Batons ..

[speedsix]

Thiis morning:
75 degrees outside; 80 inside w/ air cond ... so I open up the house:
dogs across street bark; man and wife taking morning walk, he's carrying illegal club, Ill talk to him if they pass by again, sprays/cane/tree branch//CHL///"shillelagh". It's Irish for a walking cane (that can be conveniently used as a club or cudgel). Usually ornamentally carved.

...I guess you're joking...a walking stick or cane from ANY country isn't illegal unless it becomes a weapon of offense in Texas...and I've never heard of a cop hassleing a man/wife walking in a neighborhood...and on MY street I've seen men AND women...carrying pipe, steel rods, 2x4s, CLUBS...baseball bats...as well as factory made canes and walking sticks of all materials...I buy golf clubs for $1 a club and cut the head off at the base of the shaft, leaving a little plug of metal...have given dozens of them away as walking sticks...almost impossible to break, and you can beat the fool out of someone and not even bend them...light, strong...handy...the words "in the manner used" have a whole lot to do with the way the officer would handle it...after all, this IS Texas...

[RPB]

Yeah, I know walking sticks etc are ok, that's what I was gonna tell him, also better for snakes than a short club ... they just moved in down the block, new to Texas .... he was carrying a 2 foot long wooden club with a wrist loop on it... like the "tire knockers" swinging it around, not a walking stick... police station/DPS/Sheriff's office 2 blocks from here probably wouldn't bother him n wife on a walk ... but ...

Richardson PD has my Nunchucks I loaned to someone in the 1970s ... the person I loaned them to had stored them under the car seat ...

[seeker_two]

Good info on canes, batons, and walking sticks....I also like "a good piece of hickory" as an alternative to a firearm when I can't have one with me....

...however, I also would like to see the old-fashioned saps come back into the legal light. You can do just about anything a short stick can do with a sap...and it's easier to carry in a pocket than even the collapable baton.

As for being a "deadly weapon".....yes, it can be considered a deadly weapon....but, so can a cane.....

http://www.wset.com/story/14032866/murd ... ected=true

...a chair....

http://laist.com/2011/07/08/burbank_man ... er_aft.php

...or even a stapler....

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... quiry.html

....and yet, Texas doesn't prohibit people carrying those around.....

As long as we blame the inanimate object instead of the person using it, we'll still get dumb laws like this enforced.....

[speedsix]

Yeah, I know walking sticks etc are ok, that's what I was gonna tell him, also better for snakes than a short club ... they just moved in down the block, new to Texas .... he was carrying a 2 foot long wooden club with a wrist loop on it... like the "tire knockers" swinging it around, not a walking stick... police station/DPS/Sheriff's office 2 blocks from here probably wouldn't bother him n wife on a walk ... but ...

Richardson PD has my Nunchucks I loaned to someone in the 1970s ... the person I loaned them to had stored them under the car seat ...

...I gave someone one of those last month...it'd been on a shelf in my hall closet for over 5 years...noone wanted any so I gave it away...it was a for-real tire knocker...only time I messed with Nunchucks, I hit myself up side the head and quit!!!

[seeker_two]

...I gave someone one of those last month...it'd been on a shelf in my hall closet for over 5 years...noone wanted any so I gave it away...it was a for-real tire knocker...only time I messed with Nunchucks, I hit myself up side the head and quit!!!

Nunchucks, like polygamy, is the crime that punishes itself.....

[speedsix]

...guarantee you I don't have a problem with recidivism!!!

[CaptainBoiz]

guess i could use a cane but since i am younger that cause someone to eye me with suspicion or make me a possible target since i could be viewed as being "infirm". But thats just my $.02

Why would you want to carry a baton when you carry your CHL handgun?

Several reasons:

1. You can can carry a cane/kubotan/yawara stick (baton IF they were legal) many places that a firearm is not allowed. That way....you'd have some form of defense.

2. Any of the "sticks" mentioned can be used as "less lethal" devices or even compliance tools, hard to do that with a firearm.

3. Less expensive than a firearm...and at present, no requirement to conceal.

I think that either by intent or accident, the 46.02 exclusion does now technically allow carry of the other listed weapons, including clubs. HOWEVER, I'm not going to push it.

When I had cause to own, and sometimes carry, batons, I owned two. One was solid polymer and relatively heavy. The other was hollow aluminum. Both were probably 26-28 inches long. I did, at the minimum, attend a 20 hour TCLEOSE class on their use. Not once during this class, was their use as a club taught. Many techniques using them as leverage were taught as well as many wrist flick type impacts which were painful but did not cause serious damage. Shins and forearms were common targets. I exited law enforcement prior to the introduction of the extending batons, but it seems they would be excellent for these techniques.

My biggest issue with advocating their widespread use is the common misconception of the 'club' use. If everyone understood that use as a club should be very near a last resort, I would be much more comfortable advocating their carry.

My next opinion will be very controversial, but here goes. I would like to see the code clarified to make the carry of EXTENDING BATONS ONLY legal but only after attending a REQUIRED TRAINING COURSE. I think required training is much more appropriate for a baton than it is for handguns. It is necessary for the baton user to learn proper use and RESTRAINT. I think billy clubs, saps, and older style batons like the ones I owned should be, if they are now (questionably), illegal. It is simply too easy for someone to use only as a club.

For now, I have my cane and then my .38.

Opinions?

Yeah, I do agree with your reasons dude!

[speedsix]

...an expanding baton...even of polycarb, would be a great surprise defense weapon...and could possibly be a deterrant...though I wouldn't count on that...a Prosecuter in the truck would clear a small crowd quickly...those things are awesome by design...agreed that proper training should be given on any defensive weapon used....

...there'll be a fella comin' along sellin' baton sashes, hats, and badges any minute now...