Safety Versus Security, by Michael Z. Williamson
I have a few brief observations:
Your typical citizen is a pushover who’s all-in on living in a police state to be “safe.”
Example 1:
A while back, I had an Australian woman perusing the wares in my booth. She looked at a reproduction rapier. “Very nice. But we wouldn’t be allowed to own something like that. Keeps us safe, though.”*
“Oh, are random rapier duels in the street something you worried about in Sydney?”
You could almost see her neurons engage.
*Swords are not, in fact, banned in Aus. But that she assumed they were proves my point again.
Example 2:
When I had my store in the mall. Lots of people buying swords, paying by check, and I ask for ID and note their info on the check against NSF.
“I assume you need my ID so these can be registered like guns?”
“No, I’m just making sure your check is good. Swords are not registered anywhere in this country, and very few places register guns.”
But they happily performed “Papers, please” for anyone asking, assuming it was some government purpose to keep them “safe”. – MZW
JWR Adds: All of the gun and knife shows that Mike Williamson had planned have surely been cancelled, for at least the next two months. But he is still operating via mail order. Take a look at his knives in the “Handmade Knives” section at: www.SharpPointyThings.com