Very good Post!
I only disagree with the way you brought it up in the first place. Instead of making a point you seemed to take a side door that was critical of people who spend time to learn classical weapons in their martial training. If you had made this the original post I might have debated, (for debates sake, mind you) that it takes so much time away from your training to become expert at some modern weapons which have no benefit to your traditional style and I am training martial arts so that I can stop a fight before it gets to the point of deadly solution. or whatever.
But I love the metal whip and it does have traditional benefits as well as practical ones. I always have a chain with me when I am walking the dogs at night. (but then I have the dogs too 
I learned a Cane set once. By practicing the form again and again it became a part of me. It just flows in my hands like a natural extension for hitting and grabbing. To date, it is THE ONLY weapon I have ever used against another person in a street confrontation besides hands and feet. It may be the most practical weapon of all. I have NEVER made the argument that I learned the cane by learning sword or saber. If there are any similarities in the set, it is only by coincidence. The set just taught me how to move with the cane, but it was up to me to spend time with it and develop it’s actual usage. Give me a cane against a knife any day! I hate knives. Knife against knife is stupid. Someone is gonna die and no one is gonna come out without a scratch. But learning the knife as a traditional weapon did teach me about the possibilities.
Your last post is an excellent one and I would be interested in doing more research to get actual statistics. We learn about gun in our classes too. We must know what ranges our techniques might be effective and when a person actually knows what they are doing with a gun and just get down on your knees and pray. We frequently get “law enforcement personal” in our class for training and they all agree with what you are saying. But I have not seen any documented studies with accurate findings to support it. So I too, will be doing some research.
I think the self defense aspect of our training IS the most important aspect of all. Unless you are going to be a teacher or a professional fighter, you do not need to learn every classical movement of a style. There are only so many hours in a day, and they should be hours well spent. But if you intend to teach someone else you should master your system first.
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