Interesting verbal exchange with a police officer regarding a knife

I think you nailed it there, the size is all relative (talking about knives...)

Out of all the years I carry, I've never had someone harass me about this, even when I have something large and visible (for fishing, but the cop or EP officer wouldn't know that unless they ask).

But then again, I consciously remove my knife most times and leave it in the car if I'm going in a rest area or something to buy grub. It's mostly sheeples you gotta watch out for causing a ruckus.

Great story! Lol
 
These days with many local agencies dealing with serious staff shortages, changes in the way the public looks at folks in the LEO community, and a host of other issues the days of "proactive" policing are over in many places and as a result unless you are breaking another law at the time most officers don't care what's in your pocket. Like said above you are more likely to get grief from the sheeple.
 
When I was in high school a friend was walking over to my house to go camping. He never made it. A cop in our over-policed town saw the kabar on his belt and arrested him. He spent most of the weekend in jail. When he went before the judge, the judge told the cop that it was legal to carry that knife. He was not charged.


No consequences at all for the cop for locking someone up for no reason, of course.
 
Stahlmann said:
It's all about politics. Why can't we carry automatics here in California? Because they were horribly vilified in Hollywood movies of years past...
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Tell me about politics... Here in Brazil the Supreme Court halted (during the pandemic) all police operations in the "favelas" or "communities" (areas dominated by drug dealers and other gangs). While I'm worried about the size of my blades and counting fractions of inches, the organized crime gangs rule their territories (the forbidden zones?) with assault rifles.
 
Stahlmann said:
I was in the midst of a walk in the small city in which I live when I realized I needed to drop into a nearby supermarket. I was carrying a popular sports drink bottle which I had refilled with water. Not wanting to confuse any of the cashiers I figured I had better remove the label from the bottle before entering the store.

While waiting for a traffic light I tried to remove the label. The darned things are tenacious! So I broke out my blade carry for the occasion -- a large CS Luzon. The big guy flicked open with authority and made quick work of the label.

Just as I was folding it back up against my leg, a cop in a cruiser maybe 10' away (so much for situational awareness, huh?) said "hey, that's a big knife!" I replied with "well, that's relative" to wit he asked "what kinda knife is it?" "It's the large Cold Steel Luzon." "Looks like a great knife?" "Yeah, great value too" as I shoved it back into my pocket.

The light changed, he smiled and nodded, I returned, and we went our respective ways. Not a bad experience, although I should have been more situationally aware.

I would be interested to hear how something similar would go in different locations? I'm in California.

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It probably depends more on the officer than the geography.

Some few are jackasses who will nail you.

Most are pretty rational and can judge dangerous people in seconds.
 
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For me, its less about the police noticing, and more about the sheeple who will freak out and call the police. Its kind of a know your audience. However, when I have to actually go into Chicago, I say F&&& their 2.5" blade limit, and carry my Kershaw Launch 8 backing up either my Sig P365SAS or Steyr M9.

I figure if I stab someone, I'm already in deep S***, the blade length rule is not going to help. "Oh but it was only a 2.3" blade!" "Yeah, well you still stabbed someone." Same goes IMO about the 10 round mag limit in Cook county. Glad I'm 45 miles away from downtown.
 
K.O.D. said:
For me, its less about the police noticing, and more about the sheeple who will freak out and call the police. Its kind of a know your audience. However, when I have to actually go into Chicago, I say F&&& their 2.5" blade limit, and carry my Kershaw Launch 8 backing up either my Sig P365SAS or Steyr M9.

I figure if I stab someone, I'm already in deep S***, the blade length rule is not going to help. "Oh but it was only a 2.3" blade!" "Yeah, well you still stabbed someone." Same goes IMO about the 10 round mag limit in Cook county. Glad I'm 45 miles away from downtown.
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At my advanced age, there 's a paradigm shift with the so-called "self defense blade."

As in-- WHEN <not IF :p> I get disarmed...what length of blade am I comfortable being turned against me?

For that reason, the Spyerco Bug has become my go to "self-defense blade" >>> truly defining SELF DEFENSE. ;)

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I am shocked that you can still carry a knife over a 2.5” length in California! I was under the impression that they made most knives illegal! I am glad to be mistaken.
 
Easyrider said:
I am shocked that you can still carry a knife over a 2.5” length in California! I was under the impression that they made most knives illegal! I am glad to be mistaken.
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CA State Law does not limit the blade length of knives. Just beware that some municipalities have tighter laws. That said, I've never heard of a non-criminal type getting into any trouble because they were carrying a knife with too long of a blade here in CA.
 
DMG said:
When I was in high school a friend was walking over to my house to go camping. He never made it. A cop in our over-policed town saw the kabar on his belt and arrested him. He spent most of the weekend in jail. When he went before the judge, the judge told the cop that it was legal to carry that knife. He was not charged.


No consequences at all for the cop for locking someone up for no reason, of course.
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Coulda gone worse.

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I have talked with lots of people (city cop) about knives and guns, but most cities have laws on the books regarding blade length. While most guys who have been on the force for awhile don't really care, if you are in a high crime area, or dealing with a newer cop, things can go downhill quick.

I recently dealt with two Officers away from my jurisdiction and one was a complete jerk, while the other was a good guy. I finally had to request for a Sgt to come to the scene as the jerk cop kept trying to inflate the situation instead of calm things down, especially as it was a nothing issue.

Its easy for people to call the police, but they never know what they are going to get when the police show up.
 
DMG said:
When I was in high school a friend was walking over to my house to go camping. He never made it. A cop in our over-policed town saw the kabar on his belt and arrested him. He spent most of the weekend in jail. When he went before the judge, the judge told the cop that it was legal to carry that knife. He was not charged.


No consequences at all for the cop for locking someone up for no reason, of course.
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When telling a story like the above, you might want to remember that juvies don't go to jail. Regarding no consequences for the arresting officer, I have a feeling you really don't know much about the incident.
 
Stickgunner said:
When telling a story like the above, you might want to remember that juvies don't go to jail. Regarding no consequences for the arresting officer, I have a feeling you really don't know much about the incident.
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I turned 18 during my senior year in HS
 
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Stickgunner said:
When telling a story like the above, you might want to remember that juvies don't go to jail. Regarding no consequences for the arresting officer, I have a feeling you really don't know much about the incident.
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At what point did I say my friend was a juvenile? I am very aware of the details of the incident. We were pretty good kids. One of us going to jail was a big deal.
 
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