knee-jerk quote: "Who are these people?!?"

It's all perception -- another way of saying "ignorance".

I legitimately walk with a cane, so the perception will often be, I am crippled and helpless. Were I to be seen with one of my tactical knives the perception would be, I should be barred from boarding the plane now.

Me and my cane could take out most anyone with a knife. But hoplophobes don't react to reality. They follow political theater.
 
And a few people, even though they are knifenuts, will try to placate the hoplophobes instead of just telling them that they are wrong.
 
My knife is a tool. As a tool it has many uses and one is if the job should arise would be its use as a weapon. This country is in turmoil at the moment and there are those among us who would use this confusion to enact more suffocating legislation to ensure that we are no longer allowed to carry our knives. Make no mistake that those who would take knives from us do not and I repeat do not see knives as tools at all but as one more dangerous item to be banned from law abiding citizens. It is time those members here who have a hard time understanding this wake up and get active. Already posts have started about bladeless multi-tools and tactical scissors as if some here have already resigned themselves to buckling under the leftists presures of total citizen disarmament. It is time we said enough is enough, a well armed America is a strong America.
Humbly Yours
Mr Sick
 
Well said, Mr. Sick..and welcome to the forums.

My knives are tools, first, foremost, and virtually exclusively.
And even tho I carry one almost constantly, I am more aware of *which* knife to carry, depending on what I'm doing. If I'm going to work, its one knife..if I'm going to be hanging around downtown Denver (by myself) after dark for some reason..I choose something a little more "tactical". I would and <i>have </i>used it as a self defense "tool".
 
Why thank you Danelle. It is good to know that there are women posting here who know the value of a good knife in times of need. Self protection is not by any means exclusivly a male domain.
Mr Sick
 
This thread's been up and running for a while but I'd like to comment on JamesY's original post. I related this mews report in a thread in Community at the time and I believe my version was a little more accurate so I'll paste it here:

"Last night (thurs 13/9) I was watching the MSNBC anchor intervieing an American terrorism/security expert about how to make flights more secure. He then turned to a female correspondent to ask what measures the FAA had taken. She related the publicised measures which, included, or course, the banning of knives on all flights.

He then asked how it what possible that knives were EVER allowed on flights, and she responded that the rules had been in place so as not to inconvenience those who carried their SAKs and the like on board.

The anchor responded by asking "WHAT KIND OF PERSON TAKES A SWISS ARMY KNIFE ONTO A PLANE?"

Before she could reply, the security expert (off camera) shouted "I DO!"

I let out a silent cheer.

"Budweiser salutes you, Mr Swiss-Army-knife carrying terrorism expert..."

Thought you might like to know..."



What I didn't quote was that after this, the female correspondent talked about how Americans value their rights, but that once they board a plane they suspend those rights.

This is an important point.

On a plane, as on a ship, the Captain is the law. A plane is or should be a secure area and your 2nd amendment rights are put on hold in the name of passenger/crew safety.

Consider this; if you walk into the home of another American, you do so at their invitation. If that invitation is withdrawn because you do not want to comly with their conditions (eg. they don't want you in there with an SAK (2nd amendment), you insult their wife (1st amendment)) then you have to leave. The same goes for planes. AIR TRAVEL IS A PRIVELIGE, NOT A RIGHT, AND YOU ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH WHATEVER CONDITIONS THAT THE AIRLINES OR AUTHORITIES REQUIRE. Or you can choose not to fly.

I should qualify all this by stating that I do not believe that the new restrictions on sharp objects on planes are anything other than futile and misguided. But it is not a violation or erosion of your constitutional rights.

The thing you should really worry about is the powers that be passing these restrictions off as adequate counter-terrorist measures. They are anything but.

A final point I would like to make is in reference to Sal's comment about why people are scared [of knives]. It is an embarrassing story of my own experince and ignorance and it serves well to show the sheeple viewpoint:

I was brought up with the attitude that knives were intrinsically dangerous, simply because of the fact that they are knives (more recently my father has made comments to the effect of "why do you have to use such a sharp knife/what could you possibly need to carry a knife for". When I was 10 years old I was regularly bullied and "taxed" by some local kids, most of whom were older than me.

On the day in question I had recently returned from cub scout camp where I had bought a fruit knife in a souvenir shop. This knife had a 1.5" blade, paper thin (bendy), blunt tip (like a table knife) and bluntly serrated, with a handle no bigger than 2" of pencil. I decided that the bullying would end, and that I would use the "dangerous weapon" to scare off the perps. As you can imagine, when I pulled the knife they just laughed. I couldn't understand why they weren't afraid and it took me a while to figure it out. The point is that I had such an indoctrination on knives that I was certain that they'd poo their pants and leg it when they saw the knife. This is what knives mean to some people, and it is up to us to re-educate them in a sensitive and constructive manner.
 
"Perception" is a wholly subjective and personal belief. My perception is in no way going to effect anothers. So, no matter how I "perceive" the knife I carry, others are going to come to their own conclusions! :p

Personally, I think that all weapons are "tools", but not all tools are weapons. Then again, some people may argue that anything can be used as a weapon! ;)
 
Good points Razor and Jerry. I agree that (some) of the purposes for owning firearms are noble and I refuse to concede any moral high ground for choosing to own one. Or two. Maybe more, maybe less. :D

No Phil, guns and knives perhaps shouldn't be lumped together, but the methods that certain insidious factions are using to make knives illegal have already been used successfully against firearms. I tend to think of them together in that respect. Forget the AK-47, nothing says I love you like a 45-70! ;)

I have to disagree that people that carry knives as weapons are part of the problem. Self defense should always be an option, and assuming they are in compliance with the law, if people are offended by that, tough. I'm offended by cigarette smoke and rude drivers. My problem, not theirs.

By the way, Razor, nice avatar. What was your last one? I don't know if it was my monitor, but I could never see it clearly and was always wondering....
 
What is the "experts'" consensus on other tools or sporting goods on airplanes:
-scissors (with TWO 15cm blades :eek: )
-10-15cm screwdrivers
-similar size nail files (other classic tool of my wife besides the small scissors)
-2- or 3-D Maglites
-a Sports Authority certified baseball bat with price sticker on it???

Unknowing soul seeks help.

HM
 
Unfortunately, Knife enthusiasts in America now more than ever, will begin to be looked at with suspicion just because they carry knives. This is totally unfair, but it is becoming a sad reality. All I can say is unite to protect your knife rights!
 
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Little Claw:
Thanks for the post.
I must have missed the terrorism expert's reply that he carries a SAK and the reporter's response because at the time I vocally and loudly cussed at the television reporter. I do remember the bright-eyed glee with which he questioned why anybody needed to carry a knife.

I will say that the terrorism expert that was being interviewed that evening really, IMO, made a lot of sense in what he said, and I valued what he had to say.
Jim
 
I nearly missed it, too!

Whenever somebody says something like that on TV my blood pressure shoots up and cuts off my hearing, and I have to release the pressure by shouting and cursing!

We are sooo used to this sh!t in the UK that its starting to wash over me and I'm losing all respect for the media and the law.

THe fact some of the British media are giving some of these extremists a voice makes me sick, sick, sick.

A prominent militant muslim from N.London called Abul Hamza was on London Tonight, our regional news programme and blantantly claimed that the WTC towers could not have collapsed if they'd already survived the impacts, therefore they must have been demolished by the US Govt in order to justify a war on Islam! :barf: :barf: :barf: :barf: :mad: He qualified this by saying that he was a British trained civil engineer.

Oh, he also claimed that the people on the planes were gassed and the planes flown into the thagets by remote control...can you imagine seeing THAT on CNN?!

These people are being made to look like clowns for some misguided attempt at objectivity. I think it was Ayn Rand who said "Objectivity is not found halfway between the truth and a lie"

I think, based on the British experience, that its really important for you guys to defend your rights, but you should also keep your eye on the ball. You need to separate the issue of knives in general and knives on planes or your opponents will use public opinion to undermine ALL your rights. Don't, however, allow the knife community to be split according to their interests (bali, auto, dagger, etc.), divided you fall.

This is the lesson from the UK gun, knife and martial arts weapons legislation.
 
What kind of person carries a knife?

A couple years ago I was in a park where people were fishing in a small pond. My wife and kids and I saw a small girl...about 5 or so, crying hysterically. We ran over and found that she had a fishook imbedded in her cheek, which was attached to a steel leader, and then to the pole which was at tension and pulling on her face.

I had my "evil" CQC7 that day and immediately cut the line......then, my Gerber Multitool that my wife retrieved from the car, cut the leader.

You gotta appreciate that when I got to her....about 5 other people were nearly in a panic.....and of course, no knife to be had.

When I was feeling around the inside of her cheek the hook popped out...barb and all!

When we "think of the children"....I would imagine that there was at least one family glad there was someone carrying a knife!
 
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