Exploiting a Loophole

In England it was recently announced that in coming weeks there will be a ban on Samurai swords due to the number of high-profile attacks that have been perpetrated using samurai swords. However, they do throw in the caveat that a collector of these swords or a martial arts enthusiast will still be able to acquire and keep them at their home. Now I don't know about you but it would have probably been better if they hadn't even bothered passing the law in the first place! How can you tell who is a collector and who is a common criminal when they are coming at you with one? I guess if it's raised in supplication you're safe but otherwise.... watch out!

I caught on to this story because I am a martial arts enthusiast and I have a few swords at my home (okay okay... only two). Upon attaining my black belt I decided to invest in a real sword which I have used on several occasions in class for training purposes. Needless to say, I am quite careful when I wield it simply because I know how deadly it can be to someone if not handled properly. I find rules like the one being put forth in England to be a bit backwards because when you go to a store to purchase one or whatever, you rarely are asked by someone whether you are a practicioner of martial arts or whether you want one to maim somebody. When I purchased mine, I had a passing question from the cashier as to whether I had studied martial arts or not. I obviously said yes and didn't provide much more information which was enough for the cashier. If I'm not getting more questions or providing more information why would someone purchasing a sword as a weapon say anything more?

Plus I don't think that all martial arts enthusiasts are all that trustworthy of wielding swords either (real or otherwise). I have taught students of varying age and experience for a couple of years now and you quickly come to pick out students who enjoy learning the principles behind martial arts and those who merely want to swing their sword around like a wild man. When we were in class we used to use foam sparring swords which were meant to allow us to hit without fear of losing an appendage. We used to spar using our bamboo swords which hurt like Hell when you get hit with them but again, it showed us who had technique and who was flailing their sword around in a desperate bid to hit anything and everything. I remember one class where I was leading a set of practice drills meant to teach students how to attack and then parry a return strike. As I was going through the technique I had one overly enthusiastic student who accidentally hit me in the head. Once was okay but twice was too much; despite the fact that I asked him to put his sword down until it was time to practice.

Needless to say when time came to free spar in open matches he was enthusiastic and wanted to spar everyone. After hitting several of his opponents hard enough to sting them, I decided to step in. I'm not the greatest swordsman who ever lived but I have enough sense to know sort of when to duck and when to attack. In all of his matches, I saw the student simply attempt to overwhelm his opponent by flailing his sword about in an attempt to scare them. I reversed course and went on the offensive by screaming my lungs out and rushing at him in a crouch. Our swords collided and I nailed him once to the head which was enough to end the match. That being said, I knew then and there that there was no way I would trust him enough with a real sword to even give him a chance to use one given that he couldn't stand five minutes without hurting others or himself with a fake one!

I don't think that swords should be regulated or anything because quite simply, it's difficult in this day and age to conceal a sword for long. Perhaps two or three hundred years ago it was okay since many people used to carry swords around with them but these days everyone seems to prefer guns so chances are if you see someone walking on the street carrying a sword, you're more than likely either Viggo Mortensen practicing to play Aragorn or someone with a decidedly bad idea in mind for you. In either case, I think that if you're going to pass a law regarding swords, pass it with a definite answer. Either ban them completely or don't bother banning them with a caveat. It'll be better that way.