Yes, it’s always useful to save 2 minutes by increasing the chance of making the encounter lethal.
Seriously: why do some people need turn every single encounter into a time-critical emergency? If you can keep the offender from hurting anyone you can generally wait them out at very low risk.
Probably not. By the time you’re swinging a machete, you’re not likely carrying a firearm.
Escalation is not the solution to most interactions, present-day politics included.
American cops are watching this, saying, “Look how many people it took to bring him down!” and then adding, proudly, “Here one officer would shoot him and it would be all over in a few seconds!”
I saw them in Chengdu, China in February. Police patrolling the main square were already wearing studded forearm guards and had a stash of riot gear in one corner, including these and yes, quarterstaffs.
And, incidentally, fire extinguishers - apparently self-immolation is something the Chinese police worry about more than we get to hear about abroad.
Sooo … you basically asked the guy at the business end to load and prime it for you so you could shoot him? 'Cos otherwise, by the time you’d pulled it in enough to do that, he’d be close enough to use his sword or any other weapon. I can see why these designs did not persist for very long. 
(Of course, the reality is more likely that once people really got the hang of firearms, these things were obviously unnecessary.)
I guess it was the part where he faked dropping the knife, and then picked it up and slashed at his captors. Thats when I thought a tase was in order.
This illustration of the Salem witch trials shows court officials with two-pronged pole arms, similar to the Japanese sasumata:
Didn’t they used to do palace and bodyguard work for hire? Neutral in that they’d work for anyone that paid them.
Most of those guys also have a machine gun in a lockup somewhere.
In the US it’s only about justifying lethal use. Alternatives not considered.
an elegant weapon for a more civilized age…
19th century illustrators are not reliable narrators.
nah, all that stuff was assumed you got one shot then closed for the nasty work.
then someone got around to inventing the socket bayonet for muskets, and all those pole arms got put out of work. it wasn’t until cartridge rifles that we could generally stand back and just shoot at one another like civilized people.
Bonus, pike are invasive in the United States.
For the British, you left a ‘y’ off. I wouldn’t come at Mickey O’Neil with a knife…
(The slang term I’m referring to here is probably racist, so apologies. I know it only from the movie.)
I wonder how sturdy that is
Some places (like Alaska), but not everywhere. They are native by me.
Sort of like Lake Trout are threatened in the great lakes, but invasive in Yellowstone lake.
Ehhh; smaller species can be used as projectile weapons though;
Right in front of a Church no less! Why didn’t God stop the violence?
Hatchetfish?
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/images/CommonHatchetfishWTFCh_Cn2012May4468.jpg
Knifefish?
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/Knifefish/Images/ClownKnifefish(albino)WFKn_Ap19AF.jpg
Common dart?
http://fish-on.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/DART-COMMON-2-940x528.jpgJavelin fish?
https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0009/68454/Silver-javelin-Pomadasys-argenteus.jpg
(I can do this all day…)
WFKn_Ap19AF.jpg){kind=link}
