[R W Reactionairy]

"I'm actually a pretty good shot with an atlatl. Does that meet N.J.'s definition? Sure, I'll look funny with a spear strapped to my back but better safe than sorry :)"

I think you would be ok ... except that all "weapons" are pretty much prohibited subject to allowable uses.

New Jersey prohibits "slingshots" by name [no differentiation between a David versus Goliath type and a wrist rocket.]

The origins of this goofy law according to legend are a legislator's attempt to prohibit something called a "slungshot" which is something like a "blackjack" which is a padded device holding a heavy weight used to bonk someone on the head. This particular statesman misspelled "slungshot" and ever since a slingshot has been considered a threat to society that can only be possessed by criminals.

How long does it take to become a "a pretty good shot with an atlatl?" :

[ndt]

"How long does it take to become a "a pretty good shot with an atlatl?" :"

LOL In my case, a lot longer than I expected. You can expect to get it to go in the right general direction by the end of the day, but hitting the target is a whole different ballgame.

On your first few tries, be prepared to run because the is a very good chance it is going to go straight up.

I started playing around with it when I was 15, and I'm now 34 but it was always just something to do when I was bored, it's not like I was training for the Olympic atlatl team.

[yarddog]

Your mention of the slungshot makes me wonder if that is what I saw in a Virginia statute on concealed weapons.

When I lived in Virginia, I asked the commonwealth's attorney for the legal definition of a concealed weapon. He mailed a copy of the statute.

I recall a slingshot being included, but now am wondering if it actually said "slungshot" since I am sure I have seen that word somewhere.

BTW, there were a lot of exceptions in the Virginia law which would have allowed a surprisingly large number of people to carry.