What's up with crossbows and state laws?

Heist · August 21, 2006, 01:56 PM

Did people watch too many James Bond films and start worrying about assassins using crossbows or something? I just listed my rhino recurve on eBay and in addition to California, there's probably a few other states that I have to block buyers from.

What was the impetus for this? Cali also bans nun-chucks. Yep, someone watched too many bad '80s movies.

I can understand legislators going for guns, but crossbows?!

TimRB · August 21, 2006, 02:27 PM

I know of no California state laws prohibiting crossbows. I'm not sure if you are allowed to hunt with them.

Tim

Esquire M Busterbury · August 21, 2006, 02:51 PM

But good thing they took those nasty nunchucks away from us children, we may have hurt ourselves...

mete · August 21, 2006, 03:56 PM

Banning crossbows goes back to medeival times !!! It's shaped like a cross you know so you can't use it against christians... NYS ,for hunting now permits it only if you are a blind quadrapalegic , I think

!!

croyance · August 21, 2006, 08:44 PM

Yes, some of this legistlation really did come from too many 80's movies and television combined with legislators wanting to make it look like they are doing something.

Really, nunchucks used under stress by a person who has no idea what they are doing is really just as much of a danger to them. There is this tendancy to lose control, or for the swinging end to bounce once it hits something.

Many states also ban "butterfly knives". I'd rather face that than a gun. The ones punks carried were cheap knives you could twist apart. Not like a $600 balisong from Darrel Ralph or some other custom knife maker.

Epyon · August 21, 2006, 09:02 PM

They're afraid that Americans will find running around wearing orange bandanas and living in the sewers to avoid paying property taxes and such as something attractive!!

Epyon

P.S: COWABUNGA!!!

R.D.Wheeler · August 21, 2006, 11:07 PM

In NC you have to have a pistol permit to purchase a crossbow.

It's also not legal to hunt with, unless you have a disability. I have no problem with a restriction on using it during bow season, but I feel it should be allowed during gun season for anyone who wants to use one.
Robbie

Heist · August 21, 2006, 11:35 PM

Nunchucks?

FEH. I want Sword-chucks. Just imagine how legislators would have a cow over those!

Samurai · August 22, 2006, 01:16 PM

I would think that a crossbow would be a rather dangerous device to carry around loaded, given that such a tremendous amount of tension is held in the bowstring. If that string ever broke, or if one of the bow beams ever broke, the crossbow could do quite a bit of damage to its holder. I don't know; I've never played with a crossbow before. Anybody care to comment on this?

As far as the numb-chucks are concerned (I can't spell it, so why try?), we have that wonderful late-'70's and early-'80's obsession with Bruce Lee to thank for the strict ban on nunchukau (did I spell it right then?). (I actually did some research on the legislative intent on this ban a couple years ago for a law school class!) It seems that several of the California-based street gang members started fancying themselves as martial arts gurus. You can still see in some of the old 1980's movies, when the toughest of the street thugs comes around the corner, he stops and spins the 'chucks for a moment. (No kidding! This was apparently a real problem in California. People were getting their heads beaten in by idiot kids toting numb-chucks.) Anyway, nunchaku (I think this one's spelled right) got to be a symbol-weapon of the California gangs. California banned them, and the rest of the country quickly followed suit.

bdarin · August 22, 2006, 01:22 PM

Got a speeding ticket last March, had to go to traffic school. Teacher told of a case of road rage where some college kids had been "offended" by another driver, so as they passed him they mooned him. This upset the man, who was a doctor, by the way, and he got the kids to pull over, went to his trunk, pulled out a crossbow and killed one of them.

On a lighter note, if you want to be an assassin, a crossbow is perfect.....silent, untraceable, effective. The down side: short range for a kill shot.

Hal · August 22, 2006, 01:28 PM

Quote:

What was the impetus for this?

I can't say why other states banned crossbows, but here in Ohio they were banned for a number of years because of poaching concerns.

I remember writing the letters to the elected critters in Columbus, but dang if I can remember the years, trying to get the law banning them overturned.
IIRC, it had to have been prior to 1980 - the year I got my crossbow.

I should add -
Aside from some very poor gun laws & drug laws, Ohio has a rather refreshing take on a number of things.
Crossbows were treated the same as switchblades. You could own one or make one, but you couldn't carrry one, sell one or transport one. There was no specific law against being in posession of one.

KSFreeman · August 22, 2006, 03:05 PM

It's not about guns (or crossbows or nunchuku), it's about control!

All states did not follow California and ban everything! Thank, Jeebus.

Good thing I live in Indiana, I think I'll walk on down to the store with my crossbow and buy a cool set of nunchuku (maybe with engraved dragons).

R.D.Wheeler · August 22, 2006, 05:40 PM

I had a compound bowstring come apart once. Strings now are 1 piece. Back then it was a cable with a little attachment on each end called a teardrop. The bowstring was stranded with a loop on each end that hooked to the teardrop. My teardrop came off at full draw. That particular bow I had set the poundage at around 70 pounds. It knocked my glasses off. I had welts on my face and arm. One small cut on my forearm, but nothing serious. I took it to the bow shop to be restrung and was back in competition the following week. That experience was bad enough. I think a crossbow would be worse due to the higher poundages.
Robbie

Buzzard · August 22, 2006, 06:00 PM

I was in a Sproting Goods Store in LaCrosse WI and heard on clerk tell the new clerk that if they sell a crossbow to anyone then get the name and address so they can notify Game & Fish because they only reason to have a crossbow is so one can poach game.......
Last time I shopped there.

FirstFreedom · August 22, 2006, 10:44 PM

Quote:

I can understand legislators going for guns, but crossbows?!

Why? Crossbows are silent assassin's tools, unlike guns.

Don't try to understand the logic because there is none - it's not about making people safe, it's about making people THINK they're safer by creating a boogeyman and false solution, and in the process taking power away from the people and putting it into the hands of the government and the politicians that run it.

August 21, 2006, 01:56 PM	#1
Heist Junior member Join Date: June 6, 2005 Location: ETN, Again Posts: 760	What's up with crossbows and state laws? Did people watch too many James Bond films and start worrying about assassins using crossbows or something? I just listed my rhino recurve on eBay and in addition to California, there's probably a few other states that I have to block buyers from. What was the impetus for this? Cali also bans nun-chucks. Yep, someone watched too many bad '80s movies. I can understand legislators going for guns, but crossbows?!

August 21, 2006, 09:02 PM	#6
Epyon Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2006 Location: Awesome, Colorado Posts: 700	Nunchucks... They're afraid that Americans will find running around wearing orange bandanas and living in the sewers to avoid paying property taxes and such as something attractive!! Epyon P.S: *COWABUNGA!!!* __________________ Vote Epyon for president in 2008, if you vote for Epyon all of your wildest dreams will come true: This campaign was brought to you by Epyon; funded in part by the Pizza Party, Surprise Party, Birthday Party, and Slumber Party.

August 21, 2006, 11:07 PM	#7
R.D.Wheeler Member Join Date: June 17, 2006 Location: Four Oaks, NC Posts: 36	Nc In NC you have to have a pistol permit to purchase a crossbow. It's also not legal to hunt with, unless you have a disability. I have no problem with a restriction on using it during bow season, but I feel it should be allowed during gun season for anyone who wants to use one. Robbie __________________ An elephant: A mouse built to government specifications. R.A.H. Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?

August 22, 2006, 01:16 PM	#9
Samurai Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2001 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 901	I would think that a crossbow would be a rather dangerous device to carry around loaded, given that such a tremendous amount of tension is held in the bowstring. If that string ever broke, or if one of the bow beams ever broke, the crossbow could do quite a bit of damage to its holder. I don't know; I've never played with a crossbow before. Anybody care to comment on this? As far as the numb-chucks are concerned (I can't spell it, so why try?), we have that wonderful late-'70's and early-'80's obsession with Bruce Lee to thank for the strict ban on nunchukau (did I spell it right then?). (I actually did some research on the legislative intent on this ban a couple years ago for a law school class!) It seems that several of the California-based street gang members started fancying themselves as martial arts gurus. You can still see in some of the old 1980's movies, when the toughest of the street thugs comes around the corner, he stops and spins the 'chucks for a moment. (No kidding! This was apparently a real problem in California. People were getting their heads beaten in by idiot kids toting numb-chucks.) Anyway, nunchaku (I think this one's spelled right) got to be a symbol-weapon of the California gangs. California banned them, and the rest of the country quickly followed suit. __________________ - Honor is a wonderful and glorious thing... until it gets you killed! - Why is it that we fire 1,000 rounds and know that we need more practice, but yet we punch a bag 10 times and think we know how to fight? - When in doubt, train, train, train...

August 22, 2006, 03:05 PM	#12
KSFreeman Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2001 Location: Lafayette, Indiana--American-occupied America Posts: 5,418	It's not about guns (or crossbows or nunchuku), it's about control! All states did not follow California and ban everything! Thank, Jeebus. Good thing I live in Indiana, I think I'll walk on down to the store with my crossbow and buy a cool set of nunchuku (maybe with engraved dragons). __________________ "Arguments of policy must give way to a constitutional command." Payton v. New York, 445 U.S. 573, 602 (1980).

August 21, 2006, 02:27 PM	#2
TimRB Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2004 Posts: 1,049	I know of no California state laws prohibiting crossbows. I'm not sure if you are allowed to hunt with them. Tim

August 21, 2006, 02:51 PM	#3
Esquire M Busterbury Junior member Join Date: July 29, 2006 Posts: 445	But good thing they took those nasty nunchucks away from us children, we may have hurt ourselves...

August 21, 2006, 03:56 PM	#4
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Banning crossbows goes back to medeival times !!! It's shaped like a cross you know so you can't use it against christians... NYS ,for hunting now permits it only if you are a blind quadrapalegic , I think !!

August 21, 2006, 08:44 PM	#5
croyance Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2001 Posts: 3,604	Yes, some of this legistlation really did come from too many 80's movies and television combined with legislators wanting to make it look like they are doing something. Really, nunchucks used under stress by a person who has no idea what they are doing is really just as much of a danger to them. There is this tendancy to lose control, or for the swinging end to bounce once it hits something. Many states also ban "butterfly knives". I'd rather face that than a gun. The ones punks carried were cheap knives you could twist apart. Not like a $600 balisong from Darrel Ralph or some other custom knife maker.

August 21, 2006, 11:35 PM	#8
Heist Junior member Join Date: June 6, 2005 Location: ETN, Again Posts: 760	Nunchucks? FEH. I want Sword-chucks. Just imagine how legislators would have a cow over those!

August 22, 2006, 01:22 PM	#10
bdarin Junior member Join Date: June 17, 2006 Location: Grand Island, NY Posts: 73	Got a speeding ticket last March, had to go to traffic school. Teacher told of a case of road rage where some college kids had been "offended" by another driver, so as they passed him they mooned him. This upset the man, who was a doctor, by the way, and he got the kids to pull over, went to his trunk, pulled out a crossbow and killed one of them. On a lighter note, if you want to be an assassin, a crossbow is perfect.....silent, untraceable, effective. The down side: short range for a kill shot.

August 22, 2006, 05:40 PM	#13
R.D.Wheeler Member Join Date: June 17, 2006 Location: Four Oaks, NC Posts: 36	When the bow breaks I had a compound bowstring come apart once. Strings now are 1 piece. Back then it was a cable with a little attachment on each end called a teardrop. The bowstring was stranded with a loop on each end that hooked to the teardrop. My teardrop came off at full draw. That particular bow I had set the poundage at around 70 pounds. It knocked my glasses off. I had welts on my face and arm. One small cut on my forearm, but nothing serious. I took it to the bow shop to be restrung and was back in competition the following week. That experience was bad enough. I think a crossbow would be worse due to the higher poundages. Robbie __________________ An elephant: A mouse built to government specifications. R.A.H. Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?

August 22, 2006, 06:00 PM	#14
Buzzard Senior Member Join Date: July 13, 2005 Location: Kingman AZ Posts: 479	I was in a Sproting Goods Store in LaCrosse WI and heard on clerk tell the new clerk that if they sell a crossbow to anyone then get the name and address so they can notify Game & Fish because they only reason to have a crossbow is so one can poach game....... Last time I shopped there. __________________ Rick in Kingman AZ , Super Comanche 45LC/410 , ,Armscor .38 4, Marlin 60 & An UGLY 12ga , Savage Axis .223