Have people reacted to your knife with shock or fear?

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ben317

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May 10, 2011
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I was on a date a year ago and I ordered a coffee at the movie theater. When I tried to drink it in the movie I noticed the hole that lets the air in on the other side was too small and the coffee wasn't coming out. So I pulled out my EDC at the time (a buck knife) and made the hole a little bigger. My date gasped and commented about how she couldn't believe I brought a knife into a movie theater. She looked around as if she expected us to be kicked out or arrested. Anyone else have experiences like this?
 
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i'll never forget the time years ago where i reached for something in my right front pocket and caused my edc at the time (crkt m16-13z) to fall out and hit the floor on a semi crowded train to work. the blade opened partially due to the impact and everyone looked at it then looked at me like i was some kind of criminal.
 
ben317 said:
I was on a date a year ago and I ordered a coffee at the movie theater. When I tried to drink it in the movie I noticed the hole that lets the air in on the other side was too small and the coffee wasn't coming out. So I pulled out my EDC at the time (a buck knife) and made the whole a little bigger. My date gasped and commented about how she couldn't believe I brought a knife into a movie theater. She looked around as if she expected us to be kicked out or arrested. Anyone else have experiences like this?
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All the time. And with fear. The usual comment is: "¡¡You are armed!!"
 
There is almost always the initial reaction, "whoa!:eek:." I think this first reaction represents a number of feelings in the other. For one, our knives alarm them to their own underprepared state, and for two, if the knife looks at all like it could be used in a fight, they then feel underarmed. And finally, they might even associate your knife with every r-rated action movie they have ever seen, where knives were only used by bad guys to hurt good people. If everything is stacked against you, you might have a minor freak-out on your hands.

I even get that from my leatherman juice from time to time, and it is bright orange!
 
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people tend to lean back, as if at any moment I will start uncontrolably slashing about. Since PA has no law against fixed blade size limits as long as theyre not concealed I have toyed with the idea of carrying a bk9 or machete around town while someone video tapes the publics reaction. <-----joking btw
 
My thought a lot of the times these threads come up (which is often), is that some people get a thrill out freaking others out.
And then they get all superior over how much more awesome they are for having scared others.:rolleyes:
I haven't had people react with all sorts of fear when iI use my knives because I do so in a responsible manner (no "ninja flicking" the knife to get a reaction).
Even when people asked why I was carrying a weapon, they weren't all freaked out, and I explained the rationale behind carrying a knife.
They didn't always seem convinced, but they didn't think I was going to gut them either.:)
 
stabman said:
They didn't always seem convinced, but they didn't think I was going to gut them either.:)
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Is it just me or is that ironic coming from the member STABMAN. haha no disrespect or offense intented just an observation.
 
I have had quite the opposite effect. I was with a lady friend of mine at a food gathering with friends at her place. She knew I liked to shoot guns and liked knives as well. I actually took her to the range prior to the meeting with friends. When her friends came over she randomly blurted out that I always carried something. She made me whip it out (yes I said whip it out for comic purposes). I pulled out a fixed blade and everyone gathered around to touch it.

I was actually quite baffled.
 
I took out my EDC, a Benchmade 551SBKSN at a certain fast food chain, to cut a chicken sandwich in half, the lady behind me asks me "Why do you have such a huge knife out?! Can you put it away?" then I wind up catching looks from about 4 customers and 1 cashier as if i'm going to start stabbing (which I think is ridiculous.) And anytime I use my knife in public, I wind up catching looks from people like they think I may be crazy.
 
When I carried one handers I noticed more of a fear reaction. Traditionals don't seem to elicit the same response. There will always be the one person who thinks a pen knife or micra is a weapon but few people look twice at a small stockman (even at a SocCal university). When I took a khukuri campng was another story.

Frank
 
Nope because I never pull it out unless I need it at WORK...

I don't use my folders on food..... EVER....... I don't look for reasons to use my knives.... They get plenty of use....

I carry concealed and they stay that way in public.
 
yeh like stabman said it comes down to presentation. Assisted opening, or "tactical" looking stuff LOOKS like a weapon. small neckers or traditionals tend to get less of a response because they dont look as harmful. Its all about knowing your audience and carrying accordingly. On a date I would carry a small dressy knife, but out with my buds something a bit more useful. picking an EDC is like picking out what your gonna wear, if you gotta look nice better carry and acceptable knife

Dumb side story i was at the PO today and thought i may have wrapped my car keys in with the blade i was shipping (i packed it there) so I asked the clerk for my package back and a second and thrid thoughts about using the blade on my leatherman wave to open it since who knows what kind of commontion that could raise iside a PO.
 
Ankerson said:
Nope because I never pull it out unless I need it at WORK...

I don't use my folders on food..... EVER....... I don't look for reasons to use my knives.... They get plenty of use....

I carry concealed and they stay that way in public.
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It must be tough prepping food at the Ankerson house :)

Not all folks view knives as weapons therefor we don't mind using them in public as....tools.
 
syntaxerrorsix said:
It must be tough prepping food at the Ankerson house :)

Not all folks view knives as weapons therefor we don't mind using them in public as....tools.
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Not at all I have Custom Fixed Blades and other kitchen knives that I use......

No need to mess around with some folder I can tell you that......
 
stabman said:
My thought a lot of the times these threads come up (which is often), is that some people get a thrill out freaking others out.
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I don't feel thrilled. I feel a little frustrated that we've become such a paranoid society that I have to explain to people that I carry a knife because it's a useful tool and not because I want to stab someone with it. It also makes me fear that these people will someday get behind efforts to pass more laws to restrict me from obtaining knives and other object percieved as too dangerous for average people to be trusted with.
 
nope i guess i'm just lucky, the most i get are weird looks. Plus my girlfriend knew about my addiction before we started dating so i'm good on that end too.
 
Ankerson said:
Not at all I have Custom Fixed Blades and other kitchen knives that I use......

No need to mess around with some folder I can tell you that......
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Just giving you a hard time. Nearly a decade of working in the field must have cured me of the folder for food issue.
 
ben317 said:
I don't feel thrilled. I feel a little frustrated that we've become such a paranoid society that I have to explain to people that I carry a knife because it's a useful tool and not because I want to stab someone with it. It also makes me fear that these people will someday get behind efforts to pass more laws to restrict me from obtaining knives and other object percieved as too dangerous for average people to be trusted with.
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That's something you will just have to get used too, that's just the way it is and it won't change for the better.

It will vary depending on the people that are around and that will vary depending on location.

The bottom line is that there are a lot of people out there in the world that see your new toy as a weapon, get used to it....
 
Ankerson said:
Not at all I have Custom Fixed Blades and other kitchen knives that I use......

No need to mess around with some folder I can tell you that......
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ive used my folders more times to open blister packs, break down boxes and cut price tags off of things for the misses than "tactical/self defense" situations. last time a coworker dropped off a bag full of persimmons from their yard at work and nobody had a paring knife on them and the plastic flimsy knives in the canteen blow on peeling/cutting fruit.... i peeled persimmons for everyone that day :). for most common folk, the knives we carry everyday are tools and not weapons.
 
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