Hi Is Mise, no,no,no!

That will not do "In the right hands at the right time any edged cutting weapon is an excellent means of self defence."

It's all or nobody. Can't have an elitists band of machete wielding citizens. Why should some have the right and not others? Unacceptable! Next thing you will be saying firearms should be restricted to some elitists private army under your control, the SA (Stormtroopers Australia)

"I'm one of the most peaceable blokes you'd ever meet; but no one treads on my toes." A bloke said words to that effect in Europe in the 1930's.

Hi o sung wu, you could not knock around inner Sydney and not know Mum Shirl, a real Australian hero in my book. If others of us could do just 1% of what she done Australia would be a far better place for both black and white.

I love a friend I've got to know over the years, Aboriginal bloke, old now. Travels regular on the bus and train down to the quay to play the clapsticks or guitar with the bros (nephews) as they dress up and do a corroboree for the tourists. They get a quid all the same. Does it about four times a week. Got told off by a young girl for calling my indigenous brother an old bastard, said "where you going you old bastard" she took offence not at the word, but at the fact I directed it towards a person of aboriginality, he told her I was a bigger bastard than him, but all's well that ends well.

IS MISE...

You're too good for me my friend, with all these claims of what a fearful individual you are. You must surely strike fear into the hearts of many of Sydney's 'trembling' underworld figures, as well as the street hoodlum's who prey upon our citizenry, all by the intimidation occasioned by your very appearance?

For this reason one can only speculate as to why it is, you want a weapon to defend yourself? When your presence alone imparts such menace and malevolence, to scare off even the most violent of thugs?

o sung wu,

I don't need a weapon and if you'd read my posts I've said so, my Government taught me enough dirty tricks to last a lifetime; one of my instructors became RSM of the Commandos in the late 1950s and another became CO of the SAS.

Getting six on target at 100 yards with an 1851 Navy Colt seems to have got up your nose.

//And your thoughts on machetes, as a weapon of "self defense"?//

While you're contemplating machetes, what about flamethrowers? I mean obviously if everybody should be entitled to carry the weapon of their choice they should be entitled to carry a flamethrower.

But should they be allowed to use them during total fire bans? Should incinerating a man (in self-defence, of course) be considered an acceptable excuse for starting a fire during a total fire ban because everybody has the right to self defence, or is the risk of bushfire just too great? Should people stick to a chainsaw (ice hockey goalkeeper's mask optional) during bushfire season?

Paul,

Interesting that you mention Mum Shirl, I met her a number of times when I'd go with Declan Affley, when he played the Uillean Pipes for kids in Redfern. Lot of adults used to turn up as well; Declan was a wizard on the concert pipes.

Sorry, Toni

I can't agree, the results of the use of the flamethrower would be too horrific for small children to gaze upon. I would much prefer them to witness the neat and tidy carnage of a machete attack on an evil doer by a righteous citizen, severed limbs, heads, blood and guts and all, far more acceptable. We don't want the little ones to be upset by horror and possibly having nightmares, from the results of a BBQ gone wrong, now do we. Your bushfire concern is superseded by the overriding right to self defend.