A brick has some interesting self defense capabilities as well... j/k
Sorry I didn't get to this when it was up on the thread a little earlier. LEO's aren't usually familiar with a lot of laws that they do not have to enforce on a daily basis. We have to apply laws that come from a code book, which was put together by a bunch of legislators over a very broad period of time, and the laws in there were tested by being defended in a court of law. That book has literally thousands of laws in it that apply to everything from cock fighting to killing an elected official by means of an explosive device. Luckily, I teach a lot of this stuff as well as enforcing it, so I am familiar with the more obscure laws.
The times that we enforce weapons laws for the most part are when we perceive a threat to ourselves, or the public at large. If you appear to be up to no good, at least to the point we can satisfy the legality of a stop and frisk under the umbrella of Terry v. Ohio, we are going to stop you and check you for weapons. If we find a concealed weapon, we are going to take it, detain you, and investigate further. At some point, that big book is going to come out, and if the blade you have concealed is considered a dangerous weapon via statute, you will be seeing the inside of your local Graybar Hotel franchise. It makes little difference if it is made out of hardened moose dung or steel at that point. If it functions as a knife, it is a knife regardless the material it is made from.
Now, if the weapon is legal to carry as defined by statute, carry in the general public is just fine. If you enter an establishment that has metal detectors, and have this weapon on you, chances are there is also a sign nearby, clearly posted, that will clearly state "No Weapons." If what you are carrying can be defined as a weapon by statute, regardless the material, chances are you will be charged with carrying a weapon in a controlled environment or some other violation of law. Again, the chance that you will be discovered to be carrying that knife depend on the probability of being frisked. If they are patting down and using the metal detector, and they find a weapon that passed the metal detector during frisk, again that big book will come out and they will see if it fits statute. Etc, Etc, Etc...
I am intimately familiar with weapon, narcotics, (both local and federal) and database keeping and intelligence gathering under 28 CFR part 23 as these are the things I mostly enforce, or teach. The rest of the stuff, I look up.
We go with our gut. Hence why we go through so much training. It develops a uniform instinct and perception. The adage 'If it feels like it should be illegal, it probably is' is certainly true. We go with that instinct. If we feel like something obscure would be illegal, we will do a Terry stop of the suspect, and investigate, referring to the code book, to see if any activity is in fact illegal.
I urge everyone here to do the same test in their head when it comes to carrying any kind of weapon. Ask yourself, 'Does it feel like I am doing something illegal with this weapon' and if the answer is 'yes,' double check the code sections. Most states' statutes and the federal CFR are searchable online and can tell you if you are in the right, or about to meet me professionally.
Happy grinding!!
-Eric
