Thats a pretty crazy story. Never been to Chicago, but Detroit is somewhat close. I think people are just in a different mindset here in California. They are afraid of red meat, and pesticides on their vegetables. Knives are super scary!
-Freq
Sometimes I wonder, where folks who state such obvious drivel and say they live in Calif., actually live. Reality breeds consciousness. If you spend your time around people who don't eat red meat and are afraid of knives you may begin to believe it is true of all folks. One result of this, for some, is to develop a pip-squeak sense of superiority to others. A superiority based mostly on a crude ignorance.
If you live in S.F. get out of your comfort zone a bit and visit the city. Knives galore.
Get out a bit...up to Modoc Co., Del Norte, Imperial, Siskayou, Knives are used on the fishing fleets, in the fields that feed the nation, in the meat packing plants and the dairy herds, on the docks of Long Beach, Oakland and Eureka. Knives are used to skin the hog and deer that are hunted here and there is no hog season you can get that good meat year round. Line men went to Sacramento and helped keep the right to have A.O. knives legal in the state by arguing that they needed them on the job. etc., etc.
Folks here have printed out the knife laws to you from the city and the state...and they are not as bad as most other states. California has a rich knife history. San Francisco does as well. You can ignore this and more and continue to complain about what you know little about or you can learn. Your call.
tipoc