so. People underestimate them, for one thing. In a crowded mall, you could continue killing people until your arms got tired because unlike a gun, the use of which would instantly identify you as the bad guy, a knife is quiet and hard to see. Slash at a throat (or other, better targets), then move on. It's easy to see how a body count could rise quickly.

You needn't even use a large knife. A box cutter could do the same damage, and no one would see it coming.

[theSaj]

"Where's there's a will, there's a way!"

7 dead in killing spree. But no gun was used - just a knife.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapc....ap/index.html

(Article also mentions 8 children killed in an earlier knifing attack. Recently I discussed the gun issue with someone. And they made a point that I partially conceded too, that you don't get the massive killing sprees with a knife. Just one or two dead. Well, apparently, we were both wrong. Knifing sprees are on the rise in societies that have banned guns universally.)

[noofus]

Originally Posted by policemedic

Paul is right.

A knife, in my opinion, is just as deadly as a gun, and sometimes even more so. People underestimate them, for one thing. In a crowded mall, you could continue killing people until your arms got tired because unlike a gun, the use of which would instantly identify you as the bad guy, a knife is quiet and hard to see. Slash at a throat (or other, better targets), then move on. It's easy to see how a body count could rise quickly.

You needn't even use a large knife. A box cutter could do the same damage, and no one would see it coming.

Also dont need to reload a knife. In the hands of someone who knows how to use them, knives are just as deadly, if not more, than a gun.

[technosage]

Originally Posted by policemedic

Paul is right.

A knife, in my opinion, is just as deadly as a gun, and sometimes even more so. People underestimate them, for one thing. In a crowded mall, you could continue killing people until your arms got tired because unlike a gun, the use of which would instantly identify you as the bad guy, a knife is quiet and hard to see. Slash at a throat (or other, better targets), then move on. It's easy to see how a body count could rise quickly.

You needn't even use a large knife. A box cutter could do the same damage, and no one would see it coming.

Imagine the body count if he had gotten hold of a katana (long sword of the samurai)

[tl_3237]

In an emergency meeting, the ruling coalition considered limiting access to knives like the one used in the stabbing, which had a five-inch blade.

"Obviously, the suspect possessed the knife without a legitimate reason," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said. "I think we have to seriously consider what we can do to step up the restrictions."


http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/19707714.html

Geez, there's a great solution to the problem. Sounds familiar.