My comment wasn't about gun control or the chance of an armed citizenry against the United States Government, It was simply about the claim that the Japanese government changed it's mind about invading the US after being reminded of the numbers of armed citizens.

The Japanese never did have any intention of invading the US with an eye toward occupying the nation. And certainly didn't at the time of Pearl Harbor.

Here is the email:

It said that after the invasion of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese naval fleet had a clear path to America's west coast. Supposedly the military's Chief of Staff predicted we Americans wouldn't be able to stop a massive invasion until they reached the Mississippi River because there were 2 million Americans fighting the Axis powers in Europe. After the war Japan's remaining generals and admirals were asked, Why they didn't invade the United States?

"The answer was they knew almost every American home had guns and that the Americans knew how to use them.

"The blogger said the world's largest standing army is America's hunters and it makes sense.

"Consider this how well armed most hunters in this country actually are. Since I can only speak accurately for myself I can tell you that I own a pump and a semi-automatic shotgun, a single shot .22 rifle, a .50 caliber muzzleloader, two compound bows and an assortment of knives.

I"f you think that sounds like a lot, it's not. Most hunters I know have considerably more and the fact is I have dozens of arrows and hundreds, maybe thousands, of rounds of ammunition. And I know guys with more, lots more.

"Now consider this: there are over 200,000 hunters in Indiana alone and that's a small number compared to some states.

"The blog said that Wisconsin had over 600,000 hunters this season, which made that group the eighth largest army in the world. It also said Pennsylvania had over 750,000 hunters, while the actual number is probably closer to 1 million, which outnumbers the state's estimated deer population.

"That gives me this idea for any potential invading army. You might not want to head into Pennsylvania right after deer season when all those frustrated hunters have freshly sighted-in rifles and plenty of ammo to burn.

"Combine all of the licensed hunters in the United States together — tens of millions of firearms- proficient men, women and children — and you have the largest standing army in the world!

"That's pretty cool, something I'm happy and proud to be a part of. And the point beyond all of this is pure and simple.

"America will always be safe from foreign invasion with a well-armed populace that routinely takes to the woods. The blogger said hunting is not just a way to fill the freezer, it's matter of national security.

"Continuing, he said: "That's why all enemies, foreign and domestic, want to see us disarmed. That's food for thought when we next consider gun control."

Now you can recognize the BS here. First, the Japanese were occupied in China and SE Asia. They are an island, like Britain, and had a limited amount of manpower.

They did not have the shipping in the Western hemisphere to transport the men and materials needed for an invasion.

They did not have the naval firepower necessary.

They did not have nor were they going to achieve the air supremacy necessary.

Look at Normandy, launched from 30 miles away from France.

Next, American gun owners and hunters are not a "well regulated militia". The ones I see on the back roads during hunting season are out of shape and drunk. That's not all of them, of course. But if anyone thinks they're facing a "well regulated militia" such as envisioned by the Constitution they are nuts. This is a rag-tag gang which is incapable of accepting the discipline and training necessary to be an effective force. Too old, weak, conflicted priorities, and so on.

So the notion that American hunters deterred the Japanese from an invasion of the mainland is nonsense. Just more right-wing BS.