Wearing a basket hilt.?.

[Dale Seago]

Any excuse to wear a weapon especially a pretty,historically important, culturally significant one is awesome. It's Wednesday cool, Claymore or Broadsword? I don't know I was thinking Backsword.

Honey does this sling I have on my Uzi match my shoes? No Dear but the one on your H&K does and it goes so well with your Sporran.

I find myself oddly in agreement with your feelings, yet not with your position.

Personally, and I know many others will disagree and they're welcome to, I regard the right to own and carry weapons -- whenever, whatever, and wherever -- as a distinguishing characteristic of a genuinely free human being. While I'm far from an anarchist, I tend to trust governments to whatever degree they trust me to own and carry weapons.

That said, though, think about a broadsword. Historically, while it may not have always been precisely a military weapon, it had a definite "battlefield" orientation versus, say, rapiers and smallswords. As such, it probably wouldn't be (historically) considered appropriate for "social" types of gatherings, except perhaps outside one's own clan territories. As far as blades go, what a male would always have everywhere -- yes, even before 6 PM!! -- would be a biodag or dirk, rather than a broadsword.

On the other hand, in the United States Highland Gatherings/Games events seem to be the only place where people can wander around sporting not only kilts but great honking pieces of cutlery without even raising eyebrows. I have to say I rather like that.

If one rated a sword while on military duty then one knows that wearing a sword around is a real pain.

From personal experience, I agree with this too where social-type settings are concerned. Been there, done that.

If one didn't then it strikes me as playing "make-believe" and does the disservice of transforming Traditional Highland Civilian Dress into RenFair "garb".

Maybe. And in most cases, probably. I'll confess that while applauding the carrying of weapons as a general thing, I tend to think poorly of people carrying weapons they have no clue how to actually use properly. I happen to be competent with various types of swords (NOT including rapiers or smallswords among them), and I never carry a weapon I don't know how to use well.