Lindsay Smart had to yield a 10-foot measuring tape — an antique keepsake from her dad — that was in her purse when she reported for jury duty yesterday at the Orange County, Fl., courthouse, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Because of its sharp edges, measuring tape is just one of many potential weapons prohibited in the courthouse. No knives. No hair picks or curling irons. No aerosol cans or big belt buckles. Don’t even think of sneaking in that meat thermometer.
Since a 1984 incident in which a gunman walked into an Orlando courthouse with a sawed-off, 12-gauge shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol, killing two bailiffs, officials have tried to keep out things that could hurt someone or help an inmate escape. That means no 26-inch sword hidden in a walking cane. No bullets, butter knives or chains. No aerosol body spray, which can become a fireball with the flick of a lighter.