Wait, we have liberal places here in CA?!
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Public perception of people carrying knives
- Thread starter KBnCO
- Start date
Wait, we have liberal places here in CA?!
Great points here and well said. I EDC Cryo or a Rat1. I never get odd looks when I use my knives in public..... but I don't walk around looking for reasons to loudly flip open my Rat1 in front of people. If I use a knife in public it's with context for a reason where it's needed or useful.
Use courtesy and common sense when it comes to using a knife in public.
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So I was in Bloomingdales in Manhattan buying a light jacket which I was going to wear out of the store. I asked the clerk to take off the tags if he could. He looked around for some scissors and couldn't find them. I said 'no problem' and calmly took out my J.A. Henckels Twin Snap folder and cut off the tags, then folded my knife away. The look on this guy was fear incarnate. Which baffled me because there was no threatening manner about it. I cut off a tag. Simple to me. Strange the way people minds work.
A cop out here in NYC asked me what my knife was for when he saw the clip. I said 'life'. Then told him my grandfather taught me to carry a knife. He looked at me, said 'hmm', then walked away. That was a good cop right there using his brain. God bless him.
A cop out here in NYC asked me what my knife was for when he saw the clip. I said 'life'. Then told him my grandfather taught me to carry a knife. He looked at me, said 'hmm', then walked away. That was a good cop right there using his brain. God bless him.
I can understand having some restrictions on "weapons" in a large, densely populated city, but sooner or later New Yorkers need to realize that you can't always rely on large surfer-talking martial artist turtles to save you.
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Best post of the day.
I've had one negative reaction in the seven years I've regularly carried a knife. About five years ago, I was chatting with a gal at work while doing some other stuff. I've always been fairly circumspect with my knife use, but wasn't really thinking this particular time, and opened up a stainless Dragonfly to cut open a box. For not thinking, I received a startled gasp and a "what do you need that weapon for?"
middle aged mutant factory workers?
link2derek
Gold Member
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Most of the "general" public are generally ignorant; therefore, I don't care what they think. But that's just me - YMMV...
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Hmmm, when I carried a benchmade balisong. Most Sheepole would become silent when I would fick it open. So I went to a poliwog for a few years. When I went to an out the front Lightning. Nobody reacted. When I jumped on the tactical look and carried a socom elite. And most people got nervous and went looking for sissors. Now EDCing an Orange Delica. And nobody reacts. Tha same goes for my sebenza 25. I think that it depends on the deployment and look of the knife that gets Sheepole running. ZETA33 said it best. Younger folks are scared easier the older people.
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The USA is 80% dhimmified, IMO. Most people have been conditioned into being sheep. It is truly sad.
A couple weeks ago we had a wind storm, and at work a tree broke off and landed on a car. We had to move the tree, obviously, but it was too big to move in one piece. So I went out to my truck, grabbed my TOPS TFK and strapped it on and went to work. No big deal. Tree was cut up and moved out of the way. Later, in the office, my boss, who is a pretty cool guy and a gun owner, came by my office, saw the TFK, picked it up to looked at it, and then was amazed at how sharp it was, and asked why I keep it so sharp. The only thing I could say in response was 'Really?"
Someone in the office will ask me if they can borrow a knife, then when they return it, they always say 'Wow, why is that so sharp?". SMH
A couple weeks ago we had a wind storm, and at work a tree broke off and landed on a car. We had to move the tree, obviously, but it was too big to move in one piece. So I went out to my truck, grabbed my TOPS TFK and strapped it on and went to work. No big deal. Tree was cut up and moved out of the way. Later, in the office, my boss, who is a pretty cool guy and a gun owner, came by my office, saw the TFK, picked it up to looked at it, and then was amazed at how sharp it was, and asked why I keep it so sharp. The only thing I could say in response was 'Really?"
Someone in the office will ask me if they can borrow a knife, then when they return it, they always say 'Wow, why is that so sharp?". SMH
One of the reasons I've been drifting back to traditionals is that Joe and Jane Everyman seem to be less frightened by an "old fashioned" knife than any one-handed opener, tactical or not.
I tried to go the small fixed blade route as EDC and went so far as to have a small 2" bladed wharnecliffe damascus custom made by Alan Davis. The whole thing tip-to-tip was less than 6" long. It's a genuine work of art. And what happens the first time I pull it out; to make a requested cut on some shrubbery? The woman who asked me to cut it goes "Wow, that's a big knife!" *sigh*
I tried to go the small fixed blade route as EDC and went so far as to have a small 2" bladed wharnecliffe damascus custom made by Alan Davis. The whole thing tip-to-tip was less than 6" long. It's a genuine work of art. And what happens the first time I pull it out; to make a requested cut on some shrubbery? The woman who asked me to cut it goes "Wow, that's a big knife!" *sigh*
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Sorry, but I won't be governed by the fears of the dhimmified sheep.
It's not a matter of being governed but simply of acknowledging reality. Treating persons nervous around blades with such contempt is a poor way to win converts to our side. Most of them are not "dhimmi" but rather have never been shown there is another valid perspective. I live in a state and city with a very relaxed view of knives; indeed the only place I don't openly carry is government buildings. But that doesn't mean I whip out a knife in front of anyone. And a big aggressive looking knife can intimidate even knife knuts if they don't know the users.
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But giving up carrying a clip to the pocket, one-handed opening and closing knife in order to carry a slipjoint is, IMO, letting yourself be dhimmified. Those type of sheep will still pee themselves when you carefully open your stockman, so they are winning by you not carrying the knife of your choice.
BTW, I have converted more people over to our side of the issue by sticking to my guns. I can think of 3 guys in the office that now carry a 'tactical' one-handed knife everywhere they go because they saw how practical mine is.
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Possibly the only time I've pulled a knife in public may have been when I was in a knife store in a mall just the other day to open an Izula packaging. Of course no reaction, just an average SOG Flash II I pulled anyway. At work though, I've pulled knives a countless number of times. The only co-worker who seems to notice gets really uncomfortable and is always asking why I need a knife, and says it looks like I want to kill someone. 
I live in what I call "elk country Colorado"...a bit different than the Denver/Boulder parts. We did a pretty long elk hunt this year and driving back home I always get some satisfaction in walking into stores and whatnot on the long drive home covered in knives and blood. We get looks, but seems that everyone kinda knows what we've been up to. And if not, like another guy said here,...if I'm not breaking any laws, they can KMA.
Thank you for this, SCWillson. It's nice to see someone advocating a mature, reasonable approach.
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I'm a guy who gravitated to slipjoints years ago. Part of the reason was the greater acceptance in public. If you carry a small slipjoint it's just really neat to feel you can use it almost anytime. I do feel this raises conciousness.
If you prefer modern knifes and want to raise conciousness with responsible use of it, that's valid as well. More harmless looking knives would be more effective but I think but you should carry what you want. Some folks want to carry slipjoints though.
Now, I've had an injury to my left arm/hand. It's almost totally healed but it's been 6 weeks. In this time I've carried OHO modern knives. I've noticed something.
Anytime you take any knife out, even a tiny one, slipjoint or OHO, people will take note of you. It's just something not seen as commonly as it once was.
Now that I think about it I first picked up a slipjoint after I saw someone eating an apple with one at work. I noticed that.
So people will take note, and they will form a reaction. It is something "different".
If you prefer modern knifes and want to raise conciousness with responsible use of it, that's valid as well. More harmless looking knives would be more effective but I think but you should carry what you want. Some folks want to carry slipjoints though.
Now, I've had an injury to my left arm/hand. It's almost totally healed but it's been 6 weeks. In this time I've carried OHO modern knives. I've noticed something.
Anytime you take any knife out, even a tiny one, slipjoint or OHO, people will take note of you. It's just something not seen as commonly as it once was.
Now that I think about it I first picked up a slipjoint after I saw someone eating an apple with one at work. I noticed that.
So people will take note, and they will form a reaction. It is something "different".
Same here, I stopped carrying one for awhile (weight) but realized I needed it a lot of times. I live in New York which is not exactly knife friendly. Only used couple times here and there in public and I found as long as you're discreet or helping someone, usually its not big of an issue. Quite the opposite actually, people are thankful since they finished what they were trying to do.
Actually, I carry "the knife of my choice" - a Spyderco Kiwi 4 - six days a week at work. But on my day off I prefer my traditional bone-handled wharncliife. It's not a choice between one or the other; I can carry and appreciate both - and on occasion have carried both at the same time.
Again, insulting non-knife users by calling them "dhimmi" and "sheep" is not the way to win converts.
BTW, with regard to your "converts" at work, how many other coworkers possibly view you with a bit of trepidation because you're always displaying knives?
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