From: dsgood@iphouse.com   
      
   David Friedman wrote:   
      
   > In article <48f501b1$0$90338$804603d3@auth.newsreader.iphouse.com>,   
   >  "Dan Goodman"  wrote:   
   >   
   > > > I have a vague memory of having seen something more recent that   
   > > > argued that Perrin's book exaggerated the degree to which the   
   > > > policy was carried out, but a quick google fails to find any   
   > > > references.   
   > >   
   > > There was probably some discrepancy between what the reports said   
   > > and the reality.   
   > >   
   > > But the policy seems to have been carried out enough to leave the   
   > > shogunate outgunned by Europeans.   
   > >   
   >   
   > Sure. But all that would require was that firearms were sufficiently   
   > repressed to seriously slow technological progress.   
   >   
   > After all, Japan as of just before the ban would have been seriously   
   > outgunned by 19th c. Europeans too.   
      
   As I gather happened with various powers in the Middle East, India,   
   etc. who didn't have bans on firearms.   
      
   But I gather Japan had few enough firearms that some observers thought   
   there weren't any at all.   
      
   --   
   --   
   Dan Goodman   
   "I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers."   
   Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire   
   Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com   
   Futures http://clerkfuturist.wordpress.com   
   Mirror Journal http://dsgood.insanejournal.com   
   Mirror 2 http://dsgood.wordpress.com   
   Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)