[RobT]

Hi All,

I was reading the comments by some of the European members about sword canes being illegal in their respective countries. Here in the US, it is ok to own sword canes as long as the owners don't carry them in public (concealed weapon carry). I have been around for a while and I can only recall one incident in my life when somebody was stabbed with a sword cane. Actually, it was a sword umbrella (a la John Steed) wielded by a teenage boy. Given the lack of incidents in the US, it is pretty easy to see why the authorities are pretty relaxed about sword (or umbrella) cane ownership. I wonder what experiences in the European countries have led to their bans. Or is it just a case of "you can't have that because I say so and I'm the mommy, that's why".
In a similar fashion, switchblade knives have been illegal throughout the US since the fifties but when I went to Spain in the seventies, they were readily available. I gather that is no longer the case in Europe but in the US, switchblades are now being sold legally in some states and nobody seems to be too upset about it while in some other states, any knife that can be opened with one hand (including balisongs, and thumbers) can't be sold (I'm not sure if this ban includes knives without a backspring).
It would really be nice if people empowered to make laws were required to provide well documented data to support the need for laws that infringe on personal freedom. Those laws should also be evaluated for their effectiveness and unintended consequences. Maybe, if the people making laws had their work scrutinized by jaundiced review, we would get less but more effective laws.

Sincerely,
RobT