Sgian Dubh and the Church

[ThistleDown]

Now that we are back on safer ground.... I'm in British Columbia this fall, but still spend half my year at home just a bit south of Inverness. Both places are safer ground in that they have the same legal atitude towards "weapons". In Scotland and in Canada it has been decided not to permit the carrying of those things which have, as their prime purpose, the harming of human beings. The sgian does not fall within that prime purpose criteria since it is not now and never was a "weapon". It is therefore perfectly acceptable to wear it to church, to the shops, to your daughter's wedding, or to the pub of any evening. In Scotland and in Canada -- in fact I might stretch that a bit and say most elsewhere in the world I frequent -- there is neither fear nor threat attached to the sgian dubh.

Of course, in Scotland (and most often here in BC) there's nobody looking at the outside of your calf and asking what that thing is that's protruding slightly from your hose, so you don't have to respond by drawing it out and giving a ten-minute disertation on the fact that it's not a weapon even though you are meanwhile flailing the air with its blade

[Cavebear58]

In Scotland and in Canada it has been decided not to permit the carrying of those things which have, as their prime purpose, the harming of human beings. The sgian does not fall within that prime purpose criteria since it is not now and never was a "weapon".

I was attacked a while back by a group of five youths. I'm no martial artist, but something kicked in from a few decades before and, after a couple of them were grounded with blooded noses and dented egos, one of the others grabbed at the nearest bit of road furniture and tried to use it on me from a safer distance. At that point I decided that, never having smoked, I might just get away quicker than they could give chase, despite being more than twice their age.

If I had had a knife - for that IS what a Skian Dhub IS - then I am sure that if it had ended up out of my hose it would have been used by whoever could get at it. I'd rather not give anyone that advantage.

Cheers, Graham.

PS No - I wasn't kilted at the time!

[ThistleDown]

I was attacked a while back by a group of five youths. I'm no martial artist, but something kicked in from a few decades before and, after a couple of them were grounded with blooded noses and dented egos, one of the others grabbed at the nearest bit of road furniture and tried to use it on me from a safer distance. At that point I decided that, never having smoked, I might just get away quicker than they could give chase, despite being more than twice their age.

If I had had a knife - for that IS what a Skian Dhub IS - then I am sure that if it had ended up out of my hose it would have been used by whoever could get at it. I'd rather not give anyone that advantage.

Cheers, Graham.

PS No - I wasn't kilted at the time!

You didn't have a sgian dubh or a pen knife; he had a brick. Ban bricks.