Posted on 10/02/2013 7:43:07 AM PDT by Kip Russell
A Tennessee fencing coach thwarted a robbery when he chased of two goons with his sword, according to a report.
Franco Scaramuzza pulled into a Nashville shopping center last week and saw two goons pepper spray a couple and then take off with the woman's purse, local WSMV-TV reported.
"The first thing that went through my head is somebody should do something, and that's when I got really upset and disappointed with myself, because I realized I had the opportunity to do something," Scaramuzza said.
"And I didn't want to be a hypocrite who just tweeted about it."
The brave swordsman, who had just finished practice and was still in his fencing duds, grabbed his weapon from the backseat and charged toward the robbers.
"I charged towards them, holding my épée (sword) up high, and, you know, yelling at them," he told the station.
"I kept yelling throughout the entire thing. They completely panicked and dropped everything they stole and really took off."
Cops caught up to the suspects, Michael Butt and Zachary Johnson, a short while later.
Both were charged with robbery and were being held on $50,000 bond apiece.
Scaramuzza, who works as an art director, credited his fencing training for honing his crime-fighting skills.
"You have to overcome your own fears," he told WSMV-TV.
A solid thrust to the throat would do a dandy job without specific sharpening of the tip. Eye would work, too.
Related topic - Why do concealed carry permits only address firearms and not blades? I can't seem to find the logic in it.
At one time, my husband had to use a cane for a while. I bought him a metal Dragon cane. The handle was the Dragon with red eyes. Turn the dragon and pull out the long dagger of about 14 inches. These canes are outlawed in some states but not Texas.
When he used that cane, people would stare at the Dragon handle.
There does seem to be a disconnect between firearm and knife regulations. For instance, in Colorado it takes less paperwork to own this:
than it does this:
Even looking at it from the point of view of those in favor of weapon control, how does that make sense?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_legislation
and sword canes are mentioned extensively. Apparently there are a bunch of laws outlawing them in various locations.
An epee is not a foil. And both foils and epees are swords.
Well, he certainly foiled those robbers! Great job! Medias should write more often about these types of heroics, which do happen daily with guns.
Technically it is an epee. A foil has a smaller bell among other differences. Martially it would be classified as a steel whip. As such, in a real combat situation, saber techniques would be of more use to do actual damage. Broken fingers are common in saber fencing.
The pokie pokie of foil and epee is less likely to do any real damage. Though, if the steal breaks and a point is formed, then it can do some real damage and has even killed in real life.
It’s just a good thing the robbers didn’t Indiana Jones him.
Yeah, a foil could probably lash OK, but that wouldn’t really be in the ballpark of injuries you could inflict with an epee.
After posting my question, I learned that in Georgia and Florida the concealed carry permit includes knives. After discussing things with friends, the conclusion is that knives are simply “icky” to most people and that their owners must be horrible people, whereas John Wayne always used a gun. In other words, logic does not enter into the conversation.
In 19th century America, real Americans used guns. It was generally assumed Mexicans and blacks used knives.
There is of course the counter-balancing fact of the popularity of the Bowie knife and Arkansas toothpick.
Many states include edged weapons in their concealed weapons permits. I know that Arizona and Wisconsin do.
Knife Rights is working hard to push the Second Front in restoring the second amendment:
They have passed laws improving knife rights 12 times in the last four years, and stopped four bad laws from being enacted.
I believe they have has a positive effect in a dozen states.
They are a shoestring operation, and can really use help.
have has should be have had.
UK has had highly restrictive regulations on knives for a long time now. They recently had a big push for a law prohibiting points on cooking knives, but I don’t think it went through.
You are correct. It is one of the reasons that I push the fact that knives are arms that are protected under the Second Amendment.
Back in the good ole days, when CB radios were all the rage, guys used to grab a whip antenna from the trunk of a car and go after somebody - OUCH!
“I would imagine that using it as a whip would break skin nicely.”
See post 59!
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