Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-25841881-20170729193726/@comment-29773086-20170730205538

Recneps wrote: Also.. The mathom house had weapons in it. I believe it was mentioned when Bilbo came home and gave his mail to it. I also expect that, with Middle-Earth being very war torn, many families of humans would have such mathoms, though not called such.. And when they turn criminal, why would they not use one? They're not professional soldiers, and would never dare to challenge one, except a sword would not be an outrageous piece of equipment. I must have forgotten the weapons in the mathom-house, but as I have said, bandits should not have weapons from the Shire.

I assume the non-existence of these heirloom swords because the Shire ruffians did not bring any with them, and no other bandits were ever said to possess them.