Multiple carry and the Police

John Watson

John Watson

Joined
Nov 29, 1998
Messages
774
I was just reading," How many knives do you carry" thread and got to wondering, what would you tell a police officer if you were stopped and he asked why you had so many knives on you? I usually carry a few and have thought about this. I know we are law abiding citizens, but what if an officer sees your pocket clip and thing go down hill and you find youself on the wrong side of being patted down?
 
If you are a law abiding citizen,you should not be concerned.IMHO
 
I would think you'd only have reason for concern if you were carrying a larger non-folding knife which may be in violation of your cities ordinance.
 
It's a good question, and I have a thought about it. I like to carry two knives. Usually my large wood inlayed Sebenza and custom Damascus Mnandi. Both pretty expensive Chris Reeve knives.

I believe that if your intentions as a law abiding citizen are good, then you probably don't have much to worry about. If you don't present yourself as some type of thug or dress like one, you most likely won't be harassed by the local law enforcement. If you've been drinking and driving or show just cause to be yanked out of your car and searched, you probably deserve it, and your knives will be taken with you downtown anyway.

As a law abiding citizen and friend to many of my area police officers, I can honestly say they don't concentrate on the average citizen as a bad guy. I have had many a conversations with officers about the knives I carry, even many a time showing off my large wood Sebenza and LCC D/A(yes, D/A)with only positive reactions. Just be knowlegable of your local laws regarding blade length and autos if you should decide to carry em! I've never heard about any limits on the number of knives you can carry.;)
 
As long as the knives are legal in your area and you are not involved in "inappropriate" behavior, I don't think it should make any difference how many knives you are carrying.

Your attitude and demeanor are probably the most important factors.
 
While "attitude and demeanor" are the biggies, you may also want to consider just telling the truth: you are a "knife person" or "knife collector" who likes to show off his pieces to friends, family, business associates, etc.

Also, consider different types of knives are better at different things: serrated vs. plain edge, large vs. small, etc.

I've been carrying my "heavy duty" Emerson Mini Commander in my right pocket, my "coupon clipping/light duty" Spydie Delica in my left pocket, and my "convenient" LadyBug always resides on my keychain...

See how easy and reasonable this sounds! :) With a little more effort, you can carry five or six specialized blades and be perfectly logical about it to all but the hoplophobes and Nannyphiles. It also helps if they are pretty good quality instead of "throwdown material."

Karl
 
Due to my 7yrs in AirCadets, I have a way to deal with authority figures without them feeling threatened... it also helps that at 18, I have nothing on my record, not even a traffic ticket...
 
Originally posted by Safety Guy
While "attitude and demeanor" are the biggies, you may also want to consider just telling the truth: you are a "knife person" or "knife collector" who likes to show off his pieces to friends, family, business associates, etc.Karl
Click to expand...

I gotta agree with Safety Guy, the truth works best, I've been stopped at least 70+ times in the last 20 years, mainly because of apperance, kinda of a mix between Sonny Barger, and Grizzly Adams, the first thing is to not appear to be a threat,(hard to do when your 275lbs and have your hair in a ponytail down to your butt, and a bushy beard. Make him feel comfortable,(as comfortable as he'll get), keep your hands in plain site at all times, no sudden moves, be polite, and tell him what your gonna do before you do it, ie... like reaching into you pocket this would be considered a threatening action, he doesn't know your reaching for an ID, for all he knows you could be pulling a gun or a knife.

Finally if he asks why you have so many knives, tell him the truth.

I've never lost a knife to a LEO yet, this, I attribute to using common sense, and not giving the officer anymore of a reason, to feel uncomfortable
 
I keep some cards on me so ifr anyone asks I can show that I'm a knifemaker. Also, a piece or two with my name on it always helps! :)
 
As a retired Deputy Sheriff, it never bothered me at-all if I "notced" someone carrying multiple knives, as long as they were all legal individually, and the person who I was talking with wasn't being a dick or a smart-ass.
 
I've workedthe county jail here for some years and almost all the cops I know are laid back abouit knives if you are cool.

I think attitude is everything. If your attitude, body language, face, etc. says "cocky, threat, rude,punk, loser, etc." you are gonna get some amount of hassle from the cop. Keep it within legal limits.

I did see a cop book a guy for carrying gravity knife(illegal in WA). It was an 18 year old punk full of attitude. When he frisked him on the street, the cop found one of those cheap copies of the S+W swat knives. The blade FELL OPEN while the cop set it on the hood of the car! Cheap ass knives! He asks the kid where he got such a cheap knife, and the kid tells him to f__k off! He goes ahead and books him for the knife. WE ended up having to do a bit of wrestling with him in the courtroom the next morning, needless to say HE LOST.

PUNKS!!!
 
Peter Atwood has the right idea.
I carry business cards stating the fact that I am a knifemaker and collector. I keep cards in my wallet and in that envelope in my glove box that contains my car's registration, copy of title and proof of insurance. Also, having a fairly conservative "look" couldn't hoit either.:D
 
I'd tell him I'm carrying everything in a legal way, and I carry them because I like them, I want to have at least one because it's handy, I want another one in case I somehow didn't have my main blade, and because I just can carry that much on me.
 
I go into severe withdrawl if I don't have at least One blade on me all the time.

So it's like glockman says behave yourself and act like an adult and no one will
care what or how many knives you are carrying. (I carry two all the time):cool:
 
I agree with what everyone is saying in that if you don't look like a bum and don't act like a bum, you probably won't have any problems. I certainly wouldn't carry anything that is illegal and I don't speed intentially because I don't like being hassled. I was a law enforcement officer for 24 years and have run into brother officers on and off duty with attitudes that I wouldn't want to cross now that I no longer belong to the brotherhood. I agree that most officers especially small or rural agency representatives are pretty laid back. I live and work outside New Orleans Louisiana and some of those guys can be a handful.

Stay safe, stay legal and hopefully stay out of trouble.
 
Aha, so that's the trick--carry business cards that say you're a knifemaker. However, most of us cannot honestly carry such a "trump" card. Maybe BladeForums can issue us "BladeForums Field Tester" ID cards. All joking aside, there's alot of good advice on this thread.
 
toothed,
Have cards made up stating your a collector. If you belong to any regional knife collector clubs or societies, add them on your biz card to give credibility to your claim. Anything that can help verify your intention is honest couldn't hoit! Don't belong to a regional club? Find one and join. Being around other folks who share our addiction is a good thing. Ya make valuable contacts, meet makers living in your area who you may never have known were there (or meet well known makers who sometimes attend the meetings) and sometimes find great stuff at the get togethers. Lots of good reasons to seek out and join a club.;)

I think your suggestion about a BladeForums card is actually a very good one.
This is certainly a place for enthusiasts and collectors and should add a bit of veracity to a claim of being a collector I would think.
 
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