The Legality of the Frying Pan?

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I have no idea if this is the right section to post this in...

Is it legal to carry a frying pan around (particularly at night) for self defense purposes? I'd prefer responses from those who know US laws (particularly if your from or familiar w/ PA) & college students. Simply put, I want to know if I would get arrested for carrying a frying pan around campus at night (if not I'll try to get a hold of a large wooden stick like a walking stick or cane) and in worst case scenario, screaming & trying to wack people w/ it (only in an emergency)?

Probably not. But I really don't see why you'd want to use a frying pan; it's rather heavy and unwieldy, and you can't swing it very fast; plus, you'd need to be within arm's range of your target--you don't want to get that close to a mugger if you can help it.

Is there something preventing you from buying pepper spray?

I'm not sure if it's illegal. If you are talking about a cast iron frying pan, those can be heavy and it would be difficult to hit someone with it unless it's a smaller one. If a cop saw you with one, they might question you. People report suspicious behaviour and walking around with a fying pan might be considered "suspicious" to some.
I see people walking with sticks, but I'm not sure if those are illegal. In some states you can get a concealed weapons permit.

I was wondering the same thing..

Or one of those telescoping batons that they have at the Q-mart. (and other places, too, I guess.. Q-mart in Quakertown has some really cool weapons, though.) Picked one up for my dad 'cause apparently he wanted to be able to solidly dent cars that try to run him over in the city.

If this is something you want to carry around campus, though, I'd think it would be more school regulations than actual laws you should be worrying about. A college is probably more likely to have stricter rules on weapons than state/city laws.
Most places in the US it's not illegal to carry unconcealed weapons. It's concealed weapons that you usually need a permit for. (Which isn't actually all that difficult in PA. It's a shall-issue state, which means that you don't actually need to have a reason you need a permit to carry. Unless they have a good reason not to issue one, like a felony record, they have to give you the permit. PA isn't a communist country like NJ.)
If the school is private property, though, then it's them you really need to find out about it from.

The sidebar ad for this was a firearms training centre. I haven't laughed that hard in days.

It should be legal, as it's a common object. You could try asking your local police, they should have a non emergency department number you can call to talk to any available officer. But I agree with the above poster, frying pans are unwieldy. You could carry a baseball bat, in Nevada at least thats not illegal, though a bit odd. Something else would be a small tazer. They make little personal defense ones that don't shoot barbs, only use skin contact.

The only problem you run into with a defensive weapon is proving it will ONLY be used for defense. Someone could claim you threatened them, even though you didn't, and you could be looking at a fine. It might be a good idea to look up the laws that determine where the defense line crosses into harassment. Your county or state seat should have a law library where you can do this, and the librarians are usually quite helpful. Also, you can Google laws in your state. In Nevada, we have the Nevada Revised Statutes, NRS, and you can Google those. There should be something similar in Pennsylvania.

Every time I see a frying pan, I think of Lois Griffin.

I don't know how PA handles concealed weapons, but Texas is at least considering allowing them on college campuses.

Get one of those Mag Lite flashlights with the long heavy handle. Like the ones the Police use. They are a lot easier to carry, and less unwieldy than a frying pan.

You can get a can of pepperspray with an alarm on it that fits in your pocket http://www.code09.com/productdisplay.php?pid=207 might not be as lethal but looks easier to carry

Last edited by Hmmmn on 19 Sep 2009, 6:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I have one of these long MagLite flashlights as well, I keep it next to me in the van. They carry three D cell batteries and built like a truncheon. One good swipe and you can distract a determined attacker. Also you can use it as a flashlight. . . no law against carrying a flashlight.

I'm sorry for the LMAO, but this reminds me too much of Eating Raoul.

I'm not a lawyer, so don't take this as legal advice, but I don't think it's illegal to carry a frying pan around as it has a legitimate use other than as a weapon. If you actually use it as a weapon, however, or possibly intend to use it as a weapon, the situation may be different--it may be considered a dangerous weapon.

Having a baseball bat in your car in plain sight isn't illegal. But keeping it concealed under the driver's seat may well be, and laws may vary by state and/or jurisdiction.

But as other posters have noted, a frying pan is a poor choice for self-defense--too unwieldy, and likely only to annoy an attacker even further (especially if there's nothing in it ). Frying pans should be used only for frying.

Your best bet would be to call the campus police for an escort--I worked for them as a student and escorted other students occasionally. Some schools even have a dedicated service for this as well (mine did).

Kris says to put real D-cell batteries in the MagLite, not rechargables, 'cause the rechargables are not nearly as heavy.

I checked Pennsylvania state laws and I can't find any law forbidding the carry of a licensed concealed weapon on a college campus. Check with a lawyer that specializes in firearms cases first though.

I don't think there is.. but the individual school may have a policy..

Ha ha ha.

Whilst expensive, a telescoping baton would be far more useful (plus, it can be concealed).

Depends on where you live.. Peko said he lives in PA.. When I got the telescoping baton at the Q-mart, it wasn't that expensive. So if he's within a reasonable distance of Quakertown (or anywhere with a big flea-market type place.. you know, like those permanent ones they have every weekend..) then it wouldn't be expensive. MagLites are pretty expensive too. I think the baton I got was cheaper than MagLites usually run.

This has to win the award for best thread title