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I do talk a good fight
 
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They just banned all curved swords with blades longer than 50cm... irrespective of whether they're sharp, or blunt, or actually "Samurai Swords", or not.
Here's what I wrote to my MP -- I encourage you to write something similar to yours, if you care:
Dear Martyn Jones,
Your party is bringing into law an especially ill-advised piece of legislation, as follows:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/draft/ukdsi_9780110810324_en_1
This is an attempt to ban "Samurai Swords", following on from the lengthy consultation on the subject, but its implications are far wider due to the poor wording of the Amendment.
It bans all curved swords over 50cm in length, whether sharp or blunt. This doesn't just affect the criminal use of such weapons, as was presumably the intent, but also the peaceful use of blunt replicas of all curved swords (not just "Samurai swords") by medieval re-enactors.
I re-enact with the British Plate Armour society, an organisation that has been educating the public about British medieval history for well over 30 years:
http://www.britishplate.org.uk/
Several British & European medieval & Renaissance swords will be affected by the ban, including the Falchion, Grosses Messer, Sabre, and Cutlass:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gro%C3%9Fes_Messer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falchion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutlass
Now, we do at present have a defence for owning these items, if we choose to, under the proposed Amendment. But none of them may legally be manufactured (even the blunt versions we use for most of our shows), due to the overly restrictive terms of the Amendment. The short-sighted focus on "Samurai Swords" would mean that we could potentially buy falchions or other European sword props from traditional swordsmiths in Japan (if anyone were making them there, which seems highly unlikely), but not from working smiths & other artisans in the UK! How are we supposed to grow the hobby, and continue to educate & entertain the public (generally at some cost & indeed risk to ourselves), if we can't purchase the necessary props without making criminals of ourselves and our smiths?
I'm not convinced of the wider wisdom of banning one very specific type of sword in any case, given the ready availability of equally lethal weapons in any DIY shop, toolshed, kitchen drawer, or garden centre, but that is beside the point. The point is that your party's ill-thought-out law has effectively criminalised my & my friends' positive, educational, & enjoyable hobby. Unless you can take firm action against this ridiculous Amendment, there is no way I will be voting Labour in future elections.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Sturrock
http://www.hyboriantales.com
PD: Ghostdance ("The most irritating curse I've ever encountered" -- NPC played by H.)
Riftworld: Rossar Kuug ("Clearly mad, because he thinks he's a Com-Trow Skirmisher" - Aela)
Hyborian Tales: Crew, cook, dogsbody, general labourer, toilet cleaner ("Dangerously overoptimistic ref" -- Tom Nowell)
Otherwise usually crew ("Quite spry & fit, & willing to wear a big costume & run around a lot" -- various event organisers)
"My other oversized foam weapon is THE LORD" -- Questionable Content
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Prodigal
Group: Eos Staff
Last Login: Yesterday @ 8:37 PM
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It may also affect Chinese Martial Arts practitioners, by banning Dao and other weapons...
---
Joe Rooney, the Enemy Of Fun
Insurrection LRP: high fantasy in a dystopian setting. First event: 24-26 October 2008, in Leicestershire. Book online!
Bladelands: Raoul Ortez - heretic, medium, bodyguard and scumbag
EOS: staff (probably the best job in LRP!)
Joe R's LARPCard
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I do talk a good fight
Group: System Moderators
Last Login: Today @ 2:01 AM
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Oh, yeah, it screws over far people with legitimate uses than just me & other re-enactors -- WMA enthusiasts, Chinese martial artists, Japanese martial artists...
If the proposed general ban on swords (planned for October, rumour has it) proves to be as badly worded as this, sport fencers will also be unable to buy their kit.
http://www.hyboriantales.com
PD: Ghostdance ("The most irritating curse I've ever encountered" -- NPC played by H.)
Riftworld: Rossar Kuug ("Clearly mad, because he thinks he's a Com-Trow Skirmisher" - Aela)
Hyborian Tales: Crew, cook, dogsbody, general labourer, toilet cleaner ("Dangerously overoptimistic ref" -- Tom Nowell)
Otherwise usually crew ("Quite spry & fit, & willing to wear a big costume & run around a lot" -- various event organisers)
"My other oversized foam weapon is THE LORD" -- Questionable Content
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