"Ottawa attack: MPs fashioned spears while Harper whisked into closet"

[james_davis_nicoll]

Some positioned themselves on risers that flanked doors, ready to attack an assailant.
[...]
“There were 15 flags up at caucus and all but two were taken down,” one MP recalled.

“These guys were up there holding these spears ready to impale anyone who came in,” the source said.

Comments

[marfisa.livejournal.com]

I suppose attacking the gunman with spears improvised out of flagpoles would have been their best means of self-defense if he'd actually gotten into the room. But insisting on keeping the spears as trophies and triumphantly waving them around when the guy never even got into the caucus room to be confronted by them seems a bit vainglorious, not to mention bloodthirsty.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

The alternative is leaving items MPs now know are weapons around for use during Question Period.

[marfisa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that could get rather awkward. Although the Sergeant-at-Arms or whoever probably shouldn't let them bring their much-vaunted flagpole spears to any more photo ops with the Prime Minister, either...

[bruce munro (from livejournal.com)]

Shouldn't expose them to temptation, eh?

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Not really, no.

[iopgod.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_mace#Incidents_with_the_Mace_in_the_UK_House_of_Commons

Too late.

[sean o'hara (from livejournal.com)]

Don't indoor flagpoles typically have heavy bases to keep them upright? Seems to me it'd be more effective to brain the guy with that end than to hope the finial was both sharp and rigid enough to stab someone.

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

That depends on how strong one is, and how able to handle such a mass. For a staff/mace like that, I would probably be able to use it much more effectively as a spear. Which is not to say that that would be very effectively.

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

They also unscrew from the extremely heavy bases for easy storage, and having had to set up those damn things, I think it would be awkward as hell to try and hit anyone with the base. Jousting with the spear itself, though, is easy, and they're surprisingly sturdy. Um, so I heard anyway.