Police in northern Japan have returned a rifle to a veteran hunter who lost his gun permit after shooting a brown bear at a city’s request. His right to possess a firearm was recently restored by the Supreme Court.
Ikegami Haruo, who is 77, is the head of the Sunagawa City branch of the hunters’ association in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The Hokkaido Public Safety Commission revoked his firearms permit in 2019, citing his use of the rifle to shoot a brown bear near a house the previous year. He filed a complaint against the revocation, saying it was illegitimate. The Supreme Court overturned a high court ruling on March 27. It upheld the complaint, saying the commission’s revocation was illegal.
A Hokkaido police department official visited Ikegami on Thursday. The official said the police take the Supreme Court ruling seriously and apologized to Ikegami.
He asked Ikegami to help the prefecture deal with brown bears so that local residents can live in safety and security. The rifle was then returned to him after seven years.
Ikegami said a rifle is like a hunter’s soul. He said he knew the original owner, who is now deceased, and he thinks it should really be returned to him.
AloJapan.com