Editing Bat'leth (section)

== Legality ==
Replicas of the bat'leth are often made of metal and can be dangerous. Media reports documenting instances of replica bat'leths being used in crimes have referred to the weapon as a "double-pointed Klingon crescent-shaped sword",<ref name="7-11" /> a "Klingon-type sword",<ref name=7-11 /> a "''Star Trek'' Klingon-type sword"<ref>{{cite news|last=Nicholson |first=Kieran |url=http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_11631084 |title="Star Trek" sword boldly used in thefts |newspaper=[[The Denver Post]] |date=2010-09-14 |access-date=2012-05-07}}</ref> or as a "double-pointed scimitar".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://metro.co.uk/2009/02/05/man-holds-up-store-with-star-trek-weapon-433125/ |title=Man holds up store with Star Trek weapon |newspaper=Metro |date=2009-02-05 |access-date=2012-05-02}}</ref>

=== United Kingdom ===
In the United Kingdom, it is legal to possess a bat'leth on private property; however, they may be seized if they are considered to be "potential evidence of a criminal lifestyle."<ref name=Lanc /> They are classed as weapons, which makes it illegal to carry one in a public place.<ref name=live />    In 2009, a man from [[Billingham]], County Durham, was arrested for possession of what the court documents later described as a "multi-bladed sword" in a public street. His defense called the item a "Star Trek bat’leth sword" although it was not an official replica, and the judge said, "I've never seen anything like it in my life before."<ref name=live /> The accused pleaded guilty at [[Teesside Crown Court]],<ref name=live>{{cite web|last=Lightfoot |first=Garth |url=http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2009/10/08/billingham-man-found-with-star-trek-klingon-sword-84229-24877898/ |title=Billingham man found with Star Trek Klingon sword |publisher=Gazette Live |date=2009-10-08 |access-date=2012-05-07}}</ref> and he was later sentenced to thirteen weeks in prison. The court ordered that the bat'leth was to be forfeited and destroyed.<ref>{{Cite web
| url     = http://ts23.gazettelive.co.uk/local-news/knifeman-jailed.html
| title   = Knifeman jailed
| work    = Evening Gazette
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721000741/http://ts23.gazettelive.co.uk/local-news/knifeman-jailed.html
| archive-date=July 21, 2011| access-date =30 May 2013}}</ref> A custom-made bat'leth was seized in 2009 in [[Accrington]], Lancashire.<ref name=Lanc>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/4521499.Klingon_sword_seized_in_Accrington_police_raids/ |title=Klingon sword seized in Accrington police raids |newspaper=Lancashire Telegraph |publisher=This Is Lancashire |date=2009-07-30 |access-date=2012-05-02}}</ref>

=== United States ===
The legality of the bat'leth in the United States differs between states. In 2009, a small double bladed knife shaped like a bat'leth was used in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]], Colorado, in two armed robberies.<ref name="7-11">{{cite web | url=http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/pic-shows-man-robbing-stores-with-klingon-sword | title=Pic Shows Man Robbing Stores With Klingon Sword: Clerks Recognize Sword As 'Bat'leth' | date=2009-02-04 | access-date=2012-05-08 | publisher=ABC News, Denver | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001163409/http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/pic-shows-man-robbing-stores-with-klingon-sword | archive-date=October 1, 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Colorado Springs Police Department]] said that it was a deadly weapon.<ref name=gaz>{{cite web |last=Benzel |first=Lance |url=http://www.gazette.com/articles/store-47426-colorado-sword.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123223109/http://www.gazette.com/articles/store-47426-colorado-sword.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-23 |title=Where no Klingon has gone before |work=Colorado Springs Gazette |date=2009-02-04 |access-date=2012-05-07 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Pascale |first=Anthony |url=http://trekmovie.com/2009/02/04/man-weilding-batleth-robs-2-colorado-7-11s/ |title=Man Wielding Bat'leth Robs 2 Colorado 7-11s UPDATE: Surveillance Cam Image |publisher=TrekMovie.com |date=2009-02-04 |access-date=2012-05-07}}</ref> The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] discovered and seized a bat'leth like weapon as part of a cache of weapons in connection with a $4 million [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] fraud investigation in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48108.html |title=Medicare fraud-busters' Star Trek turn |first=Brett |last=Coughlin |publisher=Politico.Com |date=January 25, 2011 |access-date=2012-05-07}}</ref>