Again (and I hate repeating myself), I don't normally
carry swords, but I do have them in the house and wouldn't hesitate to grab one if I had to. I don't carry a rifle, shotgun, tire thumper, shovel, machete, hatchet, Bowie knife, or fire extinguisher, either, but if one were at hand, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. And no one in his right mind would look at the results and say the weapon was not "practical."
An intruder creeping around your house with his gun out, like an assassin, would be a worst-case scenario. Granted, it would not be wise to try to grab a sword and attack the intruder. But in that case, you'd think two or three times before you went for a
gun, too.
And if I happen to have the sword, and the gun is in the bad guy's pocket, I don't think he's going to get a shot off. Weapon choice here may not be as important as who hits first. Give me a free shot, and I'll take the sword.
The more important point is, lots of assaults are carried out with expedient weapons-- a kitchen knife, a screwdriver, or whatever's lying around at or near the scene of the crime. A sword would give you a tremendous advantage over a knife or club. It would be quite likely to save your life.
And here's the kicker:
If you are assaulted with a knife or club, you are more likely to be seriously injured than if you are assaulted with a firearm. In fact, even if you are shot at by a criminal,
you are several times more likely to be missed than hit. So-- are we threatened by weapons other than firearms? I think so. And do we have a fighting chance against even that most invincible weapon? I think so.
This is not to say I'd like to pick up a sword and have a duel with a pistol marksman, or that given my choice of weapon, I wouldn't choose a handgun (I would, usually). But the wisdom offered in this thread was that there is no such thing as a practical sword these days, which is just baloney. The sword still as fearsome a weapon as it ever was, and still better than most. The
only ways it suffers by comparison with the handgun are range and portability.
I'll bet the same people who say swords are useless wouldn't hesitate to recommend martial arts training. It would never occur to them to tell people that their empty hands are no good because a criminal is just going to shoot you anyway. So the same people who would advise us to punch a deranged criminal into submission with our feeble fists would advise us that two or three feet of sharp steel is worthless.
Then there are ASPs, pepper sprays, kubotans, stun guns, and all the other weapons no one hesitates to offer civilians for self-defense. We've all seen assailants suck up the best such weapons have to give and keep fighting. In fact, these weapons are
touted for being
non-lethal, i.e., not terribly effective as weapons! And does anyone propose that they are useless? No, it's two or three feet of sharp steel that is useless.
I wonder how many big combat knives such self-defense experts own, on average? Are these ever for a moment regarded as useless?
Anyway, the world news is full of stories that illustrate the practical uses to which a sword can be put these days. Let's just say that when the sword makes an appearance, the fight is usually about to be over.
And as a bonus you will look cool in hakama and gi.
