North Dakota State U’s new weapons ban stabs heart of its fencing club
This week’s edition of “zero tolerance insanity” is going to make it challenging for one school’s fencing club to actually practice its sport.
The fencing club at North Dakota State University cannot hold practices on campus as a result of the school’s weapons policy, Campus Reform reported.
Members of the newly formed club said that despite having no pointed tips or sharp blades, the school classifies the club’s equipment as weapons.
“The current interpretation of the non-weapon policy in NDSU … understands our fencing equipment as weapons,” Enrique Alvarez, coach of the fencing club, told Valley News Live.
The foils, epees and sabers they use do not have sharp edges or points
“This is a spring and a flat tip that if you press the spring against the body of the other person, will be awarded a point,” Alvarez said.
However, the university’s Police and Safety Office Director Ray Boyer is sticking to the school’s policy manual and Code of Student Behavior.
“They are deemed weapons, and as such, possession or use on University owned or controlled property is prohibited,” Boyer told Valley News Live.
Members of the fencing club who are trained to properly use the equipment say they don’t think an epee is much worse than a baseball bat.
“In fact, I think it’s less dangerous. If you look up like statistics, fencing is an incredibly safe sport,” Winfield Brand, president of the club, told Valley News Live.
NDSU Weapons Policy Bans Fencing Club From Practicing On Campus (University Herald)
Comments
Do they have track and field at ND State? Shotput and Javelin are derived from military activities and weapons. Will these be banned on campus as well? They’re arguably more dangerous than a fencing epee, which is effectively just a metal spring with a handle.
How can they possibly define as a weapon something that has not been used to intentionally harm another human in any meaningful way in the past century?
More importantly, how will this possibly make the campus safer?
Moronic.
A baseball bat is far, far more dangerous than any of those fake swords. All any of them can do is smash a fingernail, if that much (BT,DT, hurts like an SOB). A ball bat can be a lethal weapon.