Post your best excuse!

Gary W. Graley said:
Rule #9
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You, sir, are awesome.

Freedom. That is my excuse.

I carry a Recon 1 and a Recon 1 Mini. A lot of LEOs are into their gear because that is what they depend on. A lot will know about knives and firearms (mostly firearms). If your knife conforms to the laws of your particular area then you need not have a reason to carry it. I've thought this exact scenario out in my head on more than a few occasions.

1. Just don't consent to a search. This isn't Nazi Germany and they're not the Gustapo, you shouldn't have to take time out of your day to empty your pockets and have them look at your belongings.
2. I carry 2, sometimes 3 or 4 knives on me. My excuse for having two is that one is large and is best used for tasks that require a large knife and one is smaller which is best used for tasks that require a smaller knife. I usually have an even smaller keychain sized knife (Spyderco Grasshopper) for cutting stuff in public as to not scare the sheeple.
3. My knives are tools. It isn't illegal to carry around a wrench, is it?
4. Of course, work. I do a lot of cable splicing as Yalius said. I use my knife every day and usually multiple times a day.

A tip for you guys... Unless you're allowed to carry weapons (CCW, or something like that) Do not tell the police that you carry your knife for Self-Defence for that implies that you intend to use it as a weapon and carrying weapons is illegal in many places. If you do have a pocket knife on you that conforms to your state laws and a police officer asks "Do you have any weapons on you" respond with "No, sir, but i do have a pocket knife." It has worked for me a couple of times.

Cool story on that one, actually. When i was seventeen i was stopped at 2 AM (Past curfew in my city) The police officer asked me what i was doing. I was just going for a walk, i have pretty bad insomnia.... basically this is how it went.

LEO Excuse me, May i ask what you are doing out this late?
ME Just going for a walk, Sergeant
LEO *looking surprised i called him by his rank* May I see your ID?
ME Sure
LEO You are out past curfew, i need to escort you home
ME Curfew? Huh... okay, why can't i just walk home?
LEO I'm not supposed to let you do that. I would, however, you seem like you can handle yourself but this is a bad neighborhood, i wouldn't be out past dark without a gun.
ME Well, I've got a pocket knife and if you'd like to loan me your Glock 22 everything would be fine, Sergeant. (Of course, with a smile and in a non-threatening tone.) [Just realized that out of context this could be a HUGE threat. Could get you shot, even. Wow.]
LEO *with a chuckle and looking surprised i could identify his pistol* Well i can't do that but go ahead home and stay out of trouble.

Some cops are cool. Some are assholes. Another almost arrested me for having the same knife. Said i was "Brandishing a weapon in public". I was cutting my finger nails.... When i told him the exact definition of brandishing, pointed out my 2 friends as witnesses, and told him that all arresting me would do is bring me wealth in the form of a lawsuit he backed off.

This has made me think about all my interactions with the Police.... Why do they mess with me so much? -.- I'm the most generic looking 20 year old white guy.
 
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If you are carrying the knife legally no excuse is necessary. As a LEO officer myself and knife/gun enthusiast I have always thought "why do you need that?" Is an ignorant question. Either it's legal or not, doesn't matter why they carry it. I thank people for telling me they have a weapon or a tool that can be used as a weapon and that's the end of it.
 
Some great advice/stories here guys. I guess it just depends on your judgement and the mood of the officer that day
 
nemesis said:
If you are carrying the knife legally no excuse is necessary. As a LEO officer myself and knife/gun enthusiast I have always thought "why do you need that?" Is an ignorant question. Either it's legal or not, doesn't matter why they carry it. I thank people for telling me they have a weapon or a tool that can be used as a weapon and that's the end of it.
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Thanks this helps a lot, officer
 
I avoid cities that don't allow a law abiding citizen their GOD given rights.
Never lie to a cop.
 
Glad I live in a state with very relaxed knife laws, another reason why I don't go any further north than Williamsburg VA. I'd just tell him I collect knives and I'll have one (Or five) everytime he see's me, for a multitude of reasons.
 
The last time I got pulled over (I drive fast) the officer asked me if there were any weapons in my car and I said "No but I have three knives on me and two more in grabbing distance."
He chucked and said "No guns right?" I should have said what do I need a gun for, I have 5 knives, but I just said no sir.
Its great living in the west.
 
Don't need an excuse when the cop says "damn, that's nicer then the knife I carry, what is it and where can I get one." Referring to my CRKT M21.
 
So far I've never been asked if I have any weapons by a cop.

Only been pulled over once so far and knives are so common in the Pacific North West I think cops are used to people carrying.
 
If the knife is legal, no excuses are needed.

The only time I had to explain some of my knives and guns to a policeman was at a building with metal detectors and police at the doors (because it housed some government offices). I didn't know I'd be going there, but had to stop at a mate's office to pick up some documents on my way to my mountain ranch. I had a couple of guns, knives, and lots of ammo. I had no idea there were metal detectors at the lobby. I just walked up to the nearest officer and told him that I was legally carrying some weapons. The guy's eyes almost popped out of his head when I produced a couple of big magnum wheelguns and some knives. A more experienced officer came to the desk and told me to just go about my business (I offered to leave the guns with them while I went to my friend's office, he said I didn't need to).
 
I'd like to think that if asked why I have a knife, I'd answer "Why would I not?"

Instead, I'd probably mumble something incoherent.
 
Depends on the situation, but either way it's a good decision to give the officer the benefit of the doubt and not be recalcitrant. Typically Troopers are on point, they're direct and mutually courteous, but local boys can be confrontational in a sense. I've never been asked about my knives in any other circumstance other than a traffic stop, and in those cases I told the officer first before I made a single movement for my license or anything else, with cabin lights and hazards all on, keys on the dash. I had absolutely no problem carrying a large folder in my pocket, a fixed blade in my backpack in the backseat, and a hatchet under the spare in the back. They never even asked to see them at all, in fact the two times I've been stopped we actually ended up talking gear for about five minutes while they waited around for my details to check out. During this I compromised none of my rights and ended up making the situation much more comfortable for everyone involved.

It's all about your attitude, if somebody's a dick to you at your job then you're not motivated to have an intelligent exchange with them at all, are you? There's good cops and bad cops, but don't lie to either of them about items that can be construed as weapons, silence is not golden in this respect. I would never carry a knife that I could not specifically outline in detail, with citation, to be in full compliance with the law. If they catch you with an illegal knife you better suck it up, because it's your own fault. It's not an argument whether they should be legal, they're not the guys calling the shots, and while a lot of a LEO's duty encompasses many things which would simply be under the officer's discretion they're fully inclined to follow the letter of the law just the same. Usually, and I have seen this firsthand happen to a friend, even an inquiry about an illegal knife usually just turns into gear talk between two normal guys. If you don't like the law then change it, but unless and until that happens abide by it and understand that an inquiry about a knife, in certain situations, is completely legitimate. I understand the principle of having a right to carry a knife, and honestly all knife laws are ridiculous to me, but if I'm wearing something that could be construed as a weapon then I have no problem waving the good guy flag and leveling with the officer about what I have. All that said, there are a ton of bad cops, people who are essentially perverted by either the occupation or have been drawn to it by the obvious responsibilities that are so easily abused. I do not trust law enforcement, but I respect the ideals of the law.
 
nemesis said:
If you are carrying the knife legally no excuse is necessary. As a LEO officer myself and knife/gun enthusiast I have always thought "why do you need that?" Is an ignorant question. Either it's legal or not, doesn't matter why they carry it. I thank people for telling me they have a weapon or a tool that can be used as a weapon and that's the end of it.
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I agree. It is legal to carry a knife where I live. I am a responsible adult, I need no excuse. I've had 2 tickets in nearly twenty years of driving, and those were quite some time ago. Only time this has been an issue was when I was a teen going to the local suburban court with a friend, didn't know they had metal detectors (I was 17). I apologized, they let me take the knife back and leave it in the car. No problem.
 
ridethepony14 said:
Becaise in Nj you need a "lawful purpose" for carrying a knife from what I understand, and I don't think saying that you just wanna carry a knife is a "lawful purpose"
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First thing you should do is get more familiar with the law. There is a great app made by knife rights that tells you what the local laws are. You can get it here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-to-Knife-Rights-LegalBlade™-App-Download-Now! Your purchase not only gets you the great app but also helps to fight for our knife rights.

Second, your original question only uses NJ as an example, so no actual law is stated. Further, you say that the knife being carried is not illegal. If it is not illegal, and we don't have a specific law to look at then why would I need an excuse? I am doing nothing wrong.

Now, if we are talking about the actual NJ law, you may or may not need a reason to be carrying a knife. That will be determined by first the LEO and later possibly the court system. NJ law is somewhat similar to the PA law where I live, though the PA law is even more vague. The way I see it, whether you keep out of trouble with a cop finding a knife on you has way more to do with what you are doing and the reason a cop would even find a knife on you then if you can come up with a good excuse or not. If you keep out of trouble, are respectful, and responsible, generally a LEO will have no reason to worry about you having a knife.
 
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