General Chat

When I was a lad..... I know you're all going to groan but I don't care. When I was a lad every boy in the country carried a pocket or sheath knife as a matter of course. You weren't properly dressed unless you had a knife with a spike for getting Boy Scouts out of horses' hooves. We watched cowboy films. Most of us had holsters and toy guns. You could get shot for having one of those in public now. Don't blame the kids of today. They are only following the example of their elders who bombard them with glorified war films and other police or pseudo military programmes which start off with the most sophisticated of weapons and gradually come down to a fist fight with about 40 extras being shot along the way. The kids only want to play the imaginary games we did. Unfortunately there are those who can't separate fact from fantasy. And there will always be those who try to push the boundaries. For example many of us thought nothing about making a Bow and Arrows or a Catapult, both of which could cause damage or injury. Perhaps there are those today who feel the same way about handguns.

Whats wrong with'Coin of the Realm'?A handful of them with a few 50p pieces between the fingers,would do the job 'Nicely'and no offensive weapon carried. Hal.

thats progress for you! one time an asses' jawbone was used for a murder, now, the possibilities are endless........ Bob

Steve, You hit the nail on the head! That is exactly what does happen. Lindy ;-)

Daniel i was brought up to believe violence begats violence,so if we the general public carry weapons for self defence the mindless thugs who perpetrate the muggings e.c.t will carry bigger and better weapons Steve from Somerset

I don't think people should be allowed to carry weapons either. I agree with Nell not surprisingly, not much I can add to it either. Pat x

I believe in self defence. Len

I carry one, an ash walking stick. I rarely use it for what it's name suggests but hook it over my arm. No one takes any more notice than if I wore a hat. Len

Aha! I realise that I haven't made myself very clear here. I wasn't advocating that anyone should be able to carry anything on the pretext of it being for self defence. More that things like tail combs shouldn't be outlawed simply because they might be used as a weapon, and tradesmen should be able to carry their tools with them without being accused of being up to no good. :-) Felicity

I am happy to rely on my trusty walking stick as a means of defence. I do not, however, need to upgrade it to a swordstick.

What happens if everyone goes around 'tooled up' to protect themselves from all the other people who are 'tooled up'? Unless you have a weapon in your hand when someone attacks you, you will probably be unable to use it or get at it quickly enough. If you go around with a weapon in your hand, other people might think you are looking for trouble. And you might be tempted to have a go when all the other person wanted to do was to ask directions! nell

Carrying tools......... In a van? or car? If you are a 'tradesman' (workman)it should be no problem.however carrying a hammer into woolworths without a good reason might not be appreciated. it ALL depends on circumstances..same with firearms...... You MUST be on the way to, or from, or at a meeting. it Must be secure, ie locked away when not in use, you cant carry it around willy nilly, while shopping for instance. Bob

But Gloria, carrying tools shouldn't be a problem in itself, what about people who need to carry them for work? It's what they do with the tools that is at issue. The fact is that if someone uses tools for an illegal purpose, they are guilty of that crime. We don't stop anyone having a hammer simply becuse they might hit someone over the head with it and kill them, but if they do that they're tried for murder. I just think carrying something for self-defences is similar. :-) Felicity

well this is a debate that will go on forever. But what about the yobs that broke into my shed at 5am on a Saturday morning. They were obviously carrying weapons to be able to break the locks on all my gates and shed. Probably some sort of crow bar to lever them off. Well they got away scot free as the alarm went of and they scarpered. But if they had been stopped they could then say that they were carrying a weapon for self defence at 5 am!!!!!!!! A lot of muugers and burglars would use the self defence reason as to why they were carrying tools. Gloria

What a great tip, Purple, thank you. As to the firearms/weapon for defence debate, I've always thought that the mere carrying of anything should not be a problem, it's what one does with it that matters. I would have no problem with anyone carrying a firearm - here in the States it's a constitutional right to bear arms and I'm all for that. If only the police carry arms the country is one small step away from being a Police State. However, if one does something destructive with that firearm/weapon that is not in self-defence, then the proverbial book thould be thrown. With rights come responsibilities and all that. As people have said, a tail comb is a tail comb until you use it as something else, anything is a weapon put to a weapon's use.. :-) Felicity

I read somewhere and still do it, that if you are walking alone it is a good idea to have your keys, on a ring, on your hand like a knuckle duster i.e put ring on your strongest finger probably the longest one next to your ring finger, on your strongest hand, with the keys on the outside. If anyone jumps you try to whack them in the face eyes preferably, with the keys on the back of your hand. This also means that if you do have your handbag/briefcase stolen, you still have your keys with you. Take care everyone.

Jeanette. Have carried a tail comb for the last 30yrs. I still carry a tail comb if I have to go out at night time,It's for combing my hair if I get stopped.They have to prove if it was for anything else. Sue

Sue I was once told that If I carried a tail comb around I could be done for carrying an offensive weapon........didn't stop me though! lol

can i choose waht weapon i have

.....as long as you can prove to the old bill.(if you have been stopped and searched) that you have a legitimate reason for having '' It '' on your person, you are ok........... A baseball bat dangling from your belt, might not be acceptable.............say, in a nightclub. Bob