Quote Originally Posted by highlander_Daz
none of which would be much use serving a long jail sentance for brandishing a sword!!

I love swords but I dont think walking around wearing one is a realisitic option.
certainly not in Scotland anyway.

but hey if you want to thats fine by me.
Please note that I said:

if law and custom permitted
Nothing was said about going about armed in defiance of the law.

And I consider any city, state, or country that forbids a Free Man (and this isn't a sexist remark, I an old fart who learned to use Man to refer to all of humanity, not just one gender, and I refuse to change with the times) the right of self defense to be in a mighty sad state of affairs.

As H. Beam Piper said in First Cycle

Anyone who sees a thief and doesn't shoot him is just encouraging the breed.

And to quote Robert Heinlein:

An armed Society is a polite Society.