Knives vs guns when entering police dept

Joopie said:
A couple years I went to the police department building renew my concealed carry permit. I went without a firearm but did have a folding manual knife. Upon entering the building, I dumped the contents of my pockets into the tray and slid it over to the other side of the metal detector. Behind the security area was a row of lots of little lockboxes for stowing handguns and it was marked as such. Guard picked up the knife, opened it, and told me I can't bring it in.

Me: "Err, could you stow it in one of those lock boxes?"

Guard: "No, that's only for guns."

Me: "So, you're saying I can walk in here with a gun, slide it over to you, and you stow it in one of those boxes?"

Guard: "Yes."

Me: "But not a knife?"

Guard: "Right."

Me: "Okay, so... pretend my knife is a gun." (I was trying to fish for a distaste of stupid rules)

Guard: "Can't do that."

Me: "I'm here to renew a carry permit. Are you sure you can't work with me here?"

Guard: "No."

So I sighed and walked back a couple blocks to my car, hid the knife away, and returned. I just thought that was very strange that I could go into a "secure" location with a gun and have it stowed upon entry, but couldn't do the same with a knife.
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Where are you anyway? I thought that in every state in the USA, the county sheriff is the one that files the application for carry permits and their office is usually in the jail, so it's understandable to me why no guns or knives are allowed by the public. I don't recall a city police building I've been in that had security at the door.

I do recall entering a federal court building one time with a knife in my pocket and they refused to check it in. However, at an NBA game, they checked that sucker right in with about a thousand others and it was right there when I returned. Hat's off to those guys! That's the difference between government and private business there...
 
jbmonkey said:
depending on local laws we could start an uber type business using the local homeless as gig workers...to hold on to stuff outside of police and courthouses etc. you know for those who refuse to leave home without it. collect a fee and of course we get the fee for the app and per gig worker storage . thinkin about it, surprised no one has done this yet.😁
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A vending machine of lockers.
 
Lee D said:
That’s what I was taught when I took my cc course a couple decades ago…no court houses, police stations, banks, bars, and the post office. 🤷🏻‍♂️
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decades ago? wow... your SAKs are in great shape.
 
Never had a problem bringing any of these things into a police station or sheriff's office. They ask and I tell them what I have. Back when it was required to have one, it was the police station to see the Chief and/or get fingerprints taken for a concealed carry license. Then I moved and without a local police department, the sheriff fulfilled that role. Now that there's no license required, I don't know if that's changed. Courthouse in the next state, I just checked them at the entrance; the attendants seemed nonplussed by what I had. Seemed kind of ridiculous I had to do that.
 
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EngrSorenson said:
The guard wasn't outraged or judging him- he explained the situation and OP did the right thing.
It might have been more helpful if he explained why they don't take custody of knives, but that's not really his job.


This is bad and overly confrontational advice. Principles are great but always require judicious execution; which is sincerely lacking in this post.
Expressing disapproval for the rules to the person who merely enforces them will not get the results that J85909266 is advocating for.
Make enough of a ruckus and one might find themselves cooling off in the clinker.

My advice is always to comply and then take it up with the authorities later if your rights have truly been violated.
Discretion is truly the better part of valor.
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EngrSorenson said:
The guard wasn't outraged or judging him- he explained the situation and OP did the right thing.
It might have been more helpful if he explained why they don't take custody of knives, but that's not really his job.


This is bad and overly confrontational advice. Principles are great but always require judicious execution; which is sincerely lacking in this post.
Expressing disapproval for the rules to the person who merely enforces them will not get the results that J85909266 is advocating for.
Make enough of a ruckus and one might find themselves cooling off in the clinker.

My advice is always to comply and then take it up with the authorities later if your rights have truly been violated.
Discretion is truly the better part of valor.
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Yes, he was, and yes, it is. The job is to lock up anything legal to carry that could be dangerous and then give it back when you leave, as well as look for and react to other potentially dangerous behavior. Literally that is the job. Getting upset about a person's legal to carry knife and refusing to safely handle it so that they can go about their business is a personal prerogative that is based on outrage and or judgement, alone. Nothing else.

I think your advice is bad. I think it panders to the squeaky wheel, and does nothing but accomplish less freedom and violation of our personal rights to those that would seek to take them by throwing unnecessary fits. It is absolutely not confrontational to expect security to hold my pocket knife, so long as it is legal in my city to carry. I have had countless security guards do just that without a single word of protest. I have also had the exact opposite happen where a huge fuss was created not because I did anything illegal, but because that guard decided to make nothing into a problem. I made it as much of a nuisance back to them as they did to me, and I would do it again.

You have no idea what I am talking about or what results I am even looking for. And if you get thrown in jail for wanting to be treated fairly within your legal rights over standing up for them, then the shame is not on you, but the people and law enforcement involved that made it happen.

"Always comply." ...with a security guard, one police officer? Even if it's wrong? Who else; anybody telling you what to do where there may be consequences if you don't? There is no valor in that. It's literally the opposite.

EDIT to Clarify: When I say do not comply, I do not mean to directly disobey and try to take the knife in anyway. I mean speak your mind, make your case as intellignetly and calmly as possible, and make sure everyone involved is just as frustrated as you are. In the end, if they say no, you should accept it and take the issue further up later on. But do not make it easy or pleasant for the people telling you can't do something that you should be able to. I am referring to any building where sharp objects or anything that can be considered a weapon are typically put in a box or envelope until you leave.
 
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Joopie said:
A couple years I went to the police department building renew my concealed carry permit. I went without a firearm but did have a folding manual knife. Upon entering the building, I dumped the contents of my pockets into the tray and slid it over to the other side of the metal detector. Behind the security area was a row of lots of little lockboxes for stowing handguns and it was marked as such. Guard picked up the knife, opened it, and told me I can't bring it in.

Me: "Err, could you stow it in one of those lock boxes?"

Guard: "No, that's only for guns."

Me: "So, you're saying I can walk in here with a gun, slide it over to you, and you stow it in one of those boxes?"

Guard: "Yes."

Me: "But not a knife?"

Guard: "Right."

Me: "Okay, so... pretend my knife is a gun." (I was trying to fish for a distaste of stupid rules)

Guard: "Can't do that."

Me: "I'm here to renew a carry permit. Are you sure you can't work with me here?"

Guard: "No."

So I sighed and walked back a couple blocks to my car, hid the knife away, and returned. I just thought that was very strange that I could go into a "secure" location with a gun and have it stowed upon entry, but couldn't do the same with a knife.
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Unfortunately with the government the dumbest possible option is the most likely.
 
jeepin said:
Maybe if you had one of these you wouldn’t have a problem. LoLView attachment 1680018
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Yeah, I'm sorry sir, in order to lock up your gun,
You will have to take the knife off
& put it in your vehicle...😐
B.T.B.
Sonnydaze said:
Simple, the guy was a complete ass.
A few yrs ago, I donated $1000 worth of Spydercos to our local County Sheriff dept. They were like kids in a candy store. Most cops carry cheap knives, as they are used to dig into bags of drugs, dumps of gump, prying open a door..etc. and they won't bring it home but leave it in their locker.
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I think I'm speaking for All of the Spydie fans here
wondering how this travestry occurred - (?)
Or am I reading it wrong...
B.T.B.
DocJD said:
This is SO precious . :p
So the assumption here seems to be that you are gonna take down a cop shop / court house with a ring . o_O
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...Depends on whose finger the ring's on, Lol
B.T.B.
 
Guards are “do what you’re told, by the book, nothing else” types, and they aren’t going to risk their job or contract over anything as stupid as this situation seems. Their jobs are on the line and they’ll make the choice that keeps them in their employers good graces.
 
:cool: "Nobody gets their mitts on my SAKs…some of them cost me a pretty penny lol"
 

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The failure in thinking here is a firearm is a federally recognized weapon and a knife is personal property that can be classified as a weapon when used illegally. They don't want to hold your knife just like they don't want to hold your hammer for you. The security guy doesn't care a bit about your knife he just knows they are held responsible for personal property they handle and he is told not to deal with it.
 
DocJD said:
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That was ridiculous. Good ol' hollywood. One man taking out far too many (he would have been squashed like a bug in a matter of seconds no matter who he is), and then cops shooting their way into an occupied room in their own precinct, with no idea of their backstop, instead of using a battering ram which surely would have been both faster and safer.
 
Here's a link to a short Active Self Protection Extra video from last year in which John runs into what I would guess to be pretty typical resistance for the average guy who desires to assert their rights.
Very interesting...
 
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