weapons laws that apply to jo & bokken
jeremy j. bornstein
attack someone with a baseball bat rather than a jo, because the jo is
a weapon and a baseball bat is not--even though it's arguably easier
to cause damage with the bat.
This started me thinking that there might be some legal restrictions
on carrying jo and bokken around. Lately I've been practicing jo a
lot and (for example) take it in to work with me so that I can use it
during short breaks. Is this technically illegal? What about bokken,
which seems to have a popular image as a more aggressive weapon? Is
it illegal to swagger down the street with a wooden sword tucked into
my belt? I'd hate to think so-- how else would I pick up women?
(This is a joke, but I am curious.)
Email responses would be appreciated as my news service is somewhat
flaky.
-jeremy bornstein
http://www.well.com/user/uke
Cas Caswell
<snip request regarding legality of carry/combat with Jo vs Louisville
slugger deleted>
The answer depends entirely on where you are. Get a hold of the penal
code for your area. That will be your answer. Better yet, check with a
competent lawyer.
The answer will also probably depend on who you are. It's not unlikely
that if you fit certain appearance parameters, Officer Friendly may
be more likely to give you a hard time than if you don't.
Good Luck
cas
(BTW in Calif if you hit someone with a bat or a jo it's equally bad
at least that's the way I read my copy of the abridged penal code. Now,
remember... I am not a lawyer or a peace officer so I'm no expert.)
--
=======================================================================
ca...@cup.hp.com (Cas Caswell) By the way: I said it, not my company.
WARNING: This is a Smiley-Free Zone. Documents sent from this site may
contain unsolicited irony, sarcasm or wit. Politically correct persons
and the irony-impaired proceed at their own risk. You Have Been Warned.
========================================================================
Happo
1) your employer will probably have rules about what you can do on
it's/his/her property, so that should be your first concern about taking
weapons to work, AS WELL AS practing your martial art in the workplace. It
really isn't a very good idea, particularly if you work at teh Post
Office. They keep records on that sort of thing. I have at least two cases
when such things were used AGAINST a defendant in a later criminal case,
to bolster the prosecution's claim that the person was violent.
2) As for carrying a bat, I suppose it depends upon what neighborhood you
live in AND what the local toughs (gee, is that an outdated word?) are
carrying around. In some rap videos, you see the young men waving very
threatening looking staffs, usually with an African motif. Get caught with
one of those, particularly if you're black, and you'll more than likely
run into a hassle with the police. The average person would think more
carefully about approaching a guy with a bat than a guy with a dowel, even
if they are realistically equally dangerous though.
3) Few girls enjoy being picked up with a wooden object. A pair of hands
are usually all that's required. If you're that desperate, there are some
really good ideas at the library ( i.e. books) on how to be more
attractive to the (I presume) opposite sex. Stuff like, not picking your
nose or squeezing zits in public, washing your hair, you know, little
things!! Good luck!!
R. Brice
If you truly love yourself, it will be impossible to hate others.
Happo
Actually, the Jo/Hanbo would be classified as a weapon only if you
represented it to be a weapon, or a reasonable person would assume that a
weapon is the primary reasonable use. Because any object shaped like a
dowel could be considered a weapon, an attorney would have a strong
argument that mere possession of the thing should not have legal
implications. It is no more inherently dangerous than a dinner plate.
That being said, however, if you tell someone it is a weapon, or an object
is clearly designed to be a weapon (perhaps you inscribe THIS IS A
WEAPON!" on the side) and nothing else, you may run into trouble. Ditto,
if you run around swinging it, even in fun, in a menacing way. What starts
out as fun, has all too often turned into a challenge/argument, and then
an assault or battery.
The best course, of course, is not to walk around carrying your Jo, it's
that simple. Transport can be a problem, to and from training,
deomnstrations, etc.. However, it is is legal to LEARN a weapon in your
state, then it is unlikely that you will have trouble transporting the
weapon to and from training. Some people have difficulty keeping any large
weapon in their car, however, so if questioned by the police, try not to
become belligerent about your right to bear arms, etc. or you can expect
to get hassled.
Finally, if in doubt, ask a local attorney (if you'd rather not call the
police station) what the legislation in your state says about when a
regular item becomes a "dangerous weapon."
R. Brice, Esq.
Krystal Locke
Big snips everywhere...
Has anyone considered carrying a hammer as a self defense weapon? They
are small, light, cheap, effective, and very easy to explain away,
sitting on the car seat, or in your hand. Gee officer, I dont have a
hammer of my own, so I borrowed this one from my friend down the
street...
Krystal
Bella Kinney
-> sitting on the car seat, or in your hand. Gee officer, I dont have a
weapon.
I have my keys on a heavy ring, to which is attached a two
foot supple brass chain with a snap link and a brass London Bobbys
whistle on the opposing end. This makes a dandy manriki gusari
(spelling?) that with a little practice a person can block with, strike
with, or control or restrain another with, not to mention garrote
technique (which might be considered a little extreme for "self
defense"). Everything is legal and you are less likely to loose your
keys. There is also the advantage in that women are often attacked at
doorways; a weapon is only of use if it is in your hand to be used. In a
situation where one is under assault you just don't have time to fumble
for whatever surprise you were saving for the mashers. If one has ones
keys in the hand already ... Bella
Peter Gruhn
JJB> on carrying jo and bokken around.
I spent some time once standing next to a police car as an officer tried
valiently to extract the nasty metal pointy bit from inside my boken.
... Boku wa hon desu.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
Peter Gruhn
in a carry bag. Just some baggy cloth thing with a drawstring. Makes it
seem more like a bit of training gear (fishing pole, shoes, frisbee) in
transit an less like an overt weapon.
Not as good for getting girls though, no doubt.
William H. Johnson
Ikkan, m'lady. Luv, y'all
--
William H. Johnson at University of Virginia, Dept. of Cardiology
aka Wild Bill the Tuchuk <<<<<<<<<<<]===} {===[>>>>>>>>>>>
wh...@virginia.edu These opinions are my own.
Mr Jefferson will tell the University if they can have an opinion.
Demon Buddha
> Has anyone considered carrying a hammer as a self defense weapon? They
> are small, light, cheap, effective, and very easy to explain away,
> sitting on the car seat, or in your hand. Gee officer, I dont have a
> hammer of my own, so I borrowed this one from my friend down the
> street...
Sure, and you MAY get away with it... but then you may not. As for
using it, hammer or no hammer you may have a task ahead of you.
>
> Krystal
--
-Andy V. os...@death.bellcore.com (Mr. X)
"I have a high art; I hurt with cruelty those who would damage me."
-Archilochus, 650 BC
Phil dorman
>In article <3sils4$g...@one.mind.net>, Krystal Locke <aiki...@mind.net> writes:
>
>> Has anyone considered carrying a hammer as a self defense weapon? They
>> are small, light, cheap, effective, and very easy to explain away,
>> sitting on the car seat, or in your hand. Gee officer, I dont have a
>> hammer of my own, so I borrowed this one from my friend down the
>> street...
>
> Sure, and you MAY get away with it... but then you may not. As for
> using it, hammer or no hammer you may have a task ahead of you.
>>
>> Krystal
>
once. At the time he was in his 70s and had to confront a tennant
(in his 20s) who refused to leave our accomodation. There was no fight once the
tennant saw the hammer in his hand. A carpenters claw hammer.
The point I make is that this is an example of the ultimate
weapon/altercation in that the situation was resolved without the need to use
it. Winning without engaging is best.
Regards Phil
Michael Goodrich
weapon? They
> are small, light, cheap, effective, and very easy to explain
away,
> sitting on the car seat, or in your hand. Gee officer, I dont
have a
> hammer of my own, so I borrowed this one from my friend down
the
> street...
Sure, and you MAY get away with it... but then you may
not. As for
using it, hammer or no hammer you may have a task ahead
of you.
>
Interestingly, I saw a group of women armed with hammers use them
against a TV news truck a few years ago down here in Arizona.
They threw them at the truck and did no damage.
Apparently these women carried the hammers as concealed weapons.
They are easy to take away, unwieldy, and poorly balanced.
--
"So much playground, so little time!"
Jeremy Bornstein
departments. Both said that, yes, carrying a piece of wood can be a
felony weapons posession charge. I spoke with the San Jose guy for a
longer time and he gave me the impression that it is a highly
context-dependent decision whether or not something is called a weapon
(and thus a felony to posess). He made the point that a 3-foot long dowel
from Home Depot made out of soft wood could be considered a weapon under
the right circumstances. I think those circumstances probably consist of
threatening someone with it or attacking someone with it (if later not
shown to be self-defense).
I also heard from someone else that placing a little rubber foot (as on
the bottom of crutches or some furniture) on one end of a jo is effective
in transforming it from a weapon into a walking stick, at least for the
purpose of walking around with it. I bought four of these little feet at
a hardware store for a grand total of under $2 and they're great.
Oh, also: I could not get anyone to give me any information on getting
permits to carry jo or bokken.
-jeremy bornstein
P.S. If memory serves, relevant california law is section 12020, obtainable
from a http server somewhere near you, the address of which I do not
remember.
Krystal Locke
>
> Interestingly, I saw a group of women armed with hammers use them
> against a TV news truck a few years ago down here in Arizona.
> They threw them at the truck and did no damage.
> Apparently these women carried the hammers as concealed weapons.
> They are easy to take away, unwieldy, and poorly balanced.
And the claw end will still go right through just about anybody.
Now, if these women had held on to them, and swung them at the truck,
they'd get kickbacks from the body shop.
Of course they're unbalanced compared to a weapon, like, say a knife,
that would be a lot harder to explain in court. Yes, judge, I just
happened to have a Kabar Marine issue knife sitting on the car seat
beside me. Personally, I don't find hammers a bit unwieldy, but I do
a bit of carpentry. I'd feel more comfy with a hammer in my hand than
a knife in a self defense situation, but that's just me. Any weapon is
good if you're trained in it. The European armies have a history of
using effective warhammers. They do go right through armor.
Sorry to ramble so much.
Krystal
Rick Shank
>Michael Goodrich <73054...@CompuServe.COM> wrote:
A story about hammer slinging women trying to kill a news truck in AZ.
Hey, is this Michael Goodrich from channel 4 News in Tucson?
Daan Zweers
uncovered on my bicycle. The policemen (there are always two at least) had a
difficult time finding out what (and who) they where dealing with: they started
even pulling it each on on end hoping to see a glince of shiny metal. Bad luck
for them; good luck for me - I got my bokken back. They recommed me not to use
it in public though. Thanx for the advice guys!