Roman Gladiator Faces Jail for Bearing Sword

Yahoo! (Reuters) ^ | March 12, 2002

[RippleFire]

Roman Gladiator Faces Jail for Bearing Sword
Tue Mar 12,11:26 AM ET

ROME (Reuters) - An aspiring Italian actor who poses for tourists as a sword-touting Roman gladiator in front of the Colosseum could face up to three years in jail for bearing illegal arms, police said on Tuesday.

Franco Magni, 29, and a handful of other men dressed in feathered helmets, studded breastplates and Roman sandals charge tourists to take their picture in front of the ruins of the amphitheater where Christians were put to death 2,000 years ago.

But unlike his colleagues, Magni had armed himself with a real sword. In coming days he will have to appear in front of a judge on charges of "illegally bearing arms without a license," a police spokesman told Reuters.

"The other centurions use plastic or wooden swords, but this man was carrying around a real sword. No one in Italy can just walk around with arms like that," he said.

Police swooped on Magni after a tourist filed a complaint against him for carrying a sword. They confiscated the weapon, but released Magni to await trial in freedom.

Magni could be sentenced to up to three years in jail if found guilty.

[RippleFire]

Rumors that the tourist that complained was Sarah Brady are unconfirmed.

[snowfox]

Well, I am pretty sure that if I bared my sword in public, the few women who didn't pass out from laughter would have me tossed in jail, too.

[FreedomPoster]

"No one in Italy can just walk around with arms like that," he said.

The sad thing is, you can't do it here, either, despite the 2nd.

[TEXASPROUD]

I don't think they ever rescinded the arms act of XX B.C. No one except Praetorian Guards or Roman Senators were permitted arms past the Rubicon.

Sounds familiar, only certain government employees and politically connected can bear arms.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

When swords are outlawed, only outlaws will have swords

[raygun]

What I want to know was if it was a single or double action, semi-automatic or fully automatic assault sword? Was this clown sporting a scabbard allowing an illegal number of swords to be held and no mention was made concerning about the sword being fitted with illegal night vision or laser pointing devices. Did he wait the required number of cooling off days, and no mention about any sort of pommel lock either. What about the blade? Was it of the cop-killer variety? Did the guy pass a sword saftey course of sufficient number of hours. Was a proper background check done on this guy?

There are way too many unknowns here.