Arrested or questioned for wearing sgians

[Andrews Son]

I questioned this when i first started to wear highland dress, i walked round to my local police station which is in the next street. I asked the receptionist if its ok to wear the sgian dubh whilst in highland dress and she replied


wait for it




"We do not know the law"

I was in bits, she asked several officers and they werent to sure either, LOL.
So a google search away i found the gov website and its says it will be a defence in court if you was in full national dress. So you could still get arrested but not prosecuted. But if you treat the police with respect they will more than likely not bother. But i guess in Scotland they will understand more.

[Just Hugh]

This is interesting. My son has been asking for a Sgian Dubh since we started going to the Highland Games. I told him he couldn't have a knife till he was 10 years old. I gave him one of the plastic dummy ones for his hose in the meantime.

When he turned 10, I gave him a swiss army knife to have for camping and passed along my Sgian Dubh to him. I had gotten a new Sgian Dubh for Christmas that has a bottle opener (only tool more useful than a knife!) a cork screw AND a knife. (And the clan crest - don't laugh!)

Our band played pipes on Ellis Island, which has airport level security, and I used the plastic one. Everyone else just went without. No one even noticed how cool and versitile my Sgian Dubh collection was that I had one for "weapon free areas."

I'm not a big fan of the U.S.A.'s right-to-keep-and-bear-arms fetish, but I had no idea other countries were so prudish about cooking utensils outside of the home.

[tulloch]

Norbo, one great option is to carry a 'sgian brew.' That is a bottle opener with a handle like a sgian dubh. Looks great. For most of us it is used much more often.

I have a nice little Swiss Army knife and I use the can opener for any can I open. The bottle opener and the cork screw see good service. Both blades get use too but many weeks more for opening mail!

[TheOfficialBren]

1) In several yeas of wearing Highland dress I have yet to see the need to own a sgian dubh. I raeely ever carry a knife and would rather be safe than sorry, especially considering the over-zealous nature of the law enforcement community in my area.

2) Just Hugh, it is not a "fetish." It is bullet-point number two, right after "Free Speech" in our Constitution, the highest and most sacred law of the land on American soil. Please do not demean the highest legal text in our nation with such debased language. You are insulting our fellow countrymen who are responsible, sensible, and decent folk and politicising something that need not be politicised in this forum.

Context is everything with sgian dubhs. When in doubt, leave it out. Besides, I would hate to lose a nice sgian dubh. Sock flop=headache and self-flagellance later. Lol.

[Father Bill]

Look folks, it's neither prudish, nor a fetish. Different lands have different customs, cultures, and interpretations. When in Rome...

Frankly there are an awful lot of American guns and knives now permantly stored by Canadian customs because of the assumption by a lot of really good Yanks that Canada is "just like America." We're not.

What you have works well enough for you. What we have works well enough for us. We like it this way. So do the Brits and the Euros like their way of doing things. The big error is in assuming that everyone else in the world agrees with you, or with us, or with anybody.

The bigger error here on XMarks would be to compare political plans or to say that one is better than the others... it's against the rules and can be legitimately flagged.

[TheOfficialBren]

Look folks, it's neither prudish, nor a fetish. Different lands have different customs, cultures, and interpretations. When in Rome...

Frankly there are an awful lot of American guns and knives now permantly stored by Canadian customs because of the assumption by a lot of really good Yanks that Canada is "just like America." We're not.

What you have works well enough for you. What we have works well enough for us. We like it this way. So do the Brits and the Euros like their way of doing things. The big error is in assuming that everyone else in the world agrees with you, or with us, or with anybody.

The bigger error here on XMarks would be to compare political plans or to say that one is better than the others... it's against the rules and can be legitimately flagged.

Precisely, Padre! 100% agree with you.

[416 Rigby]

I'd like to thank everyone for such informative and respectful discussion on what could have been a hot topic. I really had no clue there was such opposing views and regulations on what, to me, and my upbringing, is a non issue. Obviously, we all have differing views on the subject, and the fact that the discussion has been handled so well is a testament to the good folks around here...

One thing I find strange, though, is that so many people here have such strong feelings about what jacket to wear with what, and what shouldn't be worn with what, etc. but seem to have no problem leaving out what seems like a historical item of wear, the knife.

Thoughts?

[Nathan]

I'd like to thank everyone for such informative and respectful discussion on what could have been a hot topic. I really had no clue there was such opposing views and regulations on what, to me, and my upbringing, is a non issue. Obviously, we all have differing views on the subject, and the fact that the discussion has been handled so well is a testament to the good folks around here...

One thing I find strange, though, is that so many people here have such strong feelings about what jacket to wear with what, and what shouldn't be worn with what, etc. but seem to have no problem leaving out what seems like a historical item of wear, the knife.

Thoughts?

Nobody has ever bothered me for wearing my sgain dubh while kilted, even at my High School prom. That said, I could be tempting fate. As has been pointed out, different jurisdictions have different rules about such things. Canada's rules are vague enough that it's kind of up to the police officer's judgement. I could be charged with carrying a concealed weapon if I had a screwdriver in my inside pocket, so long as the officer laying the charge believed I meant to use it as a weapon. That said, I can go to Canadian tire and buy a huge machete with a bunch of other camping gear and probably take it home in a shopping bag on the bus without any problem. It's all about the reasonableness of the situation and the mens rea here.

To answer your question though, I don't think fashion or tradition is a good enough reason to risk running afoul of Johnny Law. If you live in an area where you think the sgain would cause alarm and could land you in trouble, use your common sense and leave it home. it's not worth it. I'd gladly take the judgement of the self-appointed kilt police for altering my outfit slightly to avoid incurring the wrath of the actual police.

I wear a sgian dubh every time I wear the kilt and have worn it many places with no problem. However, if I ever do get questioned by a police officer, my plan is to do whatever he or she tells me and keep my calm. I won't mouth off about my rights and if I'm a real gentleman, they might let me pass by the station at another time and pick it up.

You have to adapt your culture to the place and time in which you find yourself. I won't judge someone for leaving the sgain dubh behind, but would probably write a letter or Op ed if it was explicitly banned where I live.

[ratspike]

I think for some it's just a matter of saving themselves a lot of potential headache. Here in the US, with what seems to be a rash of complete and utter insanity lately, people can be funny if they see someone else carrying what they perceive as a weapon. I've known people who viewed any sort of knife as a horrible, deadly weapon that nobody had any business carrying while at the same time not having any particular issue with firearms.

[Father Bill]

Ya' can't legislate intelligence, nor fix "stupid" ...even with duct tape.