Best Carry Excuses

I like the Cub Scouts answer.

My answer is usually "Why AREN'T you carrying a knife?"

If the person expresses intimidation, I offer to teach them about safe use, care of a knife, and sharpening. I held a knife sharpening clinic at my athletic club last year. It was good.
 
I have never been asked why I carry a knife, I live in the southwest where it's normal and when I grew up in New Jersey it was still normal there too. If asked I would just say "because I still can". Last I heard the USA is still free (generally). As for defensive purposes of knives, as others have already said, never say you carry a knife for defense. In some jurisdiction carrying a knife as a tool if fine, while carrying the same knife for "protection" is illegal. I use my knife everyday for such mundane things as opening mail, boxes, cleaning finger nails, whittling, slicing open a bagel or apple while I see others hunting for a knife or letter opener to do what I have already done. When did carrying a knife become abnormal? I have carried a pocket knife from about 8-9 years old and every day in school. this PC society we now live in Sucks!!
 
"Why do you carry a knife?"

"Do I need to have a reason to carry a knife?"

Or my reason:
"Because you never know if and when you'll come across a steak that needs slicing."
 
Great words of wisdom here. You would do well to apply this in others things young man. Great response glistam. Thank you.

glistam said:
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.
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I carry knives to cut things.

I also tend to associate with people that consider knives and guns to be necessary accessories in their daily lives, so people don't question me.

The rare instances where I had been asked I answered frankly that I would rather take personal responsibility for the safety of myself and loved ones instead of call 911 and wait the 14-23 minute average for police response
 
Ders said:
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 piss poor 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?
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Tell them that you use it for cutting stuff. They are useful tools and have been for thousands of years. Ask them what they use for cutting things. Knives suck for self defense. A knife is used more as an offensive weapon than a defensive weapon. By you bringing up the fact that it can be used as a weapon instead of a tool, people automatically will associate it with being an offensive weapon because that is what they have seen in the movies. I've seen several movies or TV clips that show someone robbing or mugging another person using a knife as an offensive weapon. The only movie I can think of where the knife was used as defense was Crocodile Dundee, and even in that clip the defensive use of the knife was only in response to an offensive use of a knife.
If we quit trying to pretend that our pocket knives are great weapons of self-defense, and just admit that they are tools we would be a lot better off for ourselves.

Now I know that someone is going to say that a knife can be a defensive weapon, and that is true, but so can a ratchet, a pipe wrench, a hammer, a pry bar or just about any other item that people associate with tools instead of weapons.
 
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I have reasons why I carry, never needed an excuse.

If someone asks why, ask them if they know what a knife is. If they say yes, then tell them the "why" should be self explanatory.
 
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Also, if your knives don't look like the 20 dollar tactical knives you see at Walmart, you can just say collecting them is a hobby. If someone sees and orange-handled knife like a Spyderco Dragonfly (for example), they probably wouldn't associate that with defense, because it just looks like a knife used for tasks, so it would pass off as a hobby knife. If you have a sheathed dagger on your person, well... you've got other problems
 
Awesome intelligent stuff here in Knife Laws. Practical Tactical could really benefit from this sort of lucidity. Ironic.

I get hideously annoyed being demanded to justify carrying mankinds oldest and most useful tool to ignorant sheeple. As if theres something wrong with ME ...

Mostly I tell em "I like knives."
As many here said, the ones who get it dont need much explanation. If im being legal and reasonable, ive done my part. If someone else has a problem, they can pound sand.

As Balls Deep mentioned, the alpha crap and retarded use by knife users is detestable. Makes everyone look bad. There is an awareness that needs to take place regarding demonized objects, and a responsibility to uphold by anyone using them.
 
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theres been a knife in my pocket for the last 55 years or so i use them every day to cut what needs cutting, you are more likely to see me without my pants than without a knife.honestly i dont understand the people who live there lifes without ever mastering the use of basic tools,i dont know how they get thru the day
 
When asked this my standard answer is to rip my shirt off, whip my knife open. I take an imposing stance, thrust the knife above my head with both hands and shout "By the Power of Grey Skull, I Have the Power!!!!!"


Normally, they stop asking me silly questions after that.
 
Ders said:
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?
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Because every time I forget it I wind up having to borrow one for something.

Habit. I've carried it since I was a kid. You'd be amazed how many times you need to snip something.

For a kid, a multitool is less likely to get you in trouble. It's more of a tool and less of a "EEK" factor.
 
I've never been questioned personally, but I would probably just shrug and say something like "oh well you know, it comes in handy".

Or you could tell them that it's your way of compensating for having a small...man part...(which if you drive a large truck they will be more inclined to believe).
 
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