Do you know what a "slungshot" is? It is the legal term for that braided decoration that many of you have hanging from your handlebars. A few nights ago, one of our BOLT members was stopped in Loomis for speeding. It was a pretty pleasant stop until the Placer County Deputy Sheriff noticed all of the "support" stickers. The Deputy took a harder look at the bike and decided to arrest our BOLT Brother for possession of a slungshot. It is a felony. His bail was set at $15,000 and his bike was impounded. He is out and the bike is back. I will not be posting any names of any individual as this is a felony and this of course is social media. But I will say, that with all of the support stickers (that almost anyone can get); the one sticker the cop should had paid attention to was BOLT.
Carrying or attempting to use a slungshot is a felony in the states of California,[2] Oklahoma,[3] Massachusetts,[4] and Michigan.[5] It is a gross misdemeanor in the State of Nevada and Washington State.[6] In Minnesota it can be either a misdemeanor or a felony depending upon the circumstances.[7] As of 2010, in the state of New Hampshire, possession of a slung shot carries a misdemeanor penalty. [8]
Slungshot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with slingshot.
Analog of slungshot.
Contents
As a weapon
The slungshot was often used as a civilian or improvised weapon; however, the rope length became much shorter when used as a weapon. The cord is tied around the wrist, and the weight is carried in the hand or the pocket of the user. A slungshot may be swung in a manner similar to that of a flail.Abraham Lincoln's most notable criminal trial occurred in 1858 when he successfully defended "Duff" Armstrong, on a charge of killing another with a slung shot. They were widely used by criminals and street gang members in the 19th century as they had the advantage of being easy to make, silent, and very effective, particularly against an unsuspecting opponent. This gave them a dubious reputation, similar to that of switchblade knives in the 1950s, and they were outlawed in many jurisdictions. The use as a criminal weapon continued at least up until the early 1920s.[1]
Carrying or attempting to use a slungshot is a felony in the states of California,[2] Oklahoma,[3] Massachusetts,[4] and Michigan.[5] It is a gross misdemeanor in the State of Nevada and Washington State.[6] In Minnesota it can be either a misdemeanor or a felony depending upon the circumstances.[7] As of 2010, in the state of New Hampshire, possession of a slung shot carries a misdemeanor penalty. [8]
Other names
They were also known as "slingshots," but had nothing to do with what is now known as a slingshot. Many jurisdictions' laws against "slingshots" were actually meant to refer to slungshots.Worldwide
Slungshots were also used in China and Japan, under other names. A variant called "loaded sleeves," consisted of weights concealed in long, flowing sleeves.According to Robert van Gulik, the common use of "loaded sleeves" facilitated an unexpected escape for a group of foreign nuns threatened by a mob during an anti-Western uprising in China. The cornered nuns, believing they were going to be killed, reportedly raised their hands to pray. The people standing nearest incorrectly identified the bulky objects in the upraised folds of cloth, interpreting them to be dangerous Loaded Sleeves. They backed away, opening a path through the crowd, and the nuns escaped. The bulky objects were, in fact, their breviaries, which the nuns habitually carried in the sleeves of their robes.
References
"Egg Dealer Holdup". The New York Times (New York). September 23, 1921.
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This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (September 2009) |
Further reading
- Stone, George Cameron. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor, Jack Brussel, New York, N.Y., 1961, pg. 568.
- Van Gulik, Robert: The Red Pavilion, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, N.Y., 1961. (Discussion of the use of weights on chains in story text)
- Van Gulik, Robert: The Willow Pattern, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, N.Y., 1965. Loaded sleeves are explained in the afterword.