With all the talk of firearms, what about other arms? Guns, swords, long knives, spears, ect?

Why is carrying them illegal? Is pretty unarguable that the lowliest gun is general more lethal than these, well unless in melee range, but a gun is lethal at both. Most swords, ect aren't even sharp, they're replicas, ect. Even if they were, why is a sword so much more a crime as a tool of self defense than a gun is? Or a spear, mace, ect.

This is something I just don't get. Why does the right to bare arms not apply to these weapons? Is a bow illegal, a crossbow? What makes fire arms so special they deserve a privileged place above all other tools of self defense?

I mean the second amendment should apply to these as well, as they are technically arms, even if arm is more often used for firearms the definition does include all weapons.

So tell me, why are my more traditional weapons restricted while more dangerous and lethal modern ones are not? What does our government have against the weapons of human history? Why must we be regulated to firearms as our one recourse in self defense?

interesting question.
never thought about mases and battle axes but it would be nice if i could legally carry my knuckles.
thats my weapon of choice. i have a few nice ones

a reply to: Mugly

OMG a response and here I thought I was just gonna sit here and poke the dirt with my spear and warpaint all by my lonesome.

a reply to: Puppylove

i often wonder the same thing. not about the weapons you mentioned but others.

in my state it is legal to open carry and conceal carry but i cant carry my knuckles or a blade.
actually, i think you can carry a blade here but there are several laws about it.

i think it has to be more than 4 inches long and can not have a thumb screw. i could be wrong on that one though.
still, i dont get it.
im not a big fan of guns...more partial to knuckles and telescoping clubs. i have a few of those too

a reply to: Puppylove

Around here we keep our armory under lock and key...you know, that way they don't know what we have and how well armed our militias are. We are a formidable force, with our mighty pointed sticks of banishment. Woe unto those who cross the line.

a reply to: Puppylove

For the same reason everyone gets scared around firearms.
They have been convinced by the news and Oprah that everyone with something in their hand wants to bash someone with it, or aim it at someone.

Cause you know we are so martial... and we just cant wait to kill someone.

We chomping at the bit to kill someone because we have so many action heroes that shoot people that we just cant wait to disarm ourselves... to kill one another.... wha? well that don't make any sense at all does it?

Hmm I shall ponder this.
LOL

a reply to: Mugly

Yeah it's an odd hypocrisy the laws we have. I don't care for guns myself. Too easy for accidents to occur in my opinion.

know what im saying

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

I want an armory lol, though mine would be more primitive than a modern armory... I still remember sharpening sticks as a child and chasing rabbits... lol not that I ever caught one... not sure I was really trying though.

a reply to: Puppylove

I no longer have my sword, but I keep my two knives holstered and under lock and key these days. They're sentimental and kind of just "honor blades" more than anything else, I'm no fancy knife wielder that's for damn sure.

After getting a "concealed weapons charge" (adjudicated) down in Texas for the aforementioned sword in the trunk of my car during a traffic stop one night, and also being relieved of a small bone handled pocket knife in the same damn state, I no longer carry anything larger than a nail file on my person....even though I currently live in a state where it's acceptable to carry up to a 5" blade.

Had a Leatherman Multi-tool my Mother gave me for helping with ranch work confiscated by some young guy on the force out in Arizona over a decade ago for no reason other than I had a busted tire out in the middle of nowhere on a dark stretch of highway. I still don't understand the rationale behind that decision.

Things have gotten so borderline paranoid out there I'm even reluctant to walk with my cane or walking stick down the street even though my ankle is messed up pretty badly. I'd rather hobble along proudly and in pain than give some overly enthusiastic new kid on the force a reason to take home a "new toy".

It wasn't always like this.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

That's seriously depressing

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Which is exactly what they are doing with your stuff... taking it home.
The leatherman was a big loss though, those little guys are nice to have around. LOL

a reply to: Puppylove

Yeah.

When I lived up in Seattle some kid on drugs wielding a Samurai sword was shot dead at 30 feet by first responders. Guy was off his rocker and had been showing off his "skillz" in a threatening manner to neighborhood residents for several minutes.

It was obvious he knew how to use the damn thing rather effectively and officers who showed up could tell the kid wasn't playing around.....they told him to drop the weapon and the idiot responded with a flourish and an aggressive and challenging stance.

Big no-no right there.


When I first moved into my current neighborhood I was finding butter knives every block or so just laying on the ground. I picked them up during the daytime and recycled them at the thrift store because I didn't like the idea of walking to the corner store in the middle of the night with the possibility of some "loose cannon" grabbing a pre-planted "shank" and attacking anyone off guard.

Rough neighborhood back then.
Real rough.

It's cleaned up around here since, thank heavens.


a reply to: Punisher75

Broke my heart.
My new one stays put at home these days as well.

I've heard enough horror stories of kids on drugs with all manner of things that most rational people wouldn't even consider being used as a weapon.....being used as weapons. Something is seriously wrong out there and I can't fault an Officer for putting safety first.

I really do wish he would have given me an opportunity to explain why I needed the damn pliers though. Don't think I ever even used the blade on it for anything more than cutting cheese for crackers on camping trips, but eh.....so it goes. Better safe than sorry and a multi-tool is easier to replace than my Mom's only child.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Had a Leatherman Multi-tool my Mother gave me for helping with ranch work confiscated by some young guy on the force out in Arizona over a decade ago for no reason other than I had a busted tire out in the middle of nowhere on a dark stretch of highway. I still don't understand the rationale behind that decision. 

It is possible that young guy on the force didn't have a Leatherman Tool like that one.... until he decided to appropriate yours.
It isn't like you tried to get it back later, right. Legal theft.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

In most any room there are effective easily accessible weapons to someone willing to consider them. Most things can easily be converted to a club, ect. We spend so much time trying to legislate against weapons, but really, they're everywhere. I mean shoot, even without a weapon, people have been killing each other bare handed for centuries.

I think it's silly how, the second something is "called" a weapon it's now bad.

I can walk around with a baseball bat, a golf club (especially an iron) or any number of lethal sporting equipment, but if I were to carry say, a war hammer suddenly I'm a criminal.

a reply to: butcherguy

Back in the 90's the Rule of the Road was "never travel with weapons of any sort....they have a way of getting someone killed."

That recent kid "Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker" that was a media darling for defending a lady who was the victim of some unruly mofo with road rage ended up killing someone further down the line in his travels for an unrelated event.

Seriously.

Never met a runaway who showed off "self defense" or a "tool" that didn't end up in trouble somewhere.

Bad karma.

I just never stopped to think the world might have gone so AWOL that it meant a simple multi-tool would set off alarm bells. But then again, I'm not traveling anymore because the world up and went AWOL. People have lost their minds.

That young guy can keep the damn Leatherman if it's gotten that bad out there.
Trust me....I'll live.

a reply to: Puppylove

Rule #1 of most Cosplay and Generalized LARP Communities...never use real armaments.

I'm sure having a giant oversize foam battleaxe is acceptable in most sanctioned fields.


But sadly, the world is not Cosplay and even some LARP'ers take things too far off the books....people can get seriously hurt, or even killed when they take things too far.

(No idea how war re-enactment guys deal with their gear....that's not my scene.)

Fact remains, when it comes to regular urban landscapes without an obvious need for props....I fail to see the point of using anything remotely misconstrued as a viable weapon. It's a Brave New World out there, and sadly....criminals and psychopaths ruin it for honest, weird and fun loving people.

I'm sure I'm gonna catch flak for this from someone out there, but some things are just better left at home in light of all that crazy.

Just goes to show how overzealous lawmakers can be. Common sense goes out the window when it comes to weapons.

In my state, you can carry a switchblade as long as it's not concealed, in some states they are illegal period, but you could walk around with a butcher knife or meat cleaver all day long. In a some states, flamethrowers are legal.

All weapons should be covered by the 2nd. Guns have a powerful lobby in the NRA, so lawmakers trying to ban guns run into opposition. Since there is no lobby group for things like knives or hand grenades, they are like low hanging fruit for legislators who think that only the police and military should be allowed to have weapons.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

Creative people can turn most things into a weapon, this is nothing but an illusion of safety.

a reply to: Puppylove

I knew of a Dojo Master who shoved a tiny Nerf ball into some guys windpipe when challenged with the "harmless toy". The foam ball cut off the dudes oxygen supply long enough for the Master to make his point. He then gave the guy the Heimlich Maneuver and sent him embarrassed back to the sidelines for further instruction without being interrupted.

It's not a game out there for some folks.

I always fancied the spiked flail. It has served me well when dismounted.