Talking of Sgian Dhu's

[Streetcar]

I know I’ve said this before, but the subject keeps coming up.
If you ask the police about a sgian, they will tell you what the applicable law is. HOWEVER police (at least in the U.S.) have a fair amount of discretion.
In my jurisdiction, a fixed bladed knife of any length is unlawful. But if you are kilted with a sgian sticking out of the top of your hose, I would not expect an officer to give you any grief about it.
Granted, if you’re drunk, harassing people, hanging out in a drug area, or otherwise being a public nuisance, then I would expect the officer to view your sgian as a weapon – and take appropriate action.

Now I realize that some jurisdictions – and even some individual officers – are more Draconian than others. Even so, I cannot believe that keeping a sgian in your own home, or only wearing it to formal functions would run you afoul of the authorities.

Derek, I’m truly sorry your blade was neutered, but I’m glad you found a way to salvage part of it in a way you can feel more comfortable about.
Personally, I’m with David – I will be happy to help find a home for wayward sgian dubhs.

[John M.]

It's just so sad to see works of art destroyed for no logical reason.

As another of the weapons collectors on the board I'd be willing to rescue any bladed weapons/tools that are in jeopardy of being destroyed.

Just PM me for an address to ship them to. I'd tag them as to who they belong to & keep them properly oiled & maintained. Then in the event that the situation changes & your allowed to posses them again I'd gladly ship them back for a happy reunion.

I just can't stand hearing of this happening any more. It makes me sick to my stomach.

John

[An t-Ileach]

This whole subject is becoming quite thorny in the UK - probably because there're no guide lines coming out of the Home Office. Local constabularies are seemingly having to make it up as they go along. This is a pity, because there are large areas of the country where the current 'problem' with knife crime doesn't exist, and the knife crime hoo-hah came out of one of the Home Office's initiatives (largely driven by urban sink areas such as parts of London, Birmingham, Glasgow, etc., and a couple of well-publicised (in the tabloids) cases in schools). So it really behoves the HO to say just what it is they are doing and what they hope to achieve.

The Metropolitan Police division that takes care of the Houses of Parliament and the one that oversees Royal Security, however, clearly do not consider the sgian dhubh to be a weapon and thus falling within the ban. This is nice, but not helpful if other constabularies consider that it is, in fact, a weapon.

This leaves the local coppers and the local sgian dhubh wearing kilt-wearer exposed at the (pardon the pun) sharp end to play it off the cuff. So, defensively, many will have taken the Derek-P1M solution. Others will simply leave the sgian at home - however, as I understand it, having the things at home is still considered prima facie an offence. This is yet another area the HO needs to clarify, because we'd be entering a legal minefield (or honey pot) with kitchen knives being proscribed by a ban intended to stop young thugs who are conditioned by Gangsta Rap (see various articles by black journalist and community worker Shaun Bailey) into thinking it's "cool" to own a "shank".

By the way, if a kilt in Wales is a cilt, is a sgian dhubh a cyllell du?

[Nick]

I may very well be moving to the UK in a year or so (hopefully) for school, and who knows what after that. The one thing that I'm sad about is that I'm probably going to have to give up many of the things I enjoy. I want to make knives and swords, and work with swords, but it looks like it's going to be near impossible. I know there are talented bladesmiths in the UK, but I don't know how the laws apply to them. I also know there are practitioners of European swordsmanship in England (most natably Schola Gladitoria), and I don't know how they deal with the laws either. It'd be worth finding out.

[Hamish]

Derek,

I say, "All credit to you!" I have owned a real-bladed Sgian Dubh for well over fourty years - but I have refused to wear it for the past nine. I can see no earthly reason to carry a weapon, any weapon, when going about my daily business. The only time I would need to carry a weapon would be if I were to go into war (which is most unlikely at my age!).

On the odd occasion when I need to be seen to be wearing a Sgian Dubh, I use a faux (unbladed) one which I purchased in the Hector Russell flagship store in Inverness several years ago.

I have a good mind to take the real one (whose blade is now rusted into the scabbard!), along with two Japanese Officer's swords I found in the roof space of my home after moving in, to the Police Station and drop them in the 'Amnesty Box'. Although I would never, whilst in my right mind, use these things I would, at least, be ensuring that they can never fall into 'wrong hands'.

[MacWage]

Derek,

I say, "All credit to you!" I have owned a real-bladed Sgian Dubh for well over fourty years - but I have refused to wear it for the past nine. I can see no earthly reason to carry a weapon, any weapon, when going about my daily business. The only time I would need to carry a weapon would be if I were to go into war (which is most unlikely at my age!).

On the odd occasion when I need to be seen to be wearing a Sgian Dubh, I use a faux (unbladed) one which I purchased in the Hector Russell flagship store in Inverness several years ago.

I have a good mind to take the real one (whose blade is now rusted into the scabbard!), along with two Japanese Officer's swords I found in the roof space of my home after moving in, to the Police Station and drop them in the 'Amnesty Box'. Although I would never, whilst in my right mind, use these things I would, at least, be ensuring that they can never fall into 'wrong hands'.

:confused: Who would use Japanese officer swords (I assume Katanas) for no good? :confused:

I find that more ridiculous than matchlocks in "Lock,Stock, and 2 Smoking Barrels" (Great movie, by the way . . . if enjoy rapid cutting and Brit humour).

[bubba]

Ham, I'd research those swords. My Uncle brought one back from Guadalcanal and it turned out it was a true antique, not just a war production sword. Some years back he returned it to the family it came from who were grateful to get back a family heirloom they thought lost forever. Granted, most of them were made strictly for the war, but the officers with Samurai ancestors often carried those antique blades.

[cloves]

Derek,
I have a good mind to take the real one (whose blade is now rusted into the scabbard!), along with two Japanese Officer's swords I found in the roof space of my home after moving in, to the Police Station and drop them in the 'Amnesty Box'. Although I would never, whilst in my right mind, use these things I would, at least, be ensuring that they can never fall into 'wrong hands'.

no, no, no! Do NOT get rid of them!! If you feel you have to no longer have them in your posession, ask around first. There may be a collector or museum for those items. I'm with John M. I'd be more than happy, in fact I'd be honored to look after anything you don't feel comfortable with anymore, and more than happy to return it to you when the time was right for you.

I agree with you in that, there is no place for weaponry in my day-to-day life. But some of these old blades aren't weapons so much as they are artwork. Alot of craftsmanship has gone into some of them and seems a shame to just destroy them.

[MacWage]

I third that on the swords, before you "chunk" them, send them to a Japanese antiquities authority.

Better yet-> contact Stephen Turnbull-> THE western expert on Japanese, especially samuari history.

[Iolaus]

no, no, no! Do NOT get rid of them!! If you feel you have to no longer have them in your posession, ask around first. There may be a collector or museum for those items. I'm with John M. I'd be more than happy, in fact I'd be honored to look after anything you don't feel comfortable with anymore, and more than happy to return it to you when the time was right for you.

I agree with you in that, there is no place for weaponry in my day-to-day life. But some of these old blades aren't weapons so much as they are artwork. Alot of craftsmanship has gone into some of them and seems a shame to just destroy them.

Even if they're rusty, and to the eye, look like they wouldn't be of much importance, there are collectors and museums that value such swords - even without hilts and scabbards, just the blade - because of who may have made them. Definately, have an expert in Japanese blades look at them before you dispose of them!