I was stopped because of a plastic sword...?

[ToxicOranges]

So, as that title was probably quite confusing, I'm going to give a little bit of background, so that this makes sense. Every year at my school, Year 11 celebrates the fact that we break up for study leave, by dressing up in a wide variety of fancy dress costumes and cosplay. Now, a friend of mine was panicking about her costume, as it wasnt quite complete yet. She wanted to go as a pirate - but was missing, amongst other things, a piratey - style sword. So, I offered to lend her my pirate sword, acquired from a previous fancy dress. I decided to bring it too her the next day, via the school bus, as per normal.

However, it almost didn't go to plan.

As I was getting off the bus, the bus driver got out, and said, "Yeah, that's him there. Stop him!". I was then told the wait, in full view of the other buses, and my bus's students, whilst he unloaded everyone. Then he turned to me and asked what it was sticking out of my bag. I answered, "A pirate sword, for a friend - its for fancy dress." He then demanded to see it, and after identifying it was indeed plastic, and not the instrument of death he thought I was wielding, I was sent on my way with a growled warning about how the "police could arrest you for that, it's an offensive weapon."

What does The Escapist think? Was he right to stop me over a plastic sword? Was it ridiculous of him to even care?

I personally think he's mad, but oh well.

TL;DR - I was stopped becuase of a plastic sword, sticking out of my schoolbag.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

That's pretty funny, plastic swords don't look even remotely real most of the time.

I don't think it's a question of "right", clearly a pretty uptight dude though.

 

[shadyh8er]

That cop was probably bored. If it was a plastic gun he might have a case, but I can tell if a sword is plastic from a mile away.

 

[Dark Knifer]

Guess it was a slow day at the office for the cop and someone being overcautious somewhere.

Ah well, mistakes are made.

 

[Artemicion]

I once brought a two foot long wrench into school. it was sticking out of my bag. I wasn't hassled or anything though.

 

[Vausch]

I once brought a set of nunchaku to school. Did a demo, got an A. You're just the victim of the people that think everybody will be offended by anything, same as that one 7 year old that got expelled for that toy gun.

 

[Zaik]

Yes, he mad. I will never understand people who work in the public school system.

They're just as bad as airport "security".

Before too long you guys will have to walk through metal detectors and get cavity searches every morning.

 

[Plurralbles]

Yes, he mad. I will never understand people who work in the public school system.

They're just as bad as airport "security".

Before too long you guys will have to walk through metal detectors and get cavity searches every morning.

inner city schools and others already have metal detectors.

It's pathetic.

 

[Venereus]

Was this in America? Because if it was, it's not surprising...AT ALL.

 

[Caer Seraphim]

They already had 'em when I was in school, complete with guards at the door from 6:00-8:15 am, and then again from 1:45-3:00 to pat you down in case you beep or something. Oh, the cases of racial profiling that ensued. Nice touch. Really.

 

[Dogstile]

I once brought a two foot long wrench into school. it was sticking out of my bag. I wasn't hassled or anything though.

I once brought a paintball gun into school for a media project. I wasn't hassled by anyone except my friends who thought i'd get hassled.

 

[ZeZZZZevy]

I don't know, you totally could have been planning to murder someone with that sword.

But seriously, people are really paranoid these days, and forget that if someone really wants to go on a killing rampage there isn't a lot you can do to stop it (unless you catch them bragging about their plan)

And besides I feel like a plastic sword would be really easy to identify as being plastic, maybe I'm wrong but I've never seen a realistic looking sword made from plastic.

 

[Sudenak]

I made a sword out of cardboard once. It was so blatantly cheap and fake, but I still had to get it cleared by campus security before I could carry it on campus on Halloween.

 

[Vampire cat]

Students at my school used to bring REAL knives and other weapons to school, and no obvious move was made to stop that ><. I went to one of those schools that could actually benefit from the screening thing before your let into the buildings XD.

But yeah, it's silly to go all crazy over a plastic sword, especially when it doesn't at all look real. As for plastic guns, where I live at least they'll usually confiscate it and take you down for a chat. If it's a gun that doesn't look like the real thing at all, then I don't think there would be any consequences...

Well, kids have been stopped with water guns, but those could be classified as "offensive" weapons, of the water-based type anyway. I sure wouldn't like getting soaked at school!

 

[Zaik]

Yes, he mad. I will never understand people who work in the public school system.

They're just as bad as airport "security".

Before too long you guys will have to walk through metal detectors and get cavity searches every morning.

inner city schools and others already have metal detectors.

It's pathetic.

Right, when the other schools get metal detectors, they're going to start those guys out on those full body scanners.

I can't wait to hear the stories of the rent-a-cops running that thing getting caught with hundreds of GB of pictures of underage girls that have walked through it on their home PC. It's going to be incredible. Even better if they only get caught because they have been actively selling them for an extended period of time.

 

[JET1971]

I w=once brought a 9mm and a .45 to school. though we were required to bring em.

 

[jumjalalabash]

Children's toys are srz bsnz

 

[Laser Priest]

I was stopped by security heading into a football game (I was in the band) because I had a nerf gun in my bag.

SO REALISTIC RIGHT?!

 

[2xDouble]

General policy is: If it looks like it could be used as a weapon, it can be used as a weapon and is therefore a weapon. Some schools give immediate suspension if not expulsion for that.

Ridiculous? certainly. But it could be worse. Security, especially school security, is generally right to err on the side of caution.