Does a shield +X give the +X bonus without wielding it?

[Trafalgar]

One small challenge--there is interpretation involved with every rule everywhere. Even, and especially in the law. That's why there are things like judicial canons of construction, why courts disagree about what the law means and how it applies, why lawyers get paid a lot, etc. RAW doesn't really exist (at least the way rules lawyers think) because there is no meaning without interpretation and without context. Words don't have independent meanings--they only have context-dependent meaning.

True, but a legal document would be written very differently. There would be a definitions section that gives specific meanings to words like hold, wear, and wield. Rules would be more specific about applicability. Exceptions to rules would be clearly stated, not requiring the specific vs general interpretation.

The rule books would also be a pain to read and probably 5 times as long. With no pictures.