Legal Help...

[Tohatchi NM]

With regard to the municipal code -

The 3" limit could be written elsewhere, in a different statute or as a later addendum/modification.

Or the 3" limit could be misunderstanding/misinterpretation/misinformation on behalf of the officer. Note that part B says "dangerous weapon" which can be just about anything. (I've seen newspaper reports of people who kicked someone being arrested for "assault with a dangerous weapon" - the weapon being their shoes, which is a little absurd, although the fight was a more serious than "kicking someone" sounds.) Anyway, people often cite a 3" blade limit or palm width when no such law actually exists on the books. Far more common is a 2.5" limit, which is written into federal law and some city laws in Massachusetts. No, you can't technically carry a blade longer than 2.5" into a post office. I don't know if the person who told you 3" was told that in training, or casual work conversation, or what, but many officers of the law don't really have time to read law books and figure out conflicting case results for every single issue they confront. Unfortunately, it's no fun to get arrested and then spend a few thousand dollars to find out you were right.

One friendly suggestion - you might want to re-think your carry rationale. SD is important, but is as much a mindset as anything else. There's no miracle tool out there that will keep you safe in the unlikely event you end up in an altercation. Plus, SD is rarely acceptable as a rationale for carry. Carry your knife as a tool, so you use it and get comfortable with it every day. If you ever get stopped, you can truthfully say you use your blade for opening boxes, peeling apples, cutting drywall, whatever. Familiarity with the blade will also come in handy should a defense situation ever arise.


With regard to the "gravity knife" law, the interpretation of the statute is criminally over-broad. It's going to take a concerted effort by manufacturers, but also knife dealers and users, to get things back on an even keel. I doubt the manufacturers are going to be very effective beyond organizing, since they are national entities. Knife laws are seen by most people as "anti-crime" and it's hard for lawmakers to go against anti-crime laws. However, if every dealer, knife owner, and drywaller in their state supports re-writing the law, it might actually happen. Until then, I have a nice selection of small fixed blades.....

 

[ChrisAHF]

Them putting "dangerous weapon" in there is total BS. An old guys cane could be considered a dangerous weapon. Should there be some kind of regulation on putting such broad terms in the written law? The law is supposed to tell you exactly what you cant do, anything else is fair game. But now its " I cant tell you if that is illegal or not, but later, I may decide it is illegal, so you will probably be arrested". Anyways do you know of any good fixed blades under 4"?

 

[Bare Rib]

i am 19 years old. For training I have a couple instructional videos, and am trying to find a place in my area that does knife fighting

Ok, unless you have sufficient training (videos?) in using a knife as an SD weapon you should not carry one for that purpose; carry it as Tohatchi said a tool and nothing else. Without proper training pulling out a knife in a SD situation can be very dangerous to you. Bad guys aren't going to just go "oh sh!t he has a knife nevermind." If you do pull out a knife you best be ready to kill someone, drop them dead right then and there with NO hesitation!

I have a can of OC but I feel at best its going to make them mad or stop them for a second. If I plan on defending myself its going to be because I have no where else to go. A can of OC when your cornered isnt of much use IMO.

While there are some weak OCs out there that might not do much but just like a knife you have to educate yourself before you buy look for the one that has a high Capsaicin percentage, trust me there are some that have high enough levels it'll drop the best of them to their knees. Additionally there are other thing to consider when buying OC: you can get just straight OC or a gel OC that reduces the amount of unwanted 2nd hand contact or a foam type that thickens creating a dense foam so the attacker is now blinded by the faom if nothing else. Also there are stream and cone sprays stream is good for range but only really effective on single tragets, cone diminished range but good on groups. The point I'm making is OC can be very effective if you get the right kind and know who to use it, and if you really think its not all that effective get a good can of it and have someone spray it in you face.

Additionally, if you want to defend yourself no matter what you have; start screaming and acting like a crazy sob. You start yelling RAPE! RAPE! at the top of your lungs and flailing your arms around you've no longer become an easy mark you've become a load, attention getting, and if they think your crazy unpredictable bundle of trouble.

 

[dd61999]

While there are some weak OCs out there that might not do much but just like a knife you have to educate yourself before you buy look for the one that has a high Capsaicin percentage, trust me there are some that have high enough levels it'll drop the best of them to their knees. Additionally there are other thing to consider when buying OC: you can get just straight OC or a gel OC that reduces the amount of unwanted 2nd hand contact or a foam type that thickens creating a dense foam so the attacker is now blinded by the faom if nothing else. Also there are stream and cone sprays stream is good for range but only really effective on single tragets, cone diminished range but good on groups. The point I'm making is OC can be very effective if you get the right kind and know who to use it, and if you really think its not all that effective get a good can of it and have someone spray it in you face.

Additionally, if you want to defend yourself no matter what you have; start screaming and acting like a crazy sob. You start yelling RAPE! RAPE! at the top of your lungs and flailing your arms around you've no longer become an easy mark you've become a load, attention getting, and if they think your crazy unpredictable bundle of trouble.

Sprays have many faults and do not stop everyone. Just look at some youtube videos of Soldiers being sprayed than forced to take on multiple opponents or videos of police officer spraying people with little or no effect.

The second advice might work sometimes but to rely on that as your defense is a good way to get hurt or killed

Finally I suggest going to practical tactical section of the forum for better advice on self defense.

 

[Bare Rib]

dd
often the police and military don't carry the best stuff. They buy what they can get the best deal on, there are some Very effective OCs out there. Are they 100% perfect guaranteed to work everytime and drop the baddies to the ground no. Will it give you a significant advantage yes.

The second bit of advice is not something to do on its own but to use in conjunction with other methods. If someone kills you because of your screaming they probably would have killed you no matter what. I hate to make sweeping statements but there are two kinds of people in general those who will kill and those who won't.

I do agree go to the practical tactical section; and if you want some advice from a real pro (unlike me) talk to a fellow name Mercop.

Cheers

 

[dd61999]

Not to start a debate, however even the good OC is not recommended and Mercop will back me up on this, as a matter of fact he prefers knives over OC.

 

[ChrisAHF]

Although I dont have any extensive training, I still think that having it, in case I need it, is still better than not having it at all. If I were to pull out my knife I would have full intentions of using it. Not to just scare a couple of punks away. OC has its uses, but to just have a can of OC for your first line of defense is not very smart. And as other have already said it is not always effective. Many variables come into play. As for your second piece of advice; I would never consider my 1st, or 2nd line of defense to be acting insane until they go away. I like to gamble but not with my life. I am going to keep searching for some training in my area, but its hard to come by.

 

[Bare Rib]

Not to start a debate, however even the good OC is not recommended and Mercop will back me up on this, as a matter of fact he prefers knives over OC.

And if I were Mercop with all of his training so would I, but good OC as a first line of defense and a good knife to back it up would make me feel much more secure than knife or OC alone.
The OC is merely a way of regaining the upper-hand and giving you an advantage. That's all I'm saying.

As for the crazy bit once again do not rely on this solely, but let me tell you what if you have ever spent anytime in a major city and living in some not so good neighborhoods you'll see just how much people (the "thug" element included) are afraid of crazy people.

But enough thread-jacking

 

[dd61999]

And if I were Mercop with all of his training so would I, but good OC as a first line of defense and a good knife to back it up would make me feel much more secure than knife or OC alone.
The OC is merely a way of regaining the upper-hand and giving you an advantage. That's all I'm saying.

As for the crazy bit once again do not rely on this solely, but let me tell you what if you have ever spent anytime in a major city and living in some not so good neighborhoods you'll see just how much people (the "thug" element included) are afraid of crazy people.

But enough thread-jacking

I live in near New York city and Have worked in the South Bronx if you acted crazy some would runaway, others shut you up or shut you down regardless if you are crazy or not. A risk not worth taking

Bare Rib you should be careful in what you say, your advice could get someone hurt or even killed.

 

[ChrisAHF]

Well, good news. I did find a knife training course thats no more than 2 hours from here. Ill be taking it in about 2 months.