Joram van Essen (joramvanessen@yahoo.com)
Wed, 2 Aug 2000 07:56:12 -0700 (PDT)
Just a note abot weather a blunt sword is a stage prop
or a weapon, the UK knife laws were updated a couple
of years ago, the classification of a knife now is
"anything that can be sharpened". Again it is up to
the individual police officer weather they will stop
you or not.
As affar as getting special permits to carry weapons,
this does not allow you to use them i.e. for self
defence (unless specifically registered for such for
certain jobs).
Cheers
Joram
--- Rob Lovett <rob_lovett@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Totally agree with you, intent has to be shown - but
> if you get a police
> person who wants to make a point then he can bring
> you for carrying what you
> would call a stage prop and what he would call a
> blunted sword. I doubt that
> it would go further but he could make life difficult
> for you.
>
> I remember when I was car less I used to travel with
> a Dane Axe, quite
> happily and uncovered. Often people would see me
> waiting for a trin with an
> axe hooked on my shoulder. I was seen by police men
> and women many times and
> they never said a word. Then one day returning from
> a show I was stopped by
> the police in London as I was swapping trains and
> this police man decided to
> make an issue of the situation even though I was
> polite and avoided sarcasm.
> Eventually, and this was after an hour of being kept
> waiting in the station
> by another two policemen who turned up as backup, I
> was allowed to go on my
> way with the advice to make the weapon safer by
> putting a pillow case over
> the axe head.
>
> I was only to happy to agree and went on my way.
>
>
> >From: David Brewer <david@brewer.to>
> >Reply-To: histrenact@novar.co.uk
> >To: histrenact@novar.co.uk
> >Subject: Re: [Histrenact] - Re: [Histrenact] :
> Wearing a sword in public
> >Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 23:38:10 +0100
> >
> >Rob Lovett wrote:
> > >
> > > HI there,
> > > > >
> > > > >But, what you are doing is, let's face it, a
> > > > >crime.
> > > >
> > > >It is not a crime. If it were there would be
> mass arrests at
> >reenactment
> > > >shows across the UK.
> > >
> > > Erm, I think in the situation that is being
> discussed, walking across a
> >park
> > > with a blunted steel sword is an offence,
> whether the officer decides
> > > whether it is worth pressing the charges or not
> depends entirely upon
> >that
> > > officers interpretation of the law and how
> pissed off he/she is feeling.
> >
> >I'm not a lawyer (nor do I play one on television)
> but I strongly
> >disagree over whether this is an offense. If you
> have a legitimate
> >reason to have a sword somewhere (e.g. at a
> reenactment or at a
> >practice) then it is not an offensive weapon, it is
> a piece of
> >*equipment* and you are perfectly entitled to take
> it to and from
> >this location, to some place of storage.
> >
> >Imagine if it was otherwise: I go into a shop and
> buy a kitchen
> >knife. As soon as I leave the shop (so I can take
> it back to my
> >*kitchen*) I am arrested for carrying an offensive
> weapon. That
> >simply isn't going to happen.
> >
> >[...]
> > > Which situations is it legal to carry a sword in
> the park at night. If
> >you
> > > walked down the street with a sword in your hand
> not swinging it - you
> >could
> > > be stopped and arrested quite easily.
> >
> >I was stopped by the police once while carrying a
> halberd... they
> >asked me if I wanted to take part in an identity
> parade, offering
> >money. I pointed to the halberd and told them I was
> on my way
> >somewhere to do something, so they drove off.
> >
> > > >Also remember many items can be defined as an
> offensive weapon from a
> >piece
> > > >of wood up.
> > > Even a key, or three coins and a newspaper, a
> steel comb - the list of
> >items
> > > can go on and on.
> >
> >...but only if a magistrate/jury will believe that
> you intended to
> >use it as an offensive weapon. If there are
> witnesses saying, yes,
> >you were at an event/practice (and do this
> regularly) and the park
> >in question is on your way home then the chances of
> being
> >convicted
> >of anything are, let's be honest, nil, nada, zip,
> bugger all.
> >
> >If you skulking outside a nightclub with a sword,
> your chances of
> >getting off reduce dramatically, likewise with a
> kitchen knife.
> >
> >--
> >David Brewer
> >
> >"It is foolishness and endless trouble to cast a
> stone at every
> >dog that barks at you." - George Silver, gentleman,
> c.1600
>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Tue 30 Jan 2001 - 02:31:30 GMT