quote:

Texas about to legalize open-carry of big knives and swords

By Ray Bogan Published August 17, 2017

The katana once was the weapon of the samurai. But a new law soon will make it perfectly legal for Texans to publicly carry the warrior blade – along with a range of swords and other long knives.


In a twist on typical open-carry laws that deal with guns, Texas starting Sept. 1 will end its ban on the open-carry of any blade longer than five-and-a-half inches.

“Some other states are looking at us as a return to the old Wild West,” said Dianna Knipp, owner of Charlie’s Knife Shop in El Paso.

The new law, while drawing some attention in the press, has stayed relatively under the radar. Some Texas residents Fox News spoke with didn’t know about the change.

“I think it will be similar to the open-carry law in Texas [for firearms] in that it will be a big stir for a while and then it will die down,” Knipp said.

State Rep. John Frullo, who sponsored the bill, believes the length of the blade doesn’t necessarily make society any more dangerous.


Julian Saenz, an employee at Charlie’s, agrees. “You can make a lot of damage with a small knife if you know how to use it. You don’t need a big knife to make damage. So if somebody needs something for cutting something big, this is good.”

House Bill 1935, which eliminated knives from the list of items that are a crime to carry in Texas, was passed in June with bipartisan support.

Texas penal code made it a crime to carry an illegal knife, which was any blade bigger than five-and-a-half inches. But analysis from the House Research Organization found that some people felt properly enforcing the illegal knife rule could be discriminatory, because the statute was vague and could cause confusion over what constituted an illegal knife.

Frullo said the bill sets rules that citizens, law enforcement and courts can better understand.

“I think everything we did is based on a commonsense approach,” said Frullo.

The chairwoman of the El Paso County Democrats told Fox News she doesn’t think the law is necessary.

“I personally as a parent am a little bit disturbed by the fact that we are removing those limitations. I think there are people who for very legitimate reasons, like work, do need to carry around knives and things of that nature. I’m not sure what service or what public need is met by removing those limits,” said Iliana Holguin.

Although the knives will now be legal, they are still banned in certain public places; very similar to carrying a gun. Knives are banned in churches, hospitals, courtrooms, schools and other similar places.

“We got rid of illegal knives and made them location-restricted knives,” said Frullo.

Each state has its own knife-carrying law. Even before the Texas change, other states were more restrictive. According to Knipp, California and Massachusetts are two of the strictest in the country, only allowing a two-inch blade to be carried. Blades are measured from where the blade enters the handle to the tip.

“I think what people need to keep in mind is, this is one of man's oldest tools. Yes, it may need to be a personal defense tool at some point, I hope not for any of my customers, but this is a tool,” said Knipp.

coyo7e posted:

You would love that French documentary on the antifa punk movement.

https://youtu.be/Ac0q-4UT8Vs

Fulchrum posted:

mdemone posted:

I'm trying to think of a Disney villain that works, but I'm coming up blank.

Cybernetic Vermin posted:

The strangest thing about this whole statue thing: the accelerationists may have been right all along, and the cost may not even be that high?

Data Graham posted:

Hey that one accelerationist caused plenty of damage

Cybernetic Vermin posted:

The strangest thing about this whole statue thing: the accelerationists may have been right all along, and the cost may not even be that high?

Mr Interweb posted:

Wait, what was so bad about Tina Fey's car/email joke?

Mr Interweb posted:

Wait, what was so bad about Tina Fey's car/email joke?

Same Great Paste posted:

The gently caress is their obsession with everyone they don't agree with being a pedophile. Christ.

Argas posted:

Projection.

Pellisworth posted:

1) it's not very funny and makes a joke out of two things with vastly differing importance (Hillary's emails vs. Nazi street violence)

Pellisworth posted:

1) it's not very funny and makes a joke out of two things with vastly differing importance (Hillary's emails vs. Nazi street violence)
2) it exploited recent nazi violence and murder which the president has tacitly endorsed, this has dominated the media for the last few days

mdemone posted:

Trump isn't a Scar character. That doesn't ring to me.

I'm trying to think of a Disney villain that works, but I'm coming up blank.

Chilichimp posted:

He's Gaston in his head, but he's Iago in reality.

Bogatyr posted:

Subjectivity aside...

Inferior Third Season posted:

The "joke" is about how the American media and electorate prioritized Hillary's emails over the predictable violence that would occur under a Trump presidency. The fact that they are of such vastly differing importance is the point.

Pellisworth posted:

sure, let's make light of actual, violent, neo-Nazism endorsed by President Trump. it's all fun and games and good for a laugh!

terrorist ambulance posted:

I too am outraged at celebrities and the things they do

Inferior Third Season posted:

It's the opposite of making light of it, actually.

Bogatyr posted:

The Dirtbag Left is mad at Tina Fey.

https://twitter.com/roqchams/status/898456077066313728

https://twitter.com/alecolyte/status/898441150851305475

Pellisworth posted:

please clarify for us unenlightened

Blind Rasputin posted:

I love how Trump thought running for president would make him so famous and so much money, when in the end it will do exactly the opposite and his brand will be ruined for good.

Radish posted:

"Ignore racism and just think happy thoughts while other less privileged people are being attacked and murdered since it doesn't REALLY affect you yet" is a pretty big problem and Fey basically endorsing that view, regardless of it being a joke, it in really poor taste. The only two takes I'm seeing are people pissed she's telling people to look the other way to gross racism or idiots saying "yay you go Tina. Cake!!" so if her message was to mock that point of view it certainly didn't hit well enough.

Zanzibar Ham posted:

Weird, to me her saying to eat cake made me think of the quote commonly misattributed to Marie Antoinette, and that Tina is actually criticizing the people saying to ignore the Nazis.

Radish posted:

Yeah like that's the good way of viewing it and I'd love for her to come out and say "look I hate to explain comedy but I'm MOCKING doing nothing" but from comments I'm seeing on social media it certainly isn't being interpreted that way by her fans.

Lightning Lord posted:

Hot take culture will or already has destroyed America

Lightning Lord posted:

Hot take culture will or already has destroyed America

Mr Interweb posted:

I didn't take anything from Tina Fey's segment to even remotely imply she was downplaying the gravity of Charlotteville.


Anyway, check out this historian obliterating some shithead gamergater:

https://twitter.com/MikeStuchbery_/status/898254826277978113

Playstation 4 posted:

Betelgeuse Take: Our universe will one day be a cold black void of hydrogen crystals, empty space and iron spheres.

Cybernetic Vermin posted:

The strangest thing about this whole statue thing: the accelerationists may have been right all along, and the cost may not even be that high?