Hey all you Second Amendment/"right to bear arms" fanatics. What is the current state of the right to bear arms other than firearms for self-defense? In my state, any legal resident (except convicted felons without their rights restored) can carry firearms, openly or concealed, without a permit, in most places without any permit required.
I recently returned from a martial arts seminar in Texas, and discovered that they have fairly unrestrictive gun laws as well. But in there, as in my state, weapons other thatn firearms are often illegal to carry ...depending on a variety of differing state, county and local regulations. In fact the host instructor at the Texas seminar told me of an acquaintance who was taken into custody for having an "ASP" collapsable baton visible on the back seat of his car, apparently in violation of a local county ordinance. On the other hand if it had been a gun, he would have been OK since he had the necessary concealed carry permit.
Curious. So batons, knives and martial arts weapons carried for self defense may be restricted without controversy or court challenge, while semi-automatic firearms are totally protected? How does that jibe with the Constitution? I'm sure that at the time of the Revolutionaty war, clubs and bladed weapons were an important back-up to a musket that was slow to re-load. But today such weapons are are not legit for defense? What gives ...where's the logic there? And if there's isn't a constitutional right to carry a club or Ka-Bar, is there really a right to bear arms at all? Just wondering.
I recently returned from a martial arts seminar in Texas, and discovered that they have fairly unrestrictive gun laws as well. But in there, as in my state, weapons other thatn firearms are often illegal to carry ...depending on a variety of differing state, county and local regulations. In fact the host instructor at the Texas seminar told me of an acquaintance who was taken into custody for having an "ASP" collapsable baton visible on the back seat of his car, apparently in violation of a local county ordinance. On the other hand if it had been a gun, he would have been OK since he had the necessary concealed carry permit.
Curious. So batons, knives and martial arts weapons carried for self defense may be restricted without controversy or court challenge, while semi-automatic firearms are totally protected? How does that jibe with the Constitution? I'm sure that at the time of the Revolutionaty war, clubs and bladed weapons were an important back-up to a musket that was slow to re-load. But today such weapons are are not legit for defense? What gives ...where's the logic there? And if there's isn't a constitutional right to carry a club or Ka-Bar, is there really a right to bear arms at all? Just wondering.