Quote:
Originally posted by debaser
So you do not carry them in public then?
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Roughly half the time, they're carried on private property. The other half, they're on public property as part of historical reenactment.
According to local law enforcement, the dirk and sgian dubh are the only two "questionable" pieces as they're the only ones you actually wear (y'know in the movies where the hero wears his sword across his back? 99% of those portrayals are for crap). But as they're part of native dress in a historical/cultural context, they're permitted in public. It's a similar circumstance to the knives that Sikhs are religiously obligated to carry.
The funny part is that the law enforcement fellows I talked with were themselves in kilt - wearing the the sgian dubh in the top of the boot or kilt-hose, and the dirk on the police utility belt along with the cuffs, radios, and guns.
The funny thing, though? In all the years I've done the Scottish events, maybe a third of the people are carrying the traditional weapons, sometimes less. That's a pretty low rate. But there hasn't been a single violent incident at any of these events for as long as I've been doing them. There was one guy who got a cracked skull when he was hit with an errant caber, but that's not a violent crime. Interesting, isn't it?