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9mmfan wrote:It seems to me that it would qualify as a club, therefore all 46.02 exemptions would apply. Sadly, TAM, I do not own the bar, but simply am the general manager. Legally, I am still in the clear as "an employee of an alcoholic beverage license or permit holder who oversees the operation of the licesnsed or permitted premises." Been cleared by the TABC for an instance that I would rather not go into now. Let's just say that when Agent Sherman showed up and started asking questions, my voice got real high and shaky. It does cause a giggle that I can absolutely, and do, carry a "handgun, club, or illegal knife" in the bar, but there may be a grey area about a collapsible baton. Mayhaps I oughta start lashing my K-Bar on my belt.

Actually, thank you for reviving this thread. There are a couple of items in it which can apply to me.

One item is that I do own a rather stout cane, which I actually need on some days. It is a Carolina Hawthorn Root Walking Stick, made by Whistle Creek. This thing is seriously stout, and if you whack somebody real hard with it, they are going to say "Ow!" and lay down suddenly for further disposition (click on the image for an enlarged view):


The other item is a blackjack leather slapper, which I've had in my possession for probably 30 years or more, and which I no longer know how I obtained it. I think that somebody gave it to me.


Like I said, the cane gets frequent use for legitimate medical reasons. The blackjack is in a box somewhere, and everytime my wife goes on a reorganizing frenzy, she asks me if I want to get rid of it. I say "no" and back into the box it goes. I'm not even sure where the box is at the moment, but I last saw the thing about a year ago. I think the main reasons I have held onto it are that A) you never know when something like that might come in handy (even if you don't know where it is at the moment); and B) getting rid of it seems more problematic from a legal perspective than simply storing it.

But as I posted earlier, for a gimp like me, if I'm close enough to use a striking weapon, then I've already lost the fight. This is why I have a CHL in the first place.

Does the illegality of collapsible batons extend to one's private property? 9mmfan hypothesizes carrying one behind the bar he owns. Would it be illegal to have and use one inside the confines of your home against an intruder? Or do you HAVE to just shoot him?

I don't personally want one, and if I'm close enough to use one then I'm too close, but it seems to me that there is a semantic difference between possessing and using one inside the privacy of your home, and carrying one in public.

What does the law say about that... Or about that general principle? After all, a CHL provides it's bearer with a defense to prosecution for carrying a gun in public under authority of that CHL, but no such authority is required to carry a gun inside of your house, and thus there is no provision for a defense to prosecution. Furthermore, the same knife that is illegal for you to carry on the street is not illegal for you to carry in a deer camp where the law concedes that there is a legitimate use for it. You can walk around inside of your house with a foot long carving knife, and that is perfectly legal, but you can't walk down your street with the same knife. So does the same principle apply to collapsible batons?