Opinions on this story I was told

[Headhunter]

So I was reading through the thread which mentioned training in public and I remembered this story I got told this week.

So my friend was at the beach with her kids and the kids ran back saying a guy was showing people his sword. Now the people took that as a pedophile type statement and referring to his sword as his...well you can guess (personally never heard it referred to that myself but okay) anyway not long later the police turned up and arrested the guy...because he actually had a sword with him. It turns out he was a sword practitioner and bought it to the beach to train with it but when the beach was busy he didn't even take it out.

Just wondering what people think about it especially those who train with weapons

 

[Reedone816]

Respect the local law, and think the work around.
Like for the swordman, he can substitute it with wooden sword or something that not broken the law.

Sent from my Lenovo A7010a48 using Tapatalk

 

[jobo]

So I was reading through the thread which mentioned training in public and I remembered this story I got told this week.

So my friend was at the beach with her kids and the kids ran back saying a guy was showing people his sword. Now the people took that as a pedophile type statement and referring to his sword as his...well you can guess (personally never heard it referred to that myself but okay) anyway not long later the police turned up and arrested the guy...because he actually had a sword with him. It turns out he was a sword practitioner and bought it to the beach to train with it but when the beach was busy he didn't even take it out.

Just wondering what people think about it especially those who train with weapons

it rather depends what the law is where it. Happened. In the uk having a real sword with you in a public place is a guaranteed arrest and conviction, unless you are talking it to a private place to practise.even then getting it out to show people on the way there would be an offence.

at best his actions seem fool hardy

 

[Gerry Seymour]

it rather depends what the law is where it. Happened. In the uk having a real sword with you in a public place is a guaranteed arrest and conviction, unless you are talking it to a private place to practise.even then getting it out to show people on the way there would be an offence.

at best his actions seem fool hardy

Agreed. Before I'd consider bringing even a non-sharpened sword (Iatio?), I'd look into local statutes. Though a non-sharpened sword might not actually be illegal (again depending upon the location), if a sharpened sword is illegal, the iaito is almost certain to earn me a visit by the cops. Who needs that bother? Not me, and not the cops.

A bokken is unlikely to draw any LEO attention.

 

[Tez3]

A bokken is unlikely to draw any LEO attention.

At the moment here it would because people wouldn't know what it is. From a distance it would look similar enough to a sword that people wouldn't get close enough to ascertain what it was and just call the police.

 

[Flying Crane]

I think it depends a lot on location. Here in San Francisco, we have a large Asian population and a lot of people practice Kung fu in the parks, and a lot of them use weaponry. However, most of what they use tends to be not real and not sharp. But it gets largely ignored by the police because it is common and everyone is aware of it. I confess, I don't know what the actual laws around it are.

However, one day I had my archery gear with me, and I stopped for a walk at the beach. The bow was expensive and custom made, I have a hatchback without a closed trunk and didn't want to leave my bow in the car, so I took it with me. It was unstrung and in a bow bag, and I was not carrying any other gear, no arrows. I was approached and asked about it by a park ranger. I told him why I was carrying it, and pointed out it is unstrung, in a bag, no arrows, and he was satisfied with my explanation.

That isn't the same thing as flashing a sword, however.

Honestly, i think I would be reluctant to train at the beach with a sword, with the salt air, if it didn't get perfectly cleaned afterward, it's gonna rust.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

At the moment here it would because people wouldn't know what it is. From a distance it would look similar enough to a sword that people wouldn't get close enough to ascertain what it was and just call the police.

To most folks, it will look like a stick, unless they are so far away they can't tell a stick from a sword. Once they are that far away, the movements will cue them to it being a sword, so they'd probably make that jump.

 

[jobo]

At the moment here it would because people wouldn't know what it is. From a distance it would look similar enough to a sword that people wouldn't get close enough to ascertain what it was and just call the police.

in the uk
it would still get muddy, if a brokken, whilst not being an actual sword is an offensive weapon, it could certainly be used as such.

the other UK issue, is that restriction are put on bladed OR pointed articles. So a blunt sword could still be illegal. As could a sword made out of non metallic components if it is either bladed or pointy. So a wooden sword may just fit the defintion.

I had a long complicated debate with the police over, chucks and if practise chucks made out of plastic were still chucks or not, he insisted they were, I agreed not to swing them round in the park any more and all was well

 

[wingchun100]

I am glad they make wooden Wing Chun butterfly swords. That is definitely what I am going to buy when I learn that form.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

in the uk
it would still get muddy, if a brokken, whilst not being an actual sword is an offensive weapon, it could certainly be used as such.

the other UK issue, is that restriction are put on bladed OR pointed articles. So a blunt sword could still be illegal. As could a sword made out of non metallic components if it is either bladed or pointy. So a wooden sword may just fit the defintion.

I had a long complicated debate with the police over, chucks and if practise chucks made out of plastic were still chucks or not, he insisted they were, I agreed not to swing them round in the park any more and all was well

I'm not familiar with the UK laws, but most bokken are neither bladed nor pointy (beyond the pointiness of a hardcover book). In most areas of the US, it wouldn't be an issue, though if there was hard bokken sparring going on, some places might put an end to it. And some of the laws that came about as a result of "karate" movies are pretty broad. Most of them specifically target nunchaku and shuriken/shaken, but I've seen at least one that actually refers to "martial arts weapons". I expect that could be applied to bokken, as well.

 

[CB Jones]

but when the beach was busy he didn't even take it out.

Here is the problem.

You have a concealed weapon in public.


At least in many states in the U.S.

 

[Tez3]

I'm not familiar with the UK laws, but most bokken are neither bladed nor pointy (beyond the pointiness of a hardcover book). In most areas of the US, it wouldn't be an issue, though if there was hard bokken sparring going on, some places might put an end to it. And some of the laws that came about as a result of "karate" movies are pretty broad. Most of them specifically target nunchaku and shuriken/shaken, but I've seen at least one that actually refers to "martial arts weapons". I expect that could be applied to bokken, as well.

I prefaced my comments with 'at the moment' because while we know a bokken isn't bladed, in the current climate from even a short a distance a non martial artist could take it to be a sword or something else. I know you understand but wanted to make it clear. Under normal circumstances it would rarely be a problem taking them outside though we rarely do here erring on the side of keeping ourselves dry. various forces and indeed various police officers take different views on martial arts weapons, mostly depending on who is carrying them. You look dodgy, setting off an officers inner alarms and you'll get stopped.

 

[lklawson]

Here is the problem.

You have a concealed weapon in public.


At least in many states in the U.S.

That's not clear from the statement. It could be that he had it in a carry bag. Or, might be that he simply kept it sheathed but carried in his hand.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[lklawson]

I prefaced my comments with 'at the moment' because while we know a bokken isn't bladed, in the current climate from even a short a distance a non martial artist could take it to be a sword or something else. I know you understand but wanted to make it clear. Under normal circumstances it would rarely be a problem taking them outside though we rarely do here erring on the side of keeping ourselves dry. various forces and indeed various police officers take different views on martial arts weapons, mostly depending on who is carrying them. You look dodgy, setting off an officers inner alarms and you'll get stopped.

One would not have to work very hard to make a case that "a simple bokken" is still a "deadly weapon."

 

[CB Jones]

That's not clear from the statement. It could be that he had it in a carry bag. Or, might be that he simply kept it sheathed but carried in his hand.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

True, I did assume that he had it concealed.

 

[jobo]

One would not have to work very hard to make a case that "a simple bokken" is still a "deadly weapon."

UK law doesn't have a concept of a deadly weapon only a weapon that is a banned or controlled, guns,swords knifes etal, and weapons that are or intend to be used offensivly , so even a tin of beans is an offensive weapon if you hit someone with it or intend to do so

 

[lklawson]

UK law doesn't have a concept of a deadly weapon only a weapon that is a banned or controlled, guns,swords knifes etal, and weapons that are or intend to be used offensivly , so even a tin of beans is an offensive weapon if you hit someone with it or intend to do so

So I've been told. I'm pretty sure that it'd be easy to make the case that a bokken is a weapon/controlled weapon as it is a "club." I read somewhere that sticks specifically designed, redesigned, or used as a club were regulated/banned in England, right? Season it with a semi-apocryphal story Musashi using one to defeat a katana and I'm confident we can make the accusation stick well enough to, at the minimum, arrest, if not convict.

 

[jobo]

So I've been told. I'm pretty sure that it'd be easy to make the case that a bokken is a weapon/controlled weapon as it is a "club." I read somewhere that sticks specifically designed, redesigned, or used as a club were regulated/banned in England, right? Season it with a semi-apocryphal story Musashi using one to defeat a katana and I'm confident we can make the accusation stick well enough to, at the minimum, arrest, if not convict.

if it definitely a club, then its banned, if its been modified to make it more clubby its banned if its a stick that could be used to club someone, then it depends on what your intent is when carrying.

 

[Tez3]

One would not have to work very hard to make a case that "a simple bokken" is still a "deadly weapon."

Point missed. I was talking specifically about using a bokken in public at this particular time when people are understandably nervous about weapons etc in public, not many martial artists would be so stupid as to take weapons outside at the moment. We carry weapons in bags designed for them anyway, we also have our licences to prove we are martial artists so for us carrying isn't such as problem.

In normal times no one has to 'make a case' , if someone is practising with it in a public place, which frankly is very unlikely in the UK for a variety of reasons notwithstanding that most of us prefer private practice without a bunch of kids watching ( kids still play out here) then a police officer would probably ask you to move indoors but unless you looked like you had the intent of committing a crime no case would be made for arresting you.

 

[marques]

Like plastic black guns, even not dangerous training swords should be carried and showed in public with "caution"... I would never use my bow out of a dedicated place (or backyard - which is quite appropriated). Not saying it is absolutely and ever wrong, just saying it can avoid trouble, for sure.