How do you answer when someone ask you why you EDC?

bld522 said:
The best reason for carrying a knife was posted here some time ago, but I can't remember who said it: "People carry knives because God didn't give them claws."

I also work in an office in Southern California. I use my knives for everything you could possibly imagine needing a knife for in an office environment . . . opening mail, cutting up boxes, removing shrink wrap, etc. As a result, I carry lightweight gentlemen's folders rather than pocket bricks. And I do NOT advertise that I have them on me. So I don't clip them to my pocket and I don't play with them in public. That's just asking for trouble as far as I'm concerned.

As the saying goes, discretion is the better part of valor.
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It was a quote by James Mattis. I have it in my wallet. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/128979-Good-reason-to-carry-a-knife
 
If you're super worried about how people use the English Language, you must go nuts on a daily basis. I'm all about proper grammar, I use it. But the majority of people in the world don't. No reason to freak out about it, just get used to it.

Anyways, when people ask why I carry I knife I tell them for regular every day uses, such as mail, boxes, threads, tags, tape, etc. I prefer to have a good knife to use rather than having to rip at something or try to use my door or car key as a blade.

As far as my pen and flashlight, people don't ask about them so much anymore. They used to ask about my flashlight the most but stopped asking after I would answer with "The same reason you have one in your house or car, in case the lights go out or you need to look for something in the dark."
 
Never been asked that, it would be like asking why you have shoes or drive a car. Totally bizarre question. I've never even been asked that about a firearm.
 
If it is asked here it s usually followed by "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do not mention when questioned may harm a defence that you may later rely on in court." Short answer, I don't EDC a knife any more.
 
I had to go to jury duty a while ago and plopped my stuff into the weapons check bucket. aside from the black nitrile gloves, 50ft of black paracord, black diamond ice climbers gloves, lighter, watch and wallet (a scary mix as is) I had:
-Busse Combat BOSS Jack
-Kershaw Chill (now a BM 710)
-Leatherman xti
-CRKT Stockman

when asked why I carried so many knives I could have said "one is for cardboard, the other for batoning/prybar/survival-escape-evade/weapon, the other is for food/surgeries, and the last one is for abuse and the pliers."

Instead I said "I carve wood a lot. One is for big peices, one for medium, and one for detail work." It was simple, to the point, and made sense.
You could say "I carve wood when I'm board, and cut cardboard. I'd carry a cardboard cutter, but it isn't comfortable for wood carving, so. Knife."
 
IHi folks new here. Accidentally found the forum. I've carried a knife most of my life (since I was a kid) as did my dad and granddad. Happily people around here still don't look "too" askance at carrying a knife (I do leather work so I carry mine, even folders on my belt). If someone does ask I simply tell them that it's handy and I tend to have all kinds of uses for it. It's a tool. (When I was a 13 we moved from the farm in TN so dad could take a job in Dayton OH. Dad used his knife regularly and his friends in the plant where he worked called it his "Tennessee Tool Kit").

I'd just say it's a handy tool for all kinds of jobs, better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
 
Shiny Bolster said:
I've never even been asked that about a firearm.
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Because they're afraid you might show them. Strangely, though, I don't get asked about my edc knives either. Even fixed blade knives. I guess 41 yr old vanilla looking guys don't look so badass as to use a knife badly. Bummer.
 
At our courthouse, I think the law is currently that you can carry a gun (with CWP) except in the court wing of the building, and in the sheriffs office. When you go through the check point to the court wing, you empty out your pockets and place everything in a tray, I always wondered what would happen if a few flippers and my LCP were put in the tray. I've resisted the urge to find out. lol
 
*ahem* I carry a blade for a simple reason. Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. That applies in a hundred ways, two being EDC tasks (like cutting stray strings or opening packages) and the dreaded self defense. Sure, my little knife won't likely help, but I would rather have it than nothing. Maybe that little cut will get infected and I win in the end.
 
When people ask about my knife, I say: "What, this ? Don't you have one of these ? Everyone should have one of these."

That usually ends the discussion. They usually stand there and blink a lot.
 
shunsui said:
When people ask about my knife, I say: "What, this ? Don't you have one of these ? Everyone should have one of these."

That usually ends the discussion. They usually stand there and blink a lot.
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I think you need to hang around some different people. Unless you carry Mantis knives... they don't even look like knives. Note that I am talking specifically about designs, nothing else. Are they really perplexed by knives that much? Whenever I pull mine out (not like that) people usually just pay no attention, but I am usually nonchalant about it.
 
My answer to most people would be "because I might need it". A knife is foremost a tool and sometimes I need that tool. I also carry a small multitool (Leatherman Juice) and I don't need it very often, but I've been stranded out in the middle of nowhere at night and used my Leatherman PST to fix our vehicle so our headlights worked and we could drive back home.

But another reason I carry a knife, and carry the type of large folder that I carry, is "because I CAN".
 
Its nice to have when I need it. I've carried a pocket knife since I was 11, old habits are hard to break and you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Hey Wharn-- I actually get madder at my self when I leave the house without a knife than my cell phone.

Ric
 
I've never been asked that. I live in the South, what remains of the United States of Free America.
 
I'm not asked offen, but I recently learned a new response to that question. I ask them:
Why aren't you carrying one?
When they start thinking about it, I walk away.
 
Brasso3 said:
I've never been asked that. I live in the South, what remains of the United States of Free America.
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Just thought I would point out that a lot of Southern states actually have kind of draconian knife laws. Firearm laws vary, but the knife laws are pretty much universally bad.
 
I ask them "why do you have a pen?"
They will most likely say (if they have a pen) "Because I need to write things, or they're handy"
I respond with a smirk "I need to cut things, they're handy tools to have"
My response is typically the same if they have a pen or not.
 
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