I love to take long walks with my dog, but unless we drive to an upscale neighborhood and walk arong the same block over and over, these walks require us to pass through some rough parts of town.
Our regular route takes us past a roadside shrine that was set up at the site where a local ganbanger was killed: candles, banners, the usual stuff. On two occasions as we reached this spot , my dog went into his “gotta shit” hunch, putting both our lives in peril should the wrong people see him desecrating the memorial. I should mention that this is a de-ballocked pug-schnauzer mutt, about a ferocious as bread yeast.
I’ve also been meaning to buy a cane, since I walk so far. About the only place I could find that sells canes is a run-down shoe-repair store, owned by a 80-year old guy who tried to sell me a German sword cane.
Everyone I’ve since spoken to has encouraged me to go back and buy it. My resistance is based on several factors:
A sharp-eyed cop would spot the metal gasket below the crook and recognize it as a concealed weapon.
Growing up, I saw plenty guys get beat up, but the ones who pulled knives REALLY got the living shit beat out of them.
I’m too crazy to be trusted with sharp instruments.
Well, if you have doubts you could use the weapon, you probably shouldn’t get it. Besides, you might run into some punk with a gun, and you ** never ** take a knife to a gun fight.
If the neighbourhood is really bad you’ll get shot if you pull a sword. If you don’t get shot, you’ll have a hard time proving self defense. A heavy walking-stick that does not contain a sword can be just as effective.
IMHO no, you should not for two reasons. First is the concealed weapon bit, and the second is the fact that a plain old wood cane makes a great weapon all by itself.
If a bad guy comes at you take the cane in both hands and ram the tip into their stomach / solar plexus. They will go down.
Watch an old Avergers to see John Steed in action with his cane.
Plus there’s the technique of instantly and sharply rotating the wrist to bring the possibly metal-tipped base of a cane into rapid contact with an assailant’s groin or weapon hand. Can be employed without telegraphing your intentions. Best if practiced.
Yes, since you wanted a weapon and explaining the stab wounds is going to get you into real trouble. My old judo instructor remarked that the cane is an outstanding self-defense weapon and a very short amount of time googling will find you a dojo where you can learn it (if you’re in a major metropolitan area). Alternatively, you could buy a heavy cane and a can of pepper spray. Put the spray in your non-dominant hand. Practice pounding the hell out of stuff with the cane using one hand and spraying with the other… Or buy a bigger dog.
The sword cane you mention is a collector’s item, at best. The deployment and wielding of such an awkward weapon is just as limiting as its illegality is limitless. A staff or regular cane will do you as well, if not better. It sounds like you’re in the pit bull side of town. Remember, your pet is probably regarded as an hors d’oeuvr by theirs.
You also want to check with a lawyer in your area about the legality of carry a normal cane. Some states it can be considered illegal because of your intentions to use a cane as a weapon. Before you are attacked you are choosing to escalate a confrontation by carrying a weapon. You can get around it by saying that you carry it because you/your dog has been attacked by other dogs so you want to beat them off. That or your trick knee sometimes just goes for no reason…
Glitch (where did he disappear to? I haven’t seen him around these boards forever) has a great view on canes and other weapons of self-defense in this old thread. Highly recommended reading. (Hmmm…postid isn’t working, maybe cuz this is 2 years old, ctrl-f for Glitch)
Neat stuff. I have a mini-collection of canes: a rattan Cold Steel cane, an English Black Thorn, a South African hardwood walking stick and a small club of the same wood.
Check local laws. While it’s perfectly okay to carry a sword cane in some states, it’s a felony in California. (As are blowguns, knives disguised as lipsticks or mens, and several other “novelties” you wouldn’t think of as serious weapons.)
Have you considered a walking stick about five or six feet long? With training you could use is as a bo stick or quarterstaff.
You were right to not buy the sword-cane for the following reasons:
1: It could violate concealed carry laws. You think your walk is dangerous? Imagine a night or three spent in the tank with Bubba right next to you.
2: Even if it were legal (which I doubt), unless you are specifically trained in 19th-century style “self-defense” fencing (yes, gentlemen did still use those skills to protect themselves on the street even that late), the weapon will prove more of a hindrance than a help.
3: Wanna talk major lawsuit? Pull a bladed weapon out first.
4: It may very well lack structural integrity.
Even if you get an “ordinary” walking stick, beware. These are illegal in some jurisdictions. Furthermore, it is not as simple as having a stick and swinging it around. There is real skill to using these things, and very few places have people who teach those skills, anymore.
Far too long to be practical to carry, and it would definitely attract police attention. Europe has a long history of true walking stick self-defense, using items of normal length instead of sideshow implements that nobody would have ever carried in real life on the city streets of Paris or London.
That being said, walking sticks are extremely unusual these days.
What do you mean? I use my walking stick all the time. Five feet is quite a normal length for one. It’s handy for walks around the block, and essential for hiking.
Heh. When my husband was getting divorced, he was on the mend from a broken leg. He walked into court with a cane, and they CHECKED IT FOR WEAPONS! This was long before 9/11. I was taken aback, but I guess you can’t be too careful in court.
You should have no legal problems with a walkingstick even five foot long (my prefered length) as long as you do use it as a walkingstick when you are carrying it. It can also help you legaly if you have suffered from back problems in the past (who over 30 hasn’t?). I have travelled all over Europe and USA with my 5 foot walking stick, partially for defence and also because I did need it to rest my back at times. Appart from the ocasional comment it never caused difficulty, and was a complete god send when crossing Italian roads (for some reason car drivers in Italy assume that running into a pedestrian won’t damage their car, but a five foot stick will). The worst I got was comments from Prostitutes in Montmatre (Paris) who called me ‘Un Grand Bretaign avec un grand baton’ I gusee baton is a double entendre in France.
Cheers, Bippy
A sword-cane sounds like a bad idea for many reasons. (IANAL etc.) It’s likely illegal to carry in WA and use of it in a fight would definately qualify as deadly force, so you’re risking a lot of legal trouble. Although it would definately count as moving to deadly force to use, it’s not much more dangerous than a decent knife (probably legal) and less so than a gun (which the criminal element very well may have), so it looks like you’re getting a compromise that makes things worse in every category. What you need to do is think about what you’re willing to do in self defense, and decide from there. If you either take advantage of the fact that WA is a shall-issue concealed carry state and get the training to start packing a handgun, or rely on a regular cane or walking stick (or mace etc.) as has been suggested by others on here, you’re going to be much better off all around.
Oh, I didn’t know that. Yeah, if you’re concerned then get a gun and a permit. Pepper spray in your non-shooting hand and the gun in the other. Or else drive to the good neighborhood.