How much don't we need?

[Tostig]

Tostig, I appreciate what you're getting at, but, respectfully, I think you've contradicted yourself:



And:



As others have pointed out, perception is reality, so while a large knife seems like a reasonable tool to many of us, it looks like a deadly weapon to the average person. If you "pull" your "weapon" in public, you appear to be a potentially violent assailant, regardless of your real intent (remember; perception trumps reality). So, in effect, you are advocating "bringing a Bowie to a cocktail party" because that's exactly how a large knife will be perceived.

We knife lovers are a small minority trying to coexist with a clueless but powerful majority who're indifferent to our hobby at best, but are much more likely to be downright terrified of "huge edged weapons being wielded" in public. That's a fact that I think we can both agree on. If so, then maturity, responsibility, manners and common sense suggest that a bit of discretion in the size of our carry blades is indicated.

When I read A.P.F.'s "screw the pussies; I'll carry what I want" comments, and given the tenuous state of knife rights in many countries around the world, I think what he's really saying, perhaps unintentionally, is "as long as I get my way, screw the rest of you" and I have a problem with that. We need to act as a responsible community or our rights are eventually going to be severely curtailed, thanks to the actions of a few selfish individuals.

Fair enough , although I would never carry something as big as a Bowie to a party like that , or any other social situations where it was not warranted , instead I would probably carry something like a Blur , maybe a CQC7 , who knows - To be honest I do not think many folks on here would carry something that conspicuous unless they were in a situation where it would be useful i.e. camping , etc.

APF feels he may have been overboard in his statement , to a large degree I agree with his sentiments %100 , and while I understand where you and others are coming from as far as attempting to get along with societies fears and whatnot , there is a larger part of me that could care less what society thinks ! I'm a firearms owner as well , a %110 responsible firearms owner - I would never dream of brandishing a firearm just to try and be a 'tough guy' or whatever , but I am also sick and tired of weak hearted bufoons dictating what I can own and what I cannot. As far as I am concerned it is nobody's business what I own , what I do , so on and so forth. I pay my taxes , I vote , I hold the door open for everyone regardless of race , age or creed. I am a good hearted and well mannered individual that is just about finished giving up my rights so these PC pencil-necks can "feel safe".
I've had it. I'm done dealing with , bargaining with , compromising with these people. One gives up his Machete so he can keep his Filet knife , then one gives up his Filet knife so he can keep his box cutter ( for want of better terms ) , next thing you know one cannot own anything because it has all been compromised away, chipped away until the most basic natural right to own an inanimte object , totally incapable of any wrongdoing of it's own volition , is gone.
You live in the same State as I , you must know what I mean by this.

Freedom first , no compromise , period.

I promise to mankind that I will continue to be a good hearted individual , I will continue to respect my elders and open doors with a smile for all , but I am finished asking permission to enjoy what I enjoy. Perhaps I would be better off in a really small , remote town where people are not a bunch of scared ninnies , until then my cityfolk are just going to have to 'deal with it'.



Tostig

 

[Rick]

Fair enough , although I would never carry something as big as a Bowie to a party like that , or any other social situations where it was not warranted , instead I would probably carry something like a Blur , maybe a CQC7 , who knows - To be honest I do not think many folks on here would carry something that conspicuous unless they were in a situation where it would be useful i.e. camping , etc.

I think you misunderstood my point, here. I meant that, to a typically squeamish non-knife person, the perception of you using your Blur or CQC7 in a social situation would be so intimidating that you might as well be brandishing a Bowie (i.e., a large, dangerous fighting knife) at a cocktail party. It's a completely irrational perception, but that's the way the herd mentality operates these days. The irony is that someone could be slicing a roast with 14" carving knife right next to the person in question, and they wouldn't bat an eyelash.

Freedom first , no compromise , period.

Are you so free that you can walk into a police station while firing a large automatic knife? No? So... maybe you're willing to compromise after all!

No offence, but I've noticed that people who recite completely inflexible slogans like that are usually far more interested in their own personal freedom, and tend to show little regard for how their actions impact the freedom of others.

 

[flarp]

Public perception, unfortunately, can't be entirely ignored for reasons mentioned above. Once the wrong person gets spooked and overreacts, ill-thought policies (or laws) could result. Responsible use of an "appropriate" knife for the task and setting is really the best way to avoid this.

For years, I've carried a larger (3" - 3.25") knife to work, and usually, nobody has given it a second thought. Knives of that size (and larger) aren't uncommon for some of the work I do. Is it "too much" knife at times? Sure, but I'm never caught in a situation where I don't have enough knife for the task at hand. When I'm just out and about around town, I carry a much smaller knife (under 2.5"), as my needs there seldom call for anything more. The catch for me, though, is that my settings at work can vary. When working in the field or warehouse, the larger knife is simply accepted. Going from there into an office setting, though, all of a sudden, the same knife draws uneasy glares (even when performing similar tasks).

I've resisted carrying multiple knives because to limit the number things I carry, and the "big" blade has handled all my cutting needs. But, as I find myself spending more time in office settings more recently, I'm thinking I will need a more people-friendly knife. I wish I could simply ignore what others thought, but all it takes is one office admin assistant to get spooked, complain to their boss or HR, and bam, new over-reactionary and under-thought policies are made.

 

[Tostig]

Are you so free that you can walk into a police station while firing a large automatic knife? No? So... maybe you're willing to compromise after all!

No offence, but I've noticed that people who recite completely inflexible slogans like that are usually far more interested in their own personal freedom, and tend to show little regard for how their actions impact the freedom of others.

I think that you have misunderstood what I'm trying to convey.

Are you so free that you can walk into a police station while firing a large automatic knife?

What does that have to do with responsible behaviour ? Nothing , of course unless one is a lunatic.
Did I not say the following ?

I would never dream of brandishing a firearm just to try and be a 'tough guy' or whatever

- the same can be said just insert 'knife' , or whatever other weapon-like object you can think of.
I personally have no desire much less need, to carry such a large, thus intimidating knife into a social situation where there are others present that would get upset. I keep my objects of... shall we say intimidation out of sight and thus out of mind. There will always be a loose nut that will do the opposite no matter what the object may be and regardless of legality. This is why the legal aspect is so lame ! It is irrelevant to those who would do ill to others , as it always has been.

anyway , im off to bed.

Tostig

 

[shunsui]

Let's consider these "sheeple" who are supposedly scared of a four inch knife. I bet if you look at their keychain they've got a little dispenser of Mace on there. Look in their purse (or man purse) and there's probably a taser, a pair of scissors that resemble a push dagger, and possibly... a five inch steak knife in a brown paper bag. I wouldn't waste my time worrying about the poor little sheeple.

And let's face it, no one who's REALLY scared of a knife is going to start making comments about your knife. The people making comments are just yanking your chain for the fun of it.

 

[zrfunited]

In all fairness, usually folks that post the “oh my god this sheeple flipped out over my knife” threads are new to the forums or they don’t really post much. I sometimes get the feeling that the post was out of boredom more than anything else. I haven’t read one in quite a while, but it always seemed that quite a few people would chime in saying something to the effect of, “use better discretion” or “of course they flipped out. It was a dumb move”. The point being that I feel that the majority of us are situationally aware. The average member here has a true and deep interest in knives. Those with that kind of interest are typically going to be respectful and cautious about their use.

The flip side of this is what concerns me. I suspect that the person who is flashing their large knife around and drawing attention to themselves has the same philosophy about their knife as the people they are “freaking out”; both believe it is a weapon. The unfortunate reality of this is that it is not the knife aficionado who is the ambassador to the general public but rather the “punk”. As my Dad would say, “ All those atta boy’s got erased by this one aw sh*t”. Non knife people/non users will remember the negative experience much longer than the positive.

So what are we to do? I for one want to ensure that my son can carry on the tradition that my Grandfather, father and myself have enjoyed. I really don’t have a clue as to what the grand solution is. I know that being a responsible user and citizen, and supporting organizations such as “knife rights” is one side of the solution.

Brandon

 

[Cold Kill]

The solution for knives would be to make the NKA (National Knife Associatiation) or make it a more unique named PBR (People for Blade Rights). A knife is both a weapon and a tool, yet it is more illegal than a gun is. There is no justice in that. You can open a package with a knife, but explain how a gun can do that. A tool should never be more illegal than what can only be called a weapon.

 

[Ken44]

Heck, I always have a small slip joint on me, along with a large clip on folder, and sometimes a neck knife, or on one the belt.

If you only carry a small knife around my parts most all would think you were a metro wuss, lol.
Every time I go to the school I see most all men have a large folder clipped in pocket. Normal thing around here.

I hope all will continue to carry what knife they want, no matter the size.
If not, all the sheeple will be even more scared when they see a large knife, and that would be a bad thing for us all !
Carry your large knives, or what ever you want if its legal. If not, soon we will all be expected to stick with tiny knives.