Pocket Clip Paranoia

Pocket clip....(Hey what's that?)....it's my pocket knife....(Why do you need a knife?)....Knife's a tool, It's how I'm going to get you out of a burning smashed up car when your seatbelts are jammed, then I tell them that I have actually witnessed this event take place. You have seconds.
 
killgar said:
If you're worried about what people will think about your pocket clip, why do you carry a knife in public at all?

I presume that people carry a knife in case they need to cut something. In order to cut something you have to take THE ENTIRE KNIFE out, and OPEN IT. If you take your knife completely out of your pocket and open it to cut something there is definitely the chance that others will see it. If you're not worried about people seeing the ENTIRE KNIFE, why would you worry about them seeing just the clip?

And if you have no intentions of ever taking your knife out in public to cut anything, then why are you carrying a knife in public in the first place?

I think that sometimes people focus so much on a single grain of sand that they fail to notice the beach.

As long as you are in compliance with the law, and campus rules, why should you care what people think about your clip? There's certainly the chance that people might freak-out if you take your knife out in public to cut something. Does that mean you would NEVER take your knife out in public to cut anything?
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Because if for example, your state doesn't allowed concealed carry and words it like this...

RCW 9.41.250
Dangerous weapons — Penalty.


(1) Every person who:

(a) Manufactures, sells, or disposes of or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as slung shot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or spring blade knife;

(b) Furtively carries with intent to conceal any dagger, dirk, pistol, or other dangerous weapon; or

(c) Uses any contrivance or device for suppressing the noise of any firearm unless the suppressor is legally registered and possessed in accordance with federal law,

is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW.

(2) "Spring blade knife" means any knife, including a prototype, model, or other sample, with a blade that is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device, or any knife having a blade which opens, or falls, or is ejected into position by the force of gravity, or by an outward, downward, or centrifugal thrust or movement. A knife that contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade and that requires physical exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist, or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening the knife is not a spring blade knife.
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...then it becomes a grey area what is "concealed" and what isn't. Is a Case Peanut in my pocket concealed, or is that how a pocket knife is supposed to be carried? What about a belt knife that is obstructed from view by my shirt?

It's hard for average people to interpret the law correctly, and in fact it's hard for the police to interpret the law correctly. I've asked about this same statute on LEO forums and the responses I've got were so varied that at the end of it they suggest I call and ask my attorney general.

So if you have people who don't know if it's illegal, and cops that don't know if it's illegal, you're kind of putting yourself at a lot of risk of being arrested for it. Then you'll have to go to court, and all the other unpleasantness surrounding that.

Meanwhile there's no law that says, "You can't use a knife to cut something in public," so I wouldn't worry about taking it out and actually using it. But I guess that's the state of this country, where a person has to worry about how they're carrying a knife.


So when people talk about the whole, "As long as you're complying with local law," I don't think there's a whole lot of protection offered in that given that local laws vary so much that there might be a state or county ordinance you don't know about, and then on top of that sometimes the police are not as informed about what the law is either.
 
KennyB said:
Because if for example, your state doesn't allowed concealed carry and words it like this...



...then it becomes a grey area what is "concealed" and what isn't. Is a Case Peanut in my pocket concealed, or is that how a pocket knife is supposed to be carried? What about a belt knife that is obstructed from view by my shirt?

It's hard for average people to interpret the law correctly, and in fact it's hard for the police to interpret the law correctly. I've asked about this same statute on LEO forums and the responses I've got were so varied that at the end of it they suggest I call and ask my attorney general.

So if you have people who don't know if it's illegal, and cops that don't know if it's illegal, you're kind of putting yourself at a lot of risk of being arrested for it. Then you'll have to go to court, and all the other unpleasantness surrounding that.

Meanwhile there's no law that says, "You can't use a knife to cut something in public," so I wouldn't worry about taking it out and actually using it. But I guess that's the state of this country, where a person has to worry about how they're carrying a knife.


So when people talk about the whole, "As long as you're complying with local law," I don't think there's a whole lot of protection offered in that given that local laws vary so much that there might be a state or county ordinance you don't know about, and then on top of that sometimes the police are not as informed about what the law is either.
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Illinois knife law, at least as I understand it, is intent based. If I am sitting around whittling, opening something, or cutting up a piece of fruit, I don't really worry about a cop coming over and questioning me about my knife. I am clearly not up to any sort of nefarious activity. Now if I am sitting around playing with one of my knives (the urge can be very strong;)) that is another matter entirely. I am pretty comfortable with the legality of my pocket knives pretty much everywhere in Illinois, but I try not to attract unwanted attention to myself if I am using them. If someone wants to bitch to campus security that I am opening a package of crackers with my CRKT minimalist, fine. I'll have a nice conversation with the cops then.
 
I don't like knife clips. I'm always afraid that it might snag on something and fall out without my noticing.

I believe I can put my knife into service more quickly and unobtrusively when it's down in my pocket instead of being clipped to my pocket.
 
digdeep said:
I don't like knife clips. I'm always afraid that it might snag on something and fall out without my noticing.

I believe I can put my knife into service more quickly and unobtrusively when it's down in my pocket instead of being clipped to my pocket.
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I have clips snag on stuff sometimes, it can get annoying especially on those days where you're nothing but clumsy. I'm specially concious about my clips when passing a parked car. I don't like scratching the hell outta someones door for no reason, they could be good people ya never know. So i place my hand over my clip or drop it in my pocket. I've never lost a knife to it yet, all my knives has pretty good clips, except my new 550 griptillian it has a pointed arrow clip and its got like no retention.
 
digdeep said:
I don't like knife clips. I'm always afraid that it might snag on something and fall out without my noticing.

I believe I can put my knife into service more quickly and unobtrusively when it's down in my pocket instead of being clipped to my pocket.
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I have only had this happen to me when I was carrying a S&W Oasis in my back pocket at work. It liked to snag when I would de-ass from the truck I rode around in.



Swoop03 said:
I have clips snag on stuff sometimes, it can get annoying especially on those days where you're nothing but clumsy. I'm specially concious about my clips when passing a parked car. I don't like scratching the hell outta someones door for no reason, they could be good people ya never know. So i place my hand over my clip or drop it in my pocket. I've never lost a knife to it yet, all my knives has pretty good clips, except my new 550 griptillian it has a pointed arrow clip and its got like no retention.
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My dad bitches at me constantly about that. I dinged the inside of our car door once with a 550 pocket clip and he has freaked out ever since. I feel for you with the pointed benchmade clip though, same thing happened to me when I got a black oxide one for my BM530. Take some needle-nose plyers and bend it a little. It's annoying, but easy enough to fix.
 
Bugout Bill said:
Illinois knife law, at least as I understand it, is intent based. If I am sitting around whittling, opening something, or cutting up a piece of fruit, I don't really worry about a cop coming over and questioning me about my knife. I am clearly not up to any sort of nefarious activity. Now if I am sitting around playing with one of my knives (the urge can be very strong;)) that is another matter entirely. I am pretty comfortable with the legality of my pocket knives pretty much everywhere in Illinois, but I try not to attract unwanted attention to myself if I am using them. If someone wants to bitch to campus security that I am opening a package of crackers with my CRKT minimalist, fine. I'll have a nice conversation with the cops then.
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ya illinois law is fine in most aspects... but chicago's limits suck! :jerkit:
 
Bugout Bill said:
One of the reasons I try to avoid Chicago as much as possible. I think I've only been there once in the last year, even though I only live about 40 minutes away.
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ya i'm lucky i live in middle Illinois, less problems here... though Chicago still interferes with getting 30 round mags here :mad:
 
Never had anybody say anything to me about a clip. Funny, but when I'm leathered up riding my Harley and walk in places with a full size K-bar tanto on my belt they avoid eye contact altogether...go figure.:rolleyes:
 
simioh said:
I think most people that would freak out because someone is carrying a pocket knife probably don't even know pocket knives have clips. I've never noticed anyone looking at my pocket clip, even when it's a satin finish.
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Pretty much what I think too. I've gotten in trouble at my school for having a folder, but the security guards here don't even bat an eye to a pocket clip, though I don't carry any knives with clips on campus (usually switch between my Buck 371 and Vic Farmer), and only my Parker Jotter and Streamlight Stylus Pro have clips. Might start carrying a Lamy Safari Fountain Pen, which resembles a knife, when clipped, just to see if they notice.
 
On the rare occasion that I carry a folder, I really don't care what people think when they spy my clip. At one point a long time a go I did... I got good at palming my knife and pulling out a stainless pen... then I'd give a look at the person that mentioned it... you know the look the "don't judge me you bigot" look...

Now that I've moved to fixed blades, things are a bit different... Most people don't mention it... and when they do I remind them that we're not allowed to carry firearms. This is a pretty touchy topic for me, so I end the conversation with something polite.

My opinion, stop worrying about it, it'll cause you undue stress. If people do bring it up, you should have a few quips ready that'll defuse the situation, and if possible change the subject. People that judge because of a pocket clip, really aren't worth much more than that.
 
I carry almost all of my EDC blades in my 5th/coin pocket.

I have never had a knife snag on anything and have never lost a knife.

All of my knives have very good clips and I've never even been worried about dropping and or loosing a knife.

I would be pretty pissed if I lost one of my BM's or my new Strider due to a snag.
 
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