(no subject)

[sraun]

Hey, windtear & 17catherines - have you seen this?

The Government of Australia is banning swords?!?!?

Comments

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

Boggle. That's just weird...
"Legitimate sword owners understand the importance of ensuring that their swords do not fall into the wrong hands," Mr Haermeyer said.


"It's clear that the majority of Victorians back the push to keep swords off the streets," he said.


Now the SCA will really be in a position to launch a coup, what with this disarmed populace and all...

It's pretty remarkable...

[joelrosenberg.livejournal.com]

... and, as I blogged, some of the use of language is awfully familiar to those of use who've followed, err, other issues. I was tempted to parody it -- "Why would anybody need an assault swords?" / "sword-related deaths" / "Do you want every fender-bender to turn into a swordfight?" / "child-safety sword locks" / "high capacity scabbards" / "we need to close the sword show loophole". . . .

. . . but it's awfully good as a parody the way it is.

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

To be fair, you should note this appears to be the Government of Victoria, not the Australian Government as a whole.

[azurelunatic]

(!) Yikes!

This will make dueling more rare, though.

Dueling?

[joelrosenberg.livejournal.com]

I've never been to Australia in general or Victoria in particular, so I don't know if dueling with swords is really a problem there.

That said, sure, if they do manage to actually suppress sword ownership, Aussies who want to duel and can't find a sword will have to use pointed sticks, chainsaws, koala bears, or vats of bubbling oil.

Re: Dueling?

[azurelunatic]

It's actually a Bujold reference.

[windtear.livejournal.com]

Yep. My brother, the sword-carrying airhead mediaeval re-enactor, has been working with his group to get people to calm down about it. He says that it just means he and other mediaevalists have to get permits when they enter Victoria (not Australia) but apart from that it's not a big deal.

It is to stop the Melbourne gangs' latest trick of ordering ornamental swords from those decorative swordshops, sharpening up the blades and using them. (Which is actually very doable. My dad got a Masonic sword from a shop in Perth that my brother says would be a passable blade if anyone put an edge on it.)