How effective for self defense would Nunchaku be?
Extremely.Nunchaku are so effective that they are banned practically everywhere. Street gangs used them extensively during the 1980s. I have seen them used many times and they are brutal. No-one ever bothered with flipping and spinning them like in the movies… if you saw that shit you knew right away it was amateur hour and that guy had never been in a real fight before (same with balisong “butterfly” knives also very popular at that time). Guys would pull them out of their back pocket, hold one end, and just beat the shit out of people with them. Some guys would even add screws or studs to one end.The most popular ones were 14″ octagonal cocobolo wood with a chrome plated swivel chain. That gave you more range and weight, and the edges of the octagon would draw blood whereas the common 12″ round sticks would simply bruise. I knew guys who made their own chucks from steel plumbing pipe filled with concrete or lead. Usually those were just used for training because they were too heavy to carry, but they would pulverize a cinderblock with a single blow.You can kill someone with chucks easy. It is a better weapon than anything else, short of a handgun. Illegal everywhere. Even the gangs don’t use them anymore (most of us did not carry guns back in the 80s and early 90s), and usually the ones you see for sale now are flimsy lightweight junk. You need to search for the good ones. My favorite was a set of 1970s vintage “Enter the Dragon” chucks from Dolan Sports: 2″ diameter tapering down to 1.25″ of black maple with a 10″ chain.C. R. Jahn, author of FTW Self Defense
What would you be your rifle, melee weapon and handgun of choice, in a zombie apocalypse?
My “go to” weapons load out for a ZA (the not-going-to-happen event I use as a metaphor for thinking about preparedness) includesRifle: AR-15 chambered in 5.56mm. The rifle would be equipped with both a suppressor (to save my hearing) and an optical sight that cowitnessed with the iron sights“Melee” weapon: Either a Hudson Bay ax or a hammer head hawk. Aside from its use as a weapon, it is a very useful tool in a variety of situationsHandgun: A semiautomatic chambered in 9mmAs I noted, this is what I have selected as my weapons load out. A good case can be made for any number of other options. Unless one is equipping and training a military unit, weapons are very personal choices. Among those other weapons for which a good case can be made:RiflesAK variants in 7.62 x 39mmBolt action rifles in .308Bolt action or semiautomatic rifles in .22 long rifleLever action rifles in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 “long” ColtSemiautomatic carbine in the same caliber as one’s semiautomatic handgun“Melee” weaponsBaseball batsFelling axCricket batsSwords, if you know how to use and maintain them and if you own a real one. I do know how to use and maintain them and a sword would be way down toward the bottom of my list of preferred weapons.Handgun1911 chambered in .45 acpsemiautomatic chambered in .22 long riflerevolver chambered in .22 long rifle (if it also included a separate cylinder for .22 Win Mag)Revolver in the same caliber as one of the lever action rifles listed above
Why do nightsticks have a handle on the side?
The original nightsticks or "truncheons" were only about eight to twelve inches long, and had a tapered shape from handle to tip. There wasn't a lot of science behind their use. If your fists didn't do the job, try the stick. Wham, bam, you're going to jail.The standard eventually became the 24-inch baton, a standard diameter (about an inch-and-a-half) from tip to tip, and sometimes with a leather thong threaded through a hole drilled about 6-8 inches from one end. In some cities, cops would patrol on foot with the baton in one hand, using the thong to do fancy spins and bounce the baton off the sidewalk. Techniques got a little more scientific. but the batons weren't used that much, so few cops mastered the methods. The traditional baton was made of hardwood (usually hickory), but could also be made of polycarbonate plastic or aluminum. In the 1970s, a company called Monadnock adopted a martial arts weapon called a tonfa to police use. The trade name of the product was "the Prosecutor," but it was better known by the model number, PR-24. The "24" denoted the length of the baton, 24 inches. The first photo below is the tonfa, the second the PR-24.The same martial arts techniques that made the tonfa effective were adopted to the PR-24. The side handle was more ergonomic and could be used for techniques not possible with a straight baton. Today, most cops carry steel collapsible, telescoping batons, and the sidehandle model is not as popular as the straight baton, mainly because of the extra space they take up on the officer's duty belt.
In Massachusetts, can I carry a sword around in public?
Found this on a source so I copied and pasted I am a Massachusetts resident. You can possess any knife but not carry in public any autos, ballistic knives, daggers, stilettos or dirks, which means any double-edge knife. This feature of the law protects collectors, but it does not specify how a collector is to legally carry his/her new purchase to their home, since public carry is a felony. Boston, Lawrence, Cambridge, Revere, Lynn, Salem and Beverly have 2.5" blade limit for knives carried in public. These are local ordinances, punishable by arrest and $300 fine. Worcester also has a blade limit, 3" if I recall correctly. Holders of a Massachusetts Class A licenses to carry firearms (even if restricted to hunting and target shooting) are exempt. For what its worth, I EDC a 4" lock-blade folder at all times. I simply removed the clip and carry it completely concealed. I have spent a lot of time in the above anti-knife jurisdictions and never had a problem. Dress well, practice good concealment and keep a low profile. You should be fine.
What's the name of this type of kusarigama?
I dont' know if it has a specific name, but I read that there was a variation of the Okinawan kusarigama which had two kama (sickles) attached to the chain. I have never seen an actual picture of one so I can't confirm if it did in fact exist. To be honest it looks like it would be much less practical and less effective than a normal kusarigama, which is probably why if the weapon existed it was not widely adopted. Also, the "vigoorian flail" is not a historically accurate weapon. If you take physics into account and how the concept of a bladed nunchaku would actually work, then a bladed nunchaku would probably be more dangerous to the user than it would be to the opponent. They look good in video games, but in reality they would be useless.
Is it illegal to carry a collapsible baton in England?
Yes.Its is not illegal to defend yourself in the UK, and you can use anything that comes to hand as long as it meets the reasonableness test under UK law. The test of reasonableness is that a reasonable person would consider the actions taken, were reasonable.This is shown in plain evidence when a 70-year-old man stabbed a 38-year-old house breaker who later died. The house owner was arrested as is normal in UK law, and the subsequent investigation decided that he had done nothing wrong and was released without charge. His actions were deemed reasonable as he thought his life was under threat.What in the UK wouldn’t be considered reasonable is if the homeowner had followed the perp and continued attacking him when he was no longer in fear of his life.What confuses Americans, and others, is that you cannot carry offensive weapons or implements on the chance you may be attacked. You can, however, carry knives, screwdrivers and even swords as long you have a reasonable reason for doing so, such as they are work tools, or you are a re-enactment player. But if you say you are using them to defend yourself in case you are attacked, that would be against the law.
Wear a motorcycle helmet in a fight?
Sounds ridiculous, I know. I'm talking about a street fight. But if you would wear one with the visors on it and everything, would that be effective? No I'm not planning on it, it popped in my head and I thought it would be a pretty good tactic to not get punched in the head or knocked out easily.