Posted on 10/02/2013 7:43:07 AM PDT by Kip Russell
Thanks for the PING. Good story. Lucky for him, the little pukes didn’t have a gun. Still, a gutsy thing to do. Kudos to our intrepid swordsman.
Roger that. I’ve always been a believer in bringing guns to gun fights, as you know... But that said... Depending on the exact situation, at very close quarters a sword could give you at least even odds. Maybe even an advantage at times.
I hope the knife rights movement grows. We’ve got to do something about all these stupid knife laws all over. Especially about automatics and assisted openers. How a knife -opens- is simply a silly basis for restriction.
I’ve asked knowledgeable people for years now... Police... Prosecutors... Attorneys... Nobody can tell me why these laws exist. There seems to be no particular reason beyond the sheer inertia that such knives have always been illegal. My hunch is that lots of these laws got passed by frightened city councils after somebody watched West Side Story. It’s that simple... There’s no real reason other than somebody saw a movie with a switchblade in it... And got scared.
There is a dynamic that happens that I call “fad” legislation.
Something and or someone makes the public aware of a false “danger”, be it switchblades, blowguns, or nun-chucks. Most of the public have no real knowledge of it or its capabilities. A demagogue somewhere sees an opportunity to build their reputation, and because there is no organized opposition, gets a law passed.
Other opportunistic legislators want recognition too, they see it worked somewhere else, the media fans the flames, and it spreads like wild fire across the country.
These laws make no rational sense, but they hang on the books for ages, until rational opposition arises.
“Fad” legislation is a good description. I think you’re exactly right. Something just seems like a good idea to some yokel that wants his name on a new law... And rules get made without any actual need behind them.
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