Sgian Dubh and the Church

[St. Amish]

You could use the same arguement for wearing a kilt in church. I'm sure a man in a kilt will make some people uncomfortable in church. Should you then go change into trousers so as not to make any parishoners uncofortable?

That's not what I meant. If people are uncomfortable by the kilt itself, whatever. There is an argument to be made, however that a sgian dubh is slightly sharper and more formidable as a weapon than a kilt, while being less formidable than the gun used by that New Life Church security guard who emptied her magazine into an intruder in the church parking lot here:

"Thou shall not murder — and if attempted in a big house of worship, the likely response would be gunfire.

Many large churches have taken up arms.

New Life Church member and volunteer security guard Jeanne Assam, who emptied her gun at a black-coated, armed intruder who had just shot four people — two fatally — in the church parking lot, is no oddity.

Like New Life, which has a volunteer plainclothes security force of about a dozen, other area megachurches also employ security to respond to trouble in places where as many as 7,000 might be on campus at any time.

Although smaller churches typically don't have armed guards or security plans because they feel less need and have fewer resources, security staffs are commonplace among the country's 1,200 megachurches, where membership is in the thousands.

"There seems to be a little bit of incredulity or some short of shock on the part of the media and public about this level of security," said Gary Schneeberger, spokesman for worldwide media ministry Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs campus with 1,200 employees and a quarter-million visitors a year.

-Denver Post, 12-12-2007"

So, a church can have weapons on its' grounds to protect from crazies with weapons? Then why can't you wear a sgian? Because they don't know if you're one of the crazies. In my mind, my sense courtesy outweighs my right to wear my sgian.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

In my mind, my sense courtesy outweighs my right to wear my sgian.

Fine by me, just so long as someone else's "sense of courtesy" doesn't impinge on my ability to wear my sgian dubh where ever I please.

[Frank McGrath]

I have chosen not to wear any knives since 9/11. I used to carry a swiss army knife in a holder with a small flashlight. As a service tech, I had access to several federal buildings along with a lot of customers that had federal contracts. I had to keep putting the case back into the truck. Lots of hassle. I also opted not to carry anything that could be construed as a weapon in respect to those that have been injured by such weapons. Just a few weeks ago, I started carrying my swiss army knife in my cell phone pouch. I still hve trouble with carrying a knife. When I am kilted, I do not carry a knife.




Plus, the doctors has not given me permission to carry anything sharp. Not yet, at least. Maybe soon, though.

[Zardoz]

I also opted not to carry anything that could be construed as a weapon in respect to those that have been injured by such weapons.

If I did that with everything I've seen used as a weapon over the years I'd have to stay in my pajamas and never leave the house!

I was looking over this thread with my wife, and she said she always felt there was a bit of rebellion inherent in kilt wearing, so its hard to understand all the hoplophobia and PC stuff.