Being "discreet" and "sheeple friendly" is part of the problem

you posted : [It is not illegal to bring a knife into a Federal building (courthouses are a whole different ballgame). Politely ask security what their basis for banning knives is. Be prepared with a copy of 18 USC sec. 930. They may not even be aware that a sub 2 1/2" blade pocketknife is not a dangerous weapon by statutory definition]

Sorry to disagree with you but THIS Federal building has posted regs and while not specifically singling out knives, it DOES state that "firearms and other dangerous weapons are VERBOTEN"
I am sure they could make OTHER cover whatever they wanted.
 
Ok, so someone pushes the envelope and walks into a federal building carrying a knife. The matal detector goes off, you are asked to turn over your knife. You refuse on the grounds of RKBA. You will most likely be told to leave.
Now....what"s next? Do you argue your point? Are you foolish enough to try go in anyway? Are you going to cause a scene that gets the police involved? The LAST thing you want is for the press to get involved. You would be portrayed as the nut bar/lunatic/would be terrorist on the nightly news. That's the kind of press that would do us all some good. Exercise common sense.

Paul
 
You can not argue to bring knives into a court house cause it is illegal. to argue it looks foolish!

mike, you say how do I live my life, answer in reality and I am sorry to break it to you but you live the same life with the same laws.

we can argue all day about how you push the envelope but what are we talking about really. you carry a 4-5" blade and use it in public and I carry a 3-4" blade and also carry a sak(which makes public appearances.

That is about it, I can't say how jealous I am of your freedom!
come on! if you told me you walk around your town openly with a sword on your belt and an automatic weapon on your back. then I'd say I was jealous but you don't why? cause it is ILLEGAL!

if it weren't I would have an automatic H&K mp5 and a custom sword by donn fogg on my belt. I can own one and look at it all day long in my house.


so the freedoms we are talking about is minimal at best the large portion of our knife rights are gone like the wind.

so the next part of the debate is how to salvage the pathetic bit that is left.

you say carry a large blade and challenge the public

I say organize a protest rally in DC or live your knife life quietly with anything you want. I spend time in the woods with large knives to my heart's content. I am happy I don't mind using a sak in public.
 
I think you should be aware that their are many people that are afraid of any type of tool that could be used against them as a weapon. Be it gun, knife, baseball bat, etc. I blame most of these fears on the violent movies in which the bad guy use these tools only for evil. I even had one woman that came into my shop for fingerprinting for a background check for a job and when she saw the knives in the display case her eyes bugged out and she gasped and backed away as far from the counter as she could. I asked what was wrong because I thought she was having a seizure or something and she said she was afraid of knives. That was my first encounter with a knife phobic person. I told her they were all under glass and I wouldn't take any out while she was there for fingerprinting but she still broke out in a sweat and was shaking the whole time I was fingerpring her. I asked her if she had always been afraid of knives because I'd never seen such a reaction. She said as a young teen she'd seen several slasher movies and had bad dreams ever since. In our state if you put someone in fear for their life you can be arrested even if you weren't threatening them.(Just them seeing the weapon) If someone ever pulls out a knife in front of this lady she would be in fear, without a doubt. That's why when you're carrying your concealed handgun or defensive blade make sure NO ONE EVER SEES IT!!! I always carry several knives and a concealed handgun but the only people that know are a few police I know and shoot with and my wife. If I need the cut anything out in public with people I don't know I use the smallest knife I carry and open it slowly in a casual way instead of a highspeed defense drawstroke. I try to be understanding about their fears but also educate them about knives possitive uses .:)
 
Originally posted by Tony Perez
Sorry to disagree with you but THIS Federal building has posted regs and while not specifically singling out knives, it DOES state that "firearms and other dangerous weapons are VERBOTEN"
I am sure they could make OTHER cover whatever they wanted.
Click to expand...

Tony,
You missed the point (no pun intended) of my post. Read the statute. It specifically states in subparagraph (g)(2): "The term `dangerous weapon' . . . does not include a pocket knife with a blade of less than 2\1/2\ inches in length." (emphasis added) The OTHER cannot cover sub 2 1/2" knives.

I know the sign you're talking about -- it's posted at the entrance of every Federal building. It's doesn't cite the entire statute (which is why you need your copy of it), just the general prohibition against firearms and dangerous weapons. FWIW, in the last five years, I've carried knives in Federal buildings and other Federal facilities in Oakland, Los Angeles, Baltimore, St. Paul, Reno, Washington D.C., Martinsburg, Richmond, Hampton, and Roanoke; I just make sure to stay under 2 1/2" when I'm away from my home station.
 
Well, the 2 1/2 inch exclusion is great if the security guards and I agree on what constitutes 2 1/2 inches. My last trip to the Federal Center at Battle Creek, Michigan I carried a 2 1/2 inch SAK - measured the way most of the planet measures - from the tip of the blade to the bolster/handle.

However, the security guard told me it was over 2 1/2 inches by 1/8 of an inch. I asked how he figured that. He stated his boss had told them to measure the blade from the "knuckle" (the term he used). He was pointing at the juncture of the blade and the back spacer. I told him that was ridiculous, he told me I could bring the knife in that day, but not for the rest of the week.

By the way, I'm a federal employee, just not from that city/building. Thus, I have to go through a metal detector and put all my belongings through the x-ray. Only out of town federal employees are possible terrorists, I guess.

So, I bought a Spyderco Navigator for my next trip at the end of February - we'll see how it goes.

Dean
 
Originally posted by RDaneel
By the way, I'm a federal employee, just not from that city/building. Thus, I have to go through a metal detector and put all my belongings through the x-ray. Only out of town federal employees are possible terrorists, I guess.
Dean
Click to expand...

Some Federal Buildings (St. Paul and Baltimore come to mind) make everyone, even the regular employees of the building, do the metal detector/x-ray machine thing. Apparently, none of us can be trusted.:confused:

The Navigator is a good choice for a travel knife (actually, it's pretty good choice for a small knife, anytime). Personally, I always make sure to pack my aluminum Cricket. Since I carry a handbag, it goes through the x-ray machine as an anonymous, not-at-all-knifelike blob, just so that I can avoid insane conversations like the one you had with that security guard.
 
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