Sgian dhu II

[auld argonian]

...and I guess that these legal restrictions would really rule out just about ANYTHING that I've seen sold as a sghian dhub.

I've mentioned before that I don't carry one because I don't think that it pays, in a city like Chicago, to send out the signal that you're armed. Maybe some of our gang here who live in more rural surroundings don't have the same "urban pressures"...and it's more common and acceptable in those parts to carry a knife - probably a folder in a belt sheath - because you're actually going to USE it for something practical.

I expect that one of the "dummy" sghians wouldn't be much better. I don't know about you guys but the argument could be made that you can, with enough force, manage to shove anything that's longer than it is wide into somebody's ribcage. Hey...they're banning glass bottles in Glasgow because they're trying to keep them from getting used as weapons...wanna drink your beer out of plastic bottles from now on? (Although I give the Heinekens in the little barrel shaped cans high marks!)

So why bother? You obviously don't get a pass if the lethal weapon in question is prettier than average because it's made out of stag horn and has a phoney jewel in the hilt. Our desire for an object that pleases us aesthetically overcomes our grasp of what is practical. Kilted Knight mentions that he keeps his blades in the safe...I have the same situation...I have all of these cool knives that can't leave the house because they're "illegal"...I bought them, my choice, my collection.

So I'll leave the Sghian for ceremonial occaisions...when I find one that's adequate and I figure I can drop the bucks on it without my wife going ballistic, I'll buy a more traditional one. Till then I have something to act as a "placeholder" when I go to the Highland Games...but I will consider the fact that I'm buying something that will hardly ever see the light of day when I do decide to pick one up and that will influence the amount of $ that I'm going to spend on it.

Best

AA