Comment on We should be allowed to carry swords for self defence
HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 12 hours agoIs it. Pretty much like any weapon you are required to have a lawful reason to carry. As hunting with them is illegal. Carring every day is fairly easy for a cop to question.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 11 hours ago
Some guy got arrested for gardening, but I think it’s because of the police interview he took.
I wonder what happens if you just carry a sword everywhere and say it’s a fashion statement. Iirc there is a Sikh sect which carries swords as a religious custom and they’re fine
HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 11 hours ago
Lawful reason is pretty open to court interpretation. Job or pass time has tended to require actual appointments or indication of intended visit. Carrying in any way as an every day thing will tend to involve it being classed as a weapon.
I have a fairly large knife (far from a sword) strapped to the inner door of my brother’s and my little narrow boat. As on the canals and rivers it is a genuine safety need to cut ropes or remove branges weeds etc.
But even walking with such on the towpath without a direct need has lead to friends arrest.
MouldyCat@feddit.uk 11 hours ago
According to wikipedia, all (male) Sikhs who choose to become Khalsa (and thus gain the surname “Singh”, meaning lion) are supposed to keep 5 special items with them at all times, one of which is a dagger - but it was originally a sword. All these 5 items begin with the letter K, and include a kirpan (the dagger/sword), the kara (a steel bracelet) and kesh (uncut hair, typically wrapped in a turban). I’m not sure, but KDE is probably recommended also.
One thing I didn’t know - it’s forbidden for such Sikhs to eat “halal” meat. That can’t be easy in some countries.
Flax_vert@feddit.uk 10 hours ago
I nearly burst out laughing when you mentioned KDE
HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 11 hours ago
Just looked up. The crossbow law you may have mistaken.
Technically it is still legal to own and carry long bow. But not to use to hunt. The laws requiring Englishmen to train have been repealed, and carrying arrows must be safety tipped in public. So it’s not practical. But if you have a safe private space to practice (100m from public access).you do have a technical right.
But again carrying when. You are clearly not travelling to hobby shoot, is likely to come under offensive weapons act.