Public knife experiment

upnorth

upnorth

Joined
Nov 25, 2006
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I was in a larger Canadian prairie city weeks ago and decided to carry semi openly to see if anyone noticed. Normally I am quite discrete and keep it all quiet. The wife and I wandered around downtown, through a major mall and hoards of people, mall cops etc. Then we spent time in a Walmart superstore before driving back later in the day. I did not see children cowering behind their mothers legs, people gnashing their teeth and pulling out their hair. And no swat team arrived. Basically no one noticed, or if they did, they didn't give a squirt. I suppose being an older guy, fairly clean cut and unobtrusive looking helped. But I had that folder clipped up on a front pocket. I was and wasn't surprised. What surprised me was that mall security saw me many times and I didn't get a stink eye. So there you go. Around here if you look half way normal and generic, moderately discrete carry does not freak folks out.

 
Several years ago I attended a convention in Montreal. On an off day my wife and I went to La Rhonde (sp?) Amusement Park there. I had my SAK in a snapped leather belt pouch.

After we'd been there about twenty minutes i noticed we were being followed by a couple groups of people. They eventually worked my wife and I over to the side and one of them approached me.

"What is in that case on your belt?" I told him it was a utility knife I always carry when away from home.

We ended up being escorted to the security office and my knife was confiscated. I made enough of a stink to where I got a receipt for it and was told to mail them the claim ticket and they would ship the knife back to me.

I wrote them when we got home and eventually received my knife in the mail.

Has something changed in Canada since then?
 
Knivery said:
Several years ago I attended a convention in Montreal. On an off day my wife and I went to La Rhonde (sp?) Amusement Park there. I had my SAK in a snapped leather belt pouch.

After we'd been there about twenty minutes i noticed we were being followed by a couple groups of people. They eventually worked my wife and I over to the side and one of them approached me.

"What is in that case on your belt?" I told him it was a utility knife I always carry when away from home.

We ended up being escorted to the security office and my knife was confiscated. I made enough of a stink to where I got a receipt for it and was told to mail them the claim ticket and they would ship the knife back to me.

I wrote them when we got home and eventually received my knife in the mail.

Has something changed in Canada since then?
Click to expand...

That's not because of Canadian Law. Guess the Amusement Park security took it upon themselves to create and enforce laws.

I'm not sure where you live UpNorth, or what you were expecting but your experience sounds just like my daily experience. I have never had anyone question me about the knife I was carrying-school, work, hospital or other areas that may seem to be a hotspot for knifephobia.
Like you said, I think a lot of it has to do with how you present yourself and use your knife, I don't expect any problems but that is because I don't do anything illegal either.

Edit to add: Did the "larger Prairie city" happen to be Winnipeg? That would explain why your experience seems so ordinary to me.
I don't consider Southern Ontario or cities like Montreal to be the Canadian standard...actually more of the exception.
But those are the places most people associate with Canada.
 
A pocket knife in a pocket rarely gets much attention (other than airports, courthouses, etc).
Take it out of your pocket & open it, or carry a fixed blade in a sheath, and you may find more eyes on you.
 
And that is why I live where I do and fight every day for my rights. I carry a pistol (semi-concealed) everyday for the last 23 years and have only gotten a sideways look about once a year, probably from visiting Canadians....lol
 
Richpoolboy said:
And that is why I live where I do and fight every day for my rights. I carry a pistol (semi-concealed) everyday for the last 23 years and have only gotten a sideways look about once a year, probably from visiting Canadians....lol
Click to expand...

Canada is a pretty big Country...but you seem to have us figured out from these 5 posts.

Seems to be a lot of negative reactions to knives in the USA as well based on all the knife reaction threads....
 
I have noticed that here in Indiana most people don't care about knives. Had one guy who had his jaw almost hit the floor from a 5" fixed blade (funny enough he was a gruff looking biker type), but I am never shy to whip out my folder if something needs cut, be it a string, packaging, anything that a knife can realistically be used for. I frequently carry a 3"+ folder, and barely anybody bats an eye.

Funny enough, back in the summer people made a big stink over knives, but then we had our auto ban repealed and now nobody cares. Oddly enough, people cared more about knives than open carried pistols... Weirdos.
 
As a Canadian, I can speak to a rather baffling contradiction between my beloved country and my equally beloved neighbours to the South. It's so strange...in Canada, gun laws are very very strict compared with the USA. For example, up here we can legally possess long rifles/shotguns for hunting purposes. (There's more detail than that, but I'll skip it for now). BUT, handguns or semi-automatic weapons? NOOOOOOOOOO. You be going to jail. Highly illegal. No no nope. YET, our knife laws are very lax compared with many parts of the USA. For example, I know that NY and Chicago place a 2 inch limit on folding knives. Here? Pffftttt...it doesn't matter. I live in Vancouver, BC...and I can assure you that as long as it isn't a fixed blade, it is a truly discretionary thing. Obviously, if the cops catch you with a 4 inch black bladed, camo handled mankiller, they might raise an eyebrow if you tell them it "for work". But generally, no one cares here, in my experience. I guess it's a case of "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away". Glad I can carry my knives, but sure wish I could own handguns too...just because...:D
 
Not trying to be political, mods...and I apologize if the thread has been hijacked in any way...
 
The general public is not very familiar with knives that clip in pockets and may not have even thought it was a knife. I look for knives when out, on people and very rarely see one clipped in a pocket and when I see something on the belt, or clipped very often it turns out to be a phone, or marker or something else besides a knife. That and the fact that most people don't tend to stare at strangers too long, may be why no one seemed to notice.
 
upnorth said:
I suppose being an older guy, fairly clean cut and unobtrusive looking helped. ... Around here if you look half way normal and generic, moderately discrete carry does not freak folks out.

Click to expand...

Bing!

If you have a green mohawk and chain hanging from the stud in your nose to the hook in your ear, you'll get the attention you seek.
 
mnblade said:
Bing!

If you have a green mohawk and chain hanging from the stud in your nose to the hook in your ear, you'll get the attention you seek.
Click to expand...

If you know where you are the idea is to be appropriate from office to hunting. Out of place/odd people always get my attention. I noticed the teenager (maybe 18) carrying a huge fixed blade on his side at the mall the other weekend as well as every other person there, it's not illegal but needless to say he got attention.
 
Handguns are very legal here, You need to call in before transporting one but if you get your restricted license which only takes answering some questions. Not illegal at all, but it takes more to transport one, rather than your regular rifle or shotgun.

In response to Quillans post ``BUT, handguns or semi-automatic weapons? NOOOOOOOOOO. You be going to jail. Highly illegal. No no nope.``

Trying to get used to posting here, forgive me.
 
I'm lucky that in my section of New York (upstate), it's very loose and full of hunters. A knife, even a sheathed knife that's visible, is normal and no one cares. I could probably carry a tifle on my shoulder around my town and no one would care.
 
hhmoore said:
A pocket knife in a pocket rarely gets much attention (other than airports, courthouses, etc).
Take it out of your pocket & open it, or carry a fixed blade in a sheath, and you may find more eyes on you.
Click to expand...

This is exactly my experience out west here. Back east in the larger cities may be a different story.
 
there are a lot of people carrying knives around me, but i know too much because of this forum, and so none impress me.......:p
 
Nobody here gives me a second look, I carry a Buck folding Kalinga in plain view on my belt and the clip on the Spyderco Police in my front pocket. However, at times when I go to southern Ontario I notice people's eyes will look down at the knives I carry and my beard.
 
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