Or Romania?
An acquaintance of mine told me of how the general public in Romania (where he’s from, ~18 years ago) would arm themselves with small bats for self-protection (since they weren’t allowed firearms, and the police there were useless). I pushed him to describe the bats (he seemed reluctant); they’re roughly the same length as a drummer’s drumstick, and about an inch in diameter. He made them out to be so commonplace that I suggested that the introduction of a Louisville Slugger there would grossly upset the balance of power. One example of the little bat’s use: His neighbor, at home, happened upon a burglar who was wearing the wife’s fur coat, trying to escape by scaling the garden wall, then the neighbor going at the burglar with the bat. Apparently, this sort of thing happens a lot there; the bat thing, not the fur coat thing. He also mentioned having to beat off gypsies, but I could see where that was going so I cut him off.
