Have you ever had a knife confiscated?

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Feb 5, 2016
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Four times in my life I have come close to having a knife confiscated at a security checkpoint.

Once I forgot it in my pocket on my way through airport security. I was able to rush back to the airline check in and my bags were still there so the staff slipped it in my luggage. Close call. My mistake.

Second time I was called for jury duty. The main court house has metal detectors and procedures just like the airport. I had never been there before but I should have suspected something like that. I asked the guard on duty if he could keep it aside for me as I would be out in a couple of hours. He said he would have to take it and dispose of the knife. I looked at him and figured that meant put it in his lunch box and take it home. I left and went across the road to a large hotel and they kept it in a sealed envelope under the front desk for me until I was done. Very kind of them.

The third time was a visit to a local temporary tourist attraction and I had no idea that they would make us empty our pockets and go through a metal detector. I put my knife in the plastic bin and the guy passed it back to me once I went through the metal detectors. Not sure what the point of that was. This was not a planned event. My wife and I were just passing by, saw the line and decided to go.

The fourth time I went to a UFC match with my son. At the entrance to the arena security asked us to empty our pockets and hold our hands up with our cellphones and the like visible. I held my hands up with my pocket knife in hand and they passed us through. Again no idea what help that was to anybody. I should have thought that one was a possibility but it was not advertised even at the door.

Our local NHL arena widely advertised the use of metal detectors when they were installed recently. I had never heard of any knife problems at an Ottawa Senators game. Probably a league or an insurance rule imposed on them.

Just to clarify three of those occasions were in Canada and we have extremely strict gun laws and I have never encountered anyone anywhere who was not a police officer or Brinks guard who I would even expect to have a gun on them. No lawful concealed carry here. It just doesn’t happen here. I am not saying we don’t have gang members around who are packing but I doubt they go to tourist attractions on a nice Sunday afternoon much.

Now I have some expensive and hard to replace knives. Fremont Jack, Benchmade 940 etc. Rules are getting stricter all the time. I am sure I will make a mistake sometime and loose something special.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
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Many...

But I was on felony probation and refused to comply with the terms of. I'd do something stupid and illegal and the cops would find a blade... Do a "violation" in county and pick up another blade when I got out. Absolutely refused to not carry. F**k'em.
 
I've had customs take a knife. Twice. Once I half-expected it but tried getting the knife through anyways. The other time, well... I still have no idea why it didn't get through. That's life up north I guess.
 
I have only had one case I went to DC and didn't think about it until after we got off the train, was coming from VA, so I had no place to put it most places didn't have a security check one did and was directed to a bin to "throw it away" in so I went outside found a bush and buried it near the base. I was lucky as just when we left the place was when someone had spotted it as I hadn't buried it completely. I was able to retrieve it and no more issues the rest of the day.
 
No.

Have been given a claim ticket to pick up my knife on my way out of the courthouse though.
 
I also forgot when I was arrested once they had to take all my belongings and when I got them back my knife was missing fortunately it was just a box cutter type cheap and replaceable.
 
Many...

But I was on felony probation and refused to comply with the terms of. I'd do something stupid and illegal and the cops would find a blade... Do a "violation" in county and pick up another blade when I got out. Absolutely refused to not carry. F**k'em.

Me too. Every time I have had a blade taken it has been the cops. Every time it was completely unlawful for them to do it as I was not carrying illegally. Well the cops here try to make up a law that you are breaking to steal your nice knife.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to write it up and arrest you. But I’m going to have to sieze this.” Every single time.
 
I have lost one knife to customs and had to send it back to the shipper which is a rather difficult process but doable. I recently went to the CN Tower and had a leatherman the guard looked at it and was about to ask some questions then identified me as a fire fighter and said oh sorry here you go and handed it back. One other time going into another tourist attraction I had my coldsteel ultimate hunter examined and returned.
 
On my way to the Canadian border now so I guess we'll see.
There shouldn’t be a problem if it is a slip joint. They might frown on some beefy tactical knife. Our border security agents have taken it upon themselves to police this stuff even though the knives themselves are legal in Canada and I can buy a ZT flipper in a local store. Another example of where it is getting more difficult all the time.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
oh I forgot I was visiting in Washington DC with my parents a few years back and the security agent asked that we leave our SAK soldier pocket knives with them at the door when we visited the old post office building for lunch. They were very nice and promptly returned them to us when we exited.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
I have lost one knife to customs and had to send it back to the shipper which is a rather difficult process but doable. I recently went to the CN Tower and had a leatherman the guard looked at it and was about to ask some questions then identified me as a fire fighter and said oh sorry here you go and handed it back. One other time going into another tourist attraction I had my coldsteel ultimate hunter examined and returned.

In Toronto most those major tourist attraction places it is best to leave the knife in the car. Lots of them have security and metal detectors of one form or another.

I used to have a Sinclair cardsharp in my wallet that I always forgot was there that got smuggled unwittingly into freaking everything! That was until my friend confiscated it for his own purposes. (Promptly breaking it)

What is the main use of my keychain SAK classic? To forget its on there and get some exercise running back to the car and back into line before the show starts.
 
What temporary tourist attraction?

Not that big inflatable rubber ducky was it?
They are building a light rail transit system so they had tours of the new underground stations for a few months last summer. Had a light show and some other kiosks setup.

Now I could see how a knife would make a rubber duck nervous though.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
They are building a light rail transit system so they had tours of the new underground stations for a few months last summer. Had a light show and some other kiosks setup.

Now I could see how a knife would make a rubber duck nervous though.

,,,Mike in Canada

I am noticing a pattern here. Lots of Ontario knife owners...
 
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