Because I might have to kill someone...

[Louky]

In France, we have an expression to describe a man who is always ready in any situation :

To have the me*ber and the knife under the shirt !

To carry a knife in France is not considered as something strange, but a big knife often scares some people…

When somebody asks me “why do you carry a knife big like this one ?”
I answer “it is a big knife because it needs to go with the other thing which is under my shirt “

Yes, I know, French peoples are sometimes sex oriented, but this answer have always the same effect… a lot of laughs !

 

[wlifter123]

In my office a coworker of mine was walking around my floor asking people if they had a knife. Knowing the type of people I work around I was not about to volunteer the fact that I carried one. She then came to a friend of mine and he told her that I would have one on me. When she came to my desk she explained she needed to cut some thick styrofoam board for a presentation she was making the next day. I reluctantly pulled out my Gerber Air Ranger that I was carrying at the time (not an overly large knife). After her eyes adjusted back to normal size she took the knife from me and asked why I needed to carry something like this. At first I didn't know what to say, I just looked her in the eyes and thought, "So I don't ever have to go around the office and ask other people if they have a knife I can borrow." I decided it wasn't worth it and just told her that I find knives useful in my day-to-day life. When she returned the knife at the end of the day she made a comment to the effect that she still didn't understand why I needed to carry a knife, then asked if she could use it again tomorrow. I brought in a box cutter for her the next day. Some people will never understand, they get by without one just fine. If they don’t like the fact that you carry one, well unless they attempt to stop you from carrying one, it’s a small problem in life and not really worth much thought.

 

[knifedaddy84]

Originally posted by brownie0486
Is it legal?-----Yes, there is no blade length restriction in Mass.

Good to know, I'm going to Cape Cod on vacation, so a 3.96 blade folder is cool? Provincetown can get a little gritty.

 

[black mariah]

A lot of it is some peoples inability to go from point A to B without help. When someone asks to borrow a knife, then asks why you carry it, the answer should be resoundingly obvious. Maybe a poke in the right direction is needed.

 

[brownie0486]

knifedaddy84 :

Do a search for Massachusetts general laws 269-10b [ dangerous weapons statute ].

Print it out and take it with you. The LE's think there is a 4" blade restriction for the most part, but there is no blade length restriction in Mass.

I instruct at S+W for LE's. I catch them all the time with their lack of the knowledge relative blade length in this state.

You'll be good to go. I carry 269-10b in the glovebox all the time.

Enjoy your vacation.

Brownie

 

[enkidu]

Just thought of this reply:

"I like to have a sharp object to make up for all the time I've spent in padded rooms. Don't worry, I'm all better now."

 

[Erasmus]

Well, lost my first post:footinmou

To re-cap: When sheeple give me their goggle-eyed, panicky stare (accompanied by stupid, accusatory questions) when I calmly open a candy-bar with the 1 1/2" SAK blade, I ONLY reply civilly to them because knife users don't need any more enemies.

Freaking out over calm and responsible use of the smallest blade on a SAK??!!

Sometimes, I think we are doomed.

 

[DarkReazon]

Sometimes, I think we are doomed.

Sadly, those that don't want the choice to be properly equipped are doing their damndest to prevent others from having any choice to the contrary. :grumpy:

For chrissakes, soon enough you'll have to be a licensed "Package Handling Technician" just to justify carrying a SAK for general utility.

But in the meantime, I'll be "Waiting for the final solution to strengthen the strain..."


Regards,

Shaun.

 

[Frag]

Two comments.

First, On Christmas day one year (my favorite day because I'm with 20 family members and I'm the only one with a blade so everyone relies on me to get into their packages) my nephew is trying to tear through the taped box that is his present and knowing that I'm "armed" in my pajamas asks to borrow my knife. I hand it to him and as proceeds to cut the taped box my mother in law says to him, "careful, you might CUT something!" DUH!! That's why he asked for the knife... because he needs to "CUT SOMETHING!" I remind her of that statement once in a while when I see her chopping onions or cutting bread in the kitchen. "Careful with that cleaver mother, you wouldn't want to actually CUT that Chicken!"

Second, my brother who introduced me to knives (thanks David) once said that when people see the knife (one of them anyway) clipped to his pocket and say, "What's that?" He replies, It's one of three things and I'll let you guess, It's either a pager, the case to my glasses, or a freaking combat knife." Since he's a college professor I guess the students and faculty are hesitant to think he'd carry "scary weapon" that is really the most useful tool known to man.

By the way, I sometimes like to politely remind people how often they use knives in the kitchen and ask them how many days they could go without using a knife or scissors without eating out.

 

[raynman83]

I thought of another reply/idea.

If someone insinuates that you might carry a knife to kill something(even self defence), you can answer "Yes, that has crossed my mind. I'm a firm believer in the second amendment." After that, they shouldn't say anythign unless they feel that the second amendment is wrong in which case it is still not illegal. For the most part, I think we all carry legal folders for the states we live in. And if we don't it's not like we are carrying shoulder fire missles. They are just knives.

Hopefully people will not have any arguement with the 2nd amendment. if they do, shout at them "Traitor" then pull your knife. That should be the last time you hear anything from them at all.

-Rayn

 

[VampyreWolf]

I still gest kicks out of starting stampedes.

this weekend, was using my spydie dragonlfy(2.25" blade, stainless handle, plaine edge) to open an eggroll to get plumsauce inside... got the comment of "what are you doing with that large knife", reached down, opened the se/frn endura and set it on the table"This?", then reached back and took the lum tanto fixed out of the sheath, set it on the table "or this?"

they stood and stared, then backed away slowly, got mall rent-a-cop over, and asked what I was doing with knives in the mall, told him I was just at the knife store and stopped to eat lunch and this guy came over to harrass me... it's not like I hide my knives(2 belt carry, neck carry outside of shirt, and clips visable on pockets, shirt tucked in)... the other guy was escorted out of the mall.

 

[collecter]

Lots of good points here.

I think if you are to carry a knife, it be wise to carry something that won't draw attention to yourself.

I don't remember anyone asking me why I carry a knife. The only time anyone sees it is when I have to cut something and their comment is usually, "that's smart, you don't have to use your keys to get into that package"!

I could understand some people asking "why" if they see you are showing it and didn't have any other immediate use for it at that moment.

We all have our own reasons why and we shouldn't feel justify them.

if some was ask me why, I think I'd ask them, why are you asking, do you need to borrow it?

Cheers

 

[Little claw]

Originally posted by collecter
if some was ask me why, I think I'd ask them, why are you asking,

This reminds me of something I read a while ago, in one of those lists of "rules to live your life by":

Whenever someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, ask them "why do you want to know?"

That exact question always distracts from the original question, because it suggests that the question is rude, intrusive or premature but without you actually refusing to answer it (which would be seen as rude, too.) If they bite they end up trying to justify their question rather than you (in this case) having to justify why you carry a knife.

If you tried to justify yourself, you would almost certainly fail due to their unassailable prejudice, however, if you force them to defend their position, they are continually faced with the absurdity of their question and can end up talking themselves out of it. This was the intent of the original subject of this thread but this less extreme approach may be more productive.

 

[allyourblood]

tons of intelligent, creative, and witty responses. you folks are just great. most people on this forum seem to really have a firm grasp on things. i find my day-to-day dealings with the rest of society to be very disappointing, if not downright depressing. it's my opinion (if not fact) that this world is socially devolving at a manic pace. i hate reminding myself that people really are just that stupid sometimes.

in my own travels, i've been reluctant to wield any of my knives in front of the general public. i work on construction sites daily, and most workers understand my reasons for carrying, without my having to explain myself. when i open a knife on-site, they either don't care or are genuinely impressed, saying "cool! where did you get it?"

in the event that someone caught sight of my knife, and questioned my possession ("what's with the knife?"), my gut-reaction would be one of annoyance, and i would most likely have to fight the urge to fire off some smarmy one-liner ("in case i need to ventilate someone" or whatever). however, in agreement with some earlier replies, i think a smidge of tact and guidance is in order. i'd prefer to light-heartedly reply, "a knife is like deodorant: people seem to appreciate you more when you're wearing it, and going without it for even one day can be a real drag".

btw, if that was lame, i'm very sorry. it's been long day. take care, all!

abe m.

 

[CJ1999]

I had a guy ask me one time why I carried the knives that I do, just as he was opening a can of Copenhagen with his knife. He said that the only reason to have a knife like that was to kill someone with. I had just shown him the KaBar next gen. with D2 that just came in. I carry knives to cut if it needs to be cut. For utility purposes mainly. You also can never tell what is going to happen, and I feel the need to be as prepared as I possibly can at all times. Will I need to cut some rope, seatbelt, webbing, strapping, plastic, or lord knows what else in an emergency? I don't know. That is why I carry a tactical folder. Self defense is something that would be part of that emergency but I try and avoid confrontations if at all possible. I hike and fish, run trails, bike trails, and enjoy the outdoors, and a knife is always the first thing everyone else forgets, or depends on me to bring. What else can I say, it is mans first tool. They have been around for centuries, and will be for many more to come.

 

[zer0sig]

seems you guys get harassed quite a bit more than i. i used to get asked about my knife frequently, but never seriously in an "oh my god, why are you carrying a flip-open guthook" sort of way (i typically carry a spydie merlin). i've always been happy to explain its use as a tool, the origination of hawkbill blades, how it would not be very useful in general for standard-grip stabbing attacks (though i don't inform them that i certainly would not hold it in a regular grip if i felt a need to defend myself with it). in the end, i've just not been harassed that much, but here in NC, even with the many imported yuppie scum, knives of most types, when not waved around frighteningly, are considered standard carry items for people who need to solve simple hands-on problems (i'm also frequently found solving hands-on problems, so i guess it's just considered halfway reasonable for me).