Paranoia or just a sign of the times we live in?

Plumberdv

Plumberdv

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Sep 26, 2008
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This morning while sitting on my porch having coffee and listening to my police scanners, I heard an interesting call.

One of the local elementary schools called in and reported a man on the school grounds with a knife. They gave a description of the man and also the license number of the car he was driving. Officers were dispatched, located the man after he had left the school grounds, pulled him over and detained him.

It turns out that he was delivering his girlfriends little girl to school. She was late so instead of just dropping the child off in the parking lot, he walked her to her classroom. He had what the Officer described as a "buck type" knife in a sheath on his belt that he uses at work.

The Officer had to call back in and ask his watch commander if it was illegal for the guy to have the knife on school grounds. The response was "I don't think so". Next thing, the Officer went Code 4 (all's well) and then 10-8 (back in service).

Interesting.
 
An unfortunate sign of our time is my take. Sheath knives, even folders, are not as common a sight in public these days.
 
CA Penal Code 626.10.

If I interpret it correctly (I'm not a lawyer, LEO, or remotely qualified to give legal advice), if you're not a peace office or working for one, it's illegal for an adult to have any locking folder or any knife with a blade over 2.5" at K-12 public and private schools. Children aren't allowed to have any blade at all. It's not clear to me if "Buck-type" knife means like a 110 or a 119, but it doesn't sound like a short-blade multi-tool.
My wife is an elementary school teacher here in CA. Most elementary schools I've seen have posted "no knives on campus" somewhere on the grounds.
To be safe, I limit myself to a Swayback Jack and/or SAK Executive when I'm working at school for the day. If I'm just dropping 'em off, I don't worry about it - but I concealed-carry a folder which, outside of school grounds, is perfectly legal in my area. Nobody's going to see it while I'm there.
I've seen many teachers and several moms with 4-5" paring knives in the classroom and lunch areas. Nobody bothers 'em.
Personally, I wouldn't carry a knife in a sheath to my girls' school. But it sounds like he had a perfectly legitimate reason for doing so, and I'm glad they didn't pursue it further.

I'd like to call it a sign of the times, but I recall when I was in elementary school, also in CA, some 35 years ago, now. There was a "knife at school" event - kids were kept in the classrooms, and the police were dispatched.
A 3rd grader was showing his full-size SAK to classmates on the playground. He wasn't arrested, but I believe the knife was confiscated. 'Course, the same kid later brought a pair of live 30-06 rounds to "show and tell", too. We didn't see him much after that.
I was carrying a girl scout knife (like a boy scout knife, only slightly smaller,) at the time - but sure didn't mention it.
 
As an Army brat my, now gone but much loved, Father-In-Law attended school in the Philippines, Pre-WWII. I bot him a balisong because he told me that the young school boys in his class would sit at their desks and swing them open and shut creating a chorus of squeeks and clicks that gave background melody to the teacher's lecture. A happy memory for him and a different culture and time illustrated for me.
 
We carry knives on our belts and in pour pockets all the time over here(NOVA SCOTIA)And not a word is ever said,One guy frequents the local coffee shop with a 12 inch bowie knife on his hip,not so much as a peep out of people.I see people all the time carryijng 110's ,nobody here seems to be too worried about a guy with a tool on his belt.

I know the only illegal knife here is a auto or butterfly,anything else is a-ok.
 
Where I live it likely wouldn't cause any stir at all under those exact circumstances,however if it was a student they would likely be in trouble.It's still very common to see a guy with a 110 on his belt out here.
 
Times are a changin' for sure,I remember carrying my 110 in my back pocket in high school,not to mention bringing our single shot shotguns to woodshop to re-do the finish on the stocks,try that nowadays and you'll be in a mess quick..
 
Hahah I could picture fox news already if someone brought their shotgun into shop. Then again many schools still have shop anymore.
 
funny how some itiot was able to get all those details and yet not pickup on this guys apperant innocent demeanor. Fortunately the cop did and was not an azz.
 
It sounds like it's becoming the norm. The man entered and left the school without incident. That should have been the end of the story.

I'm glad the officer had to wonder if it was against the law. With all these bandaid laws being passed, you might not know.

I carried a pocket knife to school since middle school. We all did. Some had Buck style knives on their belts. If you were going hunting after school, you left your shotgun with the principal's office till you left school. Unfortunately, those days are gone.
 
When I wold have to go to one of the schools my sons attended, I would be questioned by security "Is that a knife or or a cell phone?". I always answered cell phone. They never even asked to see it. Why ruin their day by whipping out a 110 or 501:D
 
I'm 17 and whenever i hear about how you used to be able to bring your shotgun to school if you were going hunting afterward and things like that, it really pisses me off knowing where things have gone. I do carry my EDC blade with me to school because i can as long as the blade is 3" or under, and i also do it as a sort of "to hell with you" after i've had a few teachers try to take it from me just because they saw the pocket clip or if they hear me casually mention to a friend that i carry it.
 
I can remember when I was in high school (74-77) lots of guys would bring their farm pickups to school with gun racks in the back window with 2 or 3 guns in it. I carried a knife to school every day.
 
Paranoia. Government statistics show that about 99% of all killings of school-aged kids are not on school grounds, at school-sponsored events, or going to or coming from school. Yet they keep passing more and more rules as if schools are relatively dangerous.
 
When I went to High School in Canada, Northern Ontario, in 1975, we had rifle club as an after school activity. I rode the bus so if I wanted to take a rifle to club, I had to get permission from my bus driver. However we did not have any good target 22s in the house. I used a Winchester T bolt left hand rifle that another student had. In Berkeley High in 1976, I carried my buck 110, though it was frowned upon by the teachers, many kids carried knives, nunchakus and other weapons. The school is right across the street from the police station. Lots of drug dealing, intimidation robberies and strong arm robberies. Not the safest school. I had two teachers beat up the first semester I was there. What a contrast between those two schools.
 
Two times in my life I personally had a issue..The first was in New Orleans in 1978 or 1977 when 2 cops put me on the ground and took my knife from me out of the belt sheath..They did give it back and told me to put it in my pocket after I showed retired USN id.3 years ago a VA policeman in the hospital told me to take it off my belt [112] .....Now NO knives at the VA..A cc permit wont help much if any place has banned them.
 
Yeah,I always have to remind myself before going to the V.A. to leave my knife in the car nowadays.
 
I' glad i live where i live.I was also in a good steakhouse with bad steak knives the other night,i used a alaskan guide stag 110 to cut up our steaks,not so much as an eyelash batted at us.I carry my 110 on my belt everywhere,when i pick my daughter up at school i just pull my shirt over the case,no problem.I would guess if you were waving it around you'd be in crap quick enough though,and thats how it should be.
 
Paranoia would be an appropriate label if the outcome to "checking the guy out" had been different.
As it was, the school reported it and the police checked it out and sent him on his way. It shows the system is working.
Of course it should be investigated and of course "common sense" should apply regarding how the "Incident" was treated.
Bit of a non-story, really.
 
^^^NO, paranoia is a very good description of this incident!
 
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