Best Carry Excuses

D

Ders

Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Messages
4
I guess this kind of pertains to knife laws but wasn't sure where else to put this thread. Anyways, I need a better excuse to carry a knife. I'm 16 and carry a knife when in a legal area (not at school) but I get asked a lot why I carry. I know why I carry: a knife is a good tool as well as a good self defense item. That is all I can think to tell them, but I guess that doesn't do it for them. They don't seem to think that is a valid reason. Anybody got any responses that are a little more convincing? Or do I just tell them to get over it cause I'm gonna carry anyways?
 
Open a bag of chips in front of them (pick a kind that's hard to open and that usually files open or rips). Make sure your knife is nice and sharp.
Lots of people use box cutters and utility knives so you could try to relate to that too.

Or you can decide to not care. That's what I did.
 
Man invented tools to make life easier. Some people don't get it and never will. I don't think there is a magic phrase that will make people "get it." Don't worry about it.
 
Often times a cop will ask what the knife is for trying to make you self incriminate.
 
I usually say I'm a collector. I appreciate quality tools, I use it often to open packages and cut food, and even if I don't use it I enjoy carrying it. I've never had someone question me further after dropping the word collector. Generally self defense is a bad thing to tell the cops, that implies intent to put it inside another human.
 
My response is usually just, "I use it to cut whatever I need to cut." and don't elaborate.

Either they understand or they don't.

My recommendation would be to NEVER mention "self-defense" as a reason. That makes people who don't like, or understand, knives and their legitimate uses either uncomfortable or defensive about their inane attitudes. Many states have an "intent" provision in their laws. It's not just what you actually do with an object, any object, but for what or how you "intend to use" said object. Saying "self-defense" means that you are carrying the knife with the "intent" to cause injury to someone. Some jurisdictions don't "like" that "intent" and will use it against you. Some people even believe (incorrectly) that self-defense is not a legitimate reason for defending yourself with anything.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
Some people even believe (incorrectly) that self-defense is not a legitimate reason for defending yourself with anything.
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:barf: some sheeple are so blindfolded, and to think not fifty years ago almost everyone had some sort of knife on them at all times!
 
And a hundred years ago street peddlers sold cocaine to passers by.(not that it matters just an interesting twist haha).
 
I carry fixed blades throughout the winter months, and when asked I tell them that I always carry a fixed blade in winter because I often find myself crossing frozen waterways and will not cross one without one on my belt for safety reasons. Around here we have as much water as there is land.
 
Blunt, non-offensive responses are best:
"I use it to cut or open whatever I need to cut or open."
"It's for cutting boxes, opening letters, and food."

Keeping the sheeple at bay is something we all face daily, but I have one question to ask: How do they know you have a knife?
If the answer is, "They see me using it." OR "They see it clipped to my pocket/on my belt." Then I would advise you to use a response above.

At 16 years old, a knife should be your last option for self-defense, but that's a discussion for another day.
 
Well, I don't think saying it's for self defense is smart. People who are uncomfortable with knife carry will fixate on that. Say your dad always carried a knife and so you grew up with it as a normal everyday thing. Or just say that you're not doing anything illegal or hurting them, and you like it.
 
When someone ask me "Why?" I tell them "Why not? It's a tool.". If they see me with a different knife I tell them "you can't just have one flavor of ice cream for the rest of your life". I prefer not to say "I'm a collector", sounds too sinister IMHO.
 
This is a very astute question and I'm glad to hear it from a 16 year old.

When it comes to friends and coworkers who would ask me why I carry a knife, I like to flip it on them using social pressure. When they ask me, I give them the most incredulous facial expression and say "You mean...you don't? How in blazes do you open anything? Your teeth? Please tell me don't use scissors on packages, because you will seriously injure yourself doing that." Of course I tune how heavy-handed I get depending who I am talking to.

You see, when they ask you why you carry, they are unconsciously subjecting you to social pressure and implying you are not like them, are are somehow deviant from "most people." You must remember that you are the reasonable one in the exchange, and frankly if you ask me, there is something wrong with them. So the key is to act like you're the normal one. Just don't be a dick about it, or your view will be dismissed as simple arrogance.

I do echo what everyone else has said about never bringing up self-defense. People like this often think that any capacity whatsoever to do violence is indicative of a deviant/violent personality, or that by being prepared for violence you must somehow be inviting it. Both views are of course stupid, but you can't change that, not in a single conversation anyway. It is especially advisable, as others have said, to never bring it up if the asker is a cop. Not only is it often get into tricky bits with intent and the law, but the cop's appraisal of you will usually sour. Cops are socially and psychologically conditioned by their jobs to resent civilians being able to defend themselves, because they unconsciously see it as robbing them of their purpose and identity (Protect and Serve). It also tends to make the more suspicious because a cop's daily life is filled with real criminals who are frequently armed and blurt out that it's for "protection," so they lump you and them together.
 
glistam said:
........ It is especially advisable, as others have said, to never bring it up if the asker is a cop. Not only is it often get into tricky bits with intent and the law, but the cop's appraisal of you will usually sour. Cops are socially and psychologically conditioned by their jobs to resent civilians being able to defend themselves, because they unconsciously see it as robbing them of their purpose and identity (Protect and Serve). It also tends to make the more suspicious because a cop's daily life is filled with real criminals who are frequently armed and blurt out that it's for "protection," so they lump you and them together.
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I read (can't remember off hand which court cases) where it has been determined that the cops can't be held responsible for NOT protecting you, the arguments being that they can't be everywhere all the time. (Which I truly agree with--- they can't be and really shouldn't be - you want one following you around EVERYWHERE????)

Since the LEOs are legally off the hook for not being able to protect you, it is YOUR duty to protect yourself. Not necessarily by force, but by watching your circumstances, your location, what you do where you do it and who you are doing it with, etc. A vast number of cases where people have gotten in trouble with the law have been due to WHO they were with and what THEY were doing. The old guilt by association and guilt of bowing to peer pressure to go along with whatever dumb/illegal stunt their buddies decided to pull.

To the OP - I lost several "friends" back in high school because I refused to go along with their stupid ideas. Guess what? I never went to jail, was able to get a commission in the Navy and the subsequently required security clearances, can legally possess guns and vote, the list goes on. Peer pressure to participate in doing drugs, drinking underage, petty theft, shoplifting, vandalism, etc are severe now-a-days, much worse that when I was your age. Just remember, nearly all of your HS "friends" will not be your friends forever. It's both good and necessary to have friends, or at least good acquaintances. Your friends will change as you age and mature and what seems important now will diminish in importance. In the end, your best friend is yourself. Your best friend will keep you out of trouble by being there in the back of your mind telling you when something doesn't feel right. Listen to THAT friend on what's right to do, no all the "OTHER" friends.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
My response is usually just, "I use it to cut whatever I need to cut." and don't elaborate.

Either they understand or they don't.

My recommendation would be to NEVER mention "self-defense" as a reason. That makes people who don't like, or understand, knives and their legitimate uses either uncomfortable or defensive about their inane attitudes. Many states have an "intent" provision in their laws. It's not just what you actually do with an object, any object, but for what or how you "intend to use" said object. Saying "self-defense" means that you are carrying the knife with the "intent" to cause injury to someone. Some jurisdictions don't "like" that "intent" and will use it against you. Some people even believe (incorrectly) that self-defense is not a legitimate reason for defending yourself with anything.
Click to expand...

Ironically, mention self defense when carrying a firearm, the reaction is far different.
 
It's always good to see folks like minded in knife responses and not giving an overly alpha answer. I carry a knife whenever I can outside of work and I feel less naked when I do and it's important to be sensitive to your community. Using a knife appropriately may make someone else uncomfortable and that's on them, trying to make someone uncomfortable in they way you use your knives or what you say about them is equally offensive and can your community/ reputation. It's cool to see how mindful everyone is of that.

My own response is something to the effect of, "Do you know how handy carrying a knife is? This thing has solved so many problems!"
 
zzyzzogeton said:
I read (can't remember off hand which court cases) where it has been determined that the cops can't be held responsible for NOT protecting you, the arguments being that they can't be everywhere all the time. (Which I truly agree with--- they can't be and really shouldn't be - you want one following you around EVERYWHERE????)

Since the LEOs are legally off the hook for not being able to protect you, it is YOUR duty to protect yourself.
Click to expand...

I don't remember the citation, either, but it was a U.S. Supreme Court decision. It was determined that unless the LEO's SPECIFICALLY said they would protect A SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL, they are only required to protect the community "at large". The LEO's are under no legal obligation to protect the individual (unless they said they would protect that specific person), or to stop any crime in progress, be it a robbery, murder, rape, or what ever, happening right in front of them. Some LEO's will intervene, of course, but too many will not. "To Serve and Protect" pretty much went out the window (in my opinion) when Bill Clinton signed legislation allowing the police to become a de facto military force, and sold or gave away to the police departments "surplus" military hardware, such as tanks, APV's and so on.
 
I almost never get asked this question, but I usually say: "Yeah, I've carried one since I was in the Cub Scouts." That usually gets an, "Oh." And that's the end of that.
 
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