Posts: 103 Location: Sweden
Sat 17 Aug, 2013 1:40 am
I personally will probably never own a sharp weapon, or at least not for a very long time. Simply out of respect for the edge and an unease at keeping a three foot razor around. Sometime, in the future, when I can get a proper lockdown on it (and have the money to do so), I might get a sharp Landgraf for test-cutting and possibly for weapon-works displays out with the knights, however, knowing full well how children are around anything shiny (grownup men are children too in this regard), I aim to get a scabbard with some sort of metal locking mechanism so that the sword can be padlocked and not drawn.
Note, I am not saying that people should not own sharp weapons, they are beautiful and highly functional, I'm just saying that I have no true personal use of a sharp due to using my blades for stagefighting and hema.
I think a general problem is that people who have never handled a sharp (or even a blunt) does not understand what swords are capable off. It is not that they have been pampered, it's just that they don't know what to expect. When I draw sword, children flinch back and in their eyes there mingles terror and joy, however, when the swords are on a table, every kid wants to draw it, because it is inert, it is not a "live weapon", even when out of their scabbards, they are percieved as a "dead" sword by parents and children alike, making it seem safe to handle.
We often have a weapons table, displaying helmets,
chainmail, pieces of plate,
shields and, of course, weapons. All of the weapons however, are blunt, we make note of that and we do let children (again, all ages) handle them. One could argue this both ways, that we are ingraining into them that "swords are safe", but at the same time, they know the weights, they know where they can and cannot hold (Please don't touch the blade, it'll rust) and I believe that getting more familiar with a weapon in a safe way is a good method of preventing accidents should they ever come across a sharp (for some inexplicable reason). Worth noting is also the fact that parents do seem to be slightly more alert because we are standing there, they somehow realise that we are a sort of safety buffert between the kids and the weapons and that they too need to help look them after. Otherwise, we could've just laid it all out on the ground in a big pile and had someone sit idly a couple of feet away rather than two people talking, helping people try out helmets, drawing swords for people to hold etc. It's all about body language and engaging with the children.
TLDR:
People not used to swords go "Oooh, shiny"
Live sword = "Oooh, dangerous", Inert sword = "Me next, me next."
Weapons table = Pros and cons of the same coin, and parents beeing somewhat extra watchful during.