Just wondering if anyone has had to explain their EDC. Not saying that anything is an illegal carry, it's just the style and amount that might be hard to explain. I keep seeing news reports about a suspect search of their home and the police reporting an arsenal. In most cases I have two or three times the amount reported and I don't think I have an arsenal. Carrying three or four blades a problem?
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Stopped by authorities
- Thread starter Johndies
- Start date
evilgreg
Why so serious?
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I had an Illinois state trooper ask what I was carrying while we were both waiting in line at the McDonalds on a toll road overpass (I-88 out by I-39). He saw the pocket clip on my beat up old green and purple 940. I thought I was in for a hassle, until he said "nice knife, but I couldn't handle the purple" and showed me the black combo-edged BM 943 he was carrying.
Another time I was with some folks in Wisconsin and one of them was stopped by a local cop, again spotted via pocket clip. He was carrying a little ~3" liner-lock of some type. The cop asked to see it and proceed to attempt to wrist flip it open. It took him, no joke, a couple of dozen tries to get it to open. He flailed around to the point that it was taking so long it was a bit embarrassing to watch him. When he finally got it to open, he declared it a "deadly gravity knife" and said that it was completely illegal and "you could be in a lot of trouble". The options he posed where these: he would confiscate the deadly weapon and give him a verbal warning, or he could take a free trip in the back of a cop car. As this was happening, I unclipped the BM 707 that was in my right front pants pocket and let it fall inside. I know that means I was concealing it, but my 707 will flip open if you just give it a stern look
so I knew it was, at least to this nutball cop-building-a-free-knife-collection also a "deadly gravity knife", ha.
I was so pissed after that encounter. The person I was with just gave up the knife, saying the fifty bucks to replace it was a better deal than trying to fix some cop's bad behavior and possibly ending up in trouble doing it. Since then I've seen a few other LEO bad behavior incidents in person that have left me with a deep and abiding distrust of law enforcement. Even if most of them are great, the fact that they protect the bad apples rather than punish them more severely than citizens (which IMO is what should happen when someone given that kind of power abuses it) is what causes my concern.
Better safe than sorry, when some badged bully can ruin your day. That's why I've recently taken to actually obeying the brain-damaged Chicago 2.5" blade length limit, after ignoring it for most of my life.
Another time I was with some folks in Wisconsin and one of them was stopped by a local cop, again spotted via pocket clip. He was carrying a little ~3" liner-lock of some type. The cop asked to see it and proceed to attempt to wrist flip it open. It took him, no joke, a couple of dozen tries to get it to open. He flailed around to the point that it was taking so long it was a bit embarrassing to watch him. When he finally got it to open, he declared it a "deadly gravity knife" and said that it was completely illegal and "you could be in a lot of trouble". The options he posed where these: he would confiscate the deadly weapon and give him a verbal warning, or he could take a free trip in the back of a cop car. As this was happening, I unclipped the BM 707 that was in my right front pants pocket and let it fall inside. I know that means I was concealing it, but my 707 will flip open if you just give it a stern look
so I knew it was, at least to this nutball cop-building-a-free-knife-collection also a "deadly gravity knife", ha.I was so pissed after that encounter. The person I was with just gave up the knife, saying the fifty bucks to replace it was a better deal than trying to fix some cop's bad behavior and possibly ending up in trouble doing it. Since then I've seen a few other LEO bad behavior incidents in person that have left me with a deep and abiding distrust of law enforcement. Even if most of them are great, the fact that they protect the bad apples rather than punish them more severely than citizens (which IMO is what should happen when someone given that kind of power abuses it) is what causes my concern.
Better safe than sorry, when some badged bully can ruin your day. That's why I've recently taken to actually obeying the brain-damaged Chicago 2.5" blade length limit, after ignoring it for most of my life.
Welcome.
Are you talking about the knives you have at home or the knives you are carrying in public?
Why would a cop be inside your house asking you about 1 of your knives ?
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Never have been stopped or asked by 'authorities' about my knife, or about what ever revolver/pistol I was packing.
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I was stopped on rt 80 in Jersey where Trooper Lamonico was murdered, I was at the memorial plaque when a Jersey State Trooper pulled me over for speeding,I had just come from an estate sale where I had bought about 20 knives of different varieties.
Now the Trooper saw the box of knives on the passenger seat and asked me to exit the vehicle while he questioned me and did a check on my licence.
When he came back we began to talk about why I had all these knives on my front seat and he had seen a Buck Titanium186 on the seat, saw the extended machine screw where the allen key attached and asked me what was missing from the knife, so I reached into the car to pull the knife out to show him, (I thought he was a knife knut, he wasn't) as I reached into the car he dropped back drew his pistol and placed it behind my ear.
Ain't the first time a cop pointed a gun at me so I very calmly said,"...alright my bad, let's not get all nervous and make any mistakes that end with you pulling that trigger and me ending up with a big hole in my head resulting in a bad day for both of us.".
It took him a minute to wind down, reholster his pistol and come down off danger mode, once he calmed down we discussed my poor judgement on reaching back into my car during the traffic stop.
When it was all said and done the cop was actually a nice guy, just a nervous rookie who realized he had pulled someone over right where a State Trooper had been murdered 20 years earlier.
Called my BIL who was a 25 year veteran of the force, told him what happened and he called me an idiot and said I was lucky I didn't get shot.
Lesson learned, as far as explaining why I carry multiple knives, never had to, of course being a tradesman helps explain why.
Now the Trooper saw the box of knives on the passenger seat and asked me to exit the vehicle while he questioned me and did a check on my licence.
When he came back we began to talk about why I had all these knives on my front seat and he had seen a Buck Titanium186 on the seat, saw the extended machine screw where the allen key attached and asked me what was missing from the knife, so I reached into the car to pull the knife out to show him, (I thought he was a knife knut, he wasn't) as I reached into the car he dropped back drew his pistol and placed it behind my ear.
Ain't the first time a cop pointed a gun at me so I very calmly said,"...alright my bad, let's not get all nervous and make any mistakes that end with you pulling that trigger and me ending up with a big hole in my head resulting in a bad day for both of us.".
It took him a minute to wind down, reholster his pistol and come down off danger mode, once he calmed down we discussed my poor judgement on reaching back into my car during the traffic stop.
When it was all said and done the cop was actually a nice guy, just a nervous rookie who realized he had pulled someone over right where a State Trooper had been murdered 20 years earlier.
Called my BIL who was a 25 year veteran of the force, told him what happened and he called me an idiot and said I was lucky I didn't get shot.
Lesson learned, as far as explaining why I carry multiple knives, never had to, of course being a tradesman helps explain why.
I'm not fully following, but if you are a law-abiding citizen who has a "arsenal" of legal knives at home...I wouldn't worry about it. If you go criminally loopy out in public, get arrested, and law enforcement searches your home, and finds that "arsenal"...I don't know. I guess I never thought about that happening.
Now if you are out in public, minding your own business, I don't see why/how a LEO would even find out you have a knife in your pocket. I have several knives on me going to work in a major metropolitan on public transportation, and have never been searched. And if I was, they would find a SAK. I suppose if it was a scary looking black knife with lots of extraneuos pointy bits sticking out of it and "BloodMaster 2500" stencilled on the blade...it might be a problem.
Now if you are out in public, minding your own business, I don't see why/how a LEO would even find out you have a knife in your pocket. I have several knives on me going to work in a major metropolitan on public transportation, and have never been searched. And if I was, they would find a SAK. I suppose if it was a scary looking black knife with lots of extraneuos pointy bits sticking out of it and "BloodMaster 2500" stencilled on the blade...it might be a problem.
I've made a couple of comments on threads about being a little over the legal length of carry in the state where you live.
My post has always been, as long as you're not doing something stupid with your knife a cop shouldn't have any reason to stop or question you.
My post has always been, as long as you're not doing something stupid with your knife a cop shouldn't have any reason to stop or question you.
I strongly disagree. It's not about getting away with breaking the law. No one here, I hope, is advocating breaking the law.
It's about not being the kind of yahoo knucklehead LEOs assume needs to be searched/hassled. The kind who is going around trying to "not get caught."
If you're not being a jerk...cops don't care about you. They have much bigger things to worry about than you walking down the street with a knife in your pocket.
(That said, maybe there are some geological/cultural differences here...I can only speak from my own experience.)
Bingo. You said it way better than I did! :thumbup:
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Had a cop lose his crap about a knife I was carrying once. I was 19, and some idiots got in a fight on my front lawn. I called the cops, and when they got there came out of the house to tell them what was going on. Long story short, I was cuffed and yelled at for having a 3" fixed blade on my belt, on my own lawn, for almost an hour, while the two morons who were having a fist fight were turned loose almost immediately.
To be clear, I have never been stopped, and there should be no reason for it. And in addition, I never carry illegally. But, there have been times when, for whatever reason, the amount of legal blades could cause a discussion that I do not have a ready answer. I like knives?
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In Texas? Wow....I know a few LEO's and there all cool about knives...
J. Hoffman
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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When I arrest someone I also ask if they have any weapons, and I always specifically ask about pocket knives because most people would not consider them a weapon. It seems a lot of people are offended that I would accuse them of carrying a knife. It always seems odd to me.
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My brother was stopped on 6th Street in Austin one night after a LEO saw the pocket clip on a knife I had recently given him. The exchange went something like this:
Cop - What is that in your pocket?
Brother - A knife.
C - Let me see it.
B - Ok - hands knife to cop
C - Cop measures blade across the palm of his hand, of course the 4" blade is longer than his hand is wide - I'm going to have to confiscate
B - Ok, but I'll need you to call a supervisor and I'll need a receipt complete with both your names and badge numbers.
C - What are you talking about?
B - Texas allows a 5.5" single edge blade. You want to confiscate my legal knife for some reason; I am complying, I just want a witness and a receipt so I can pick it up later.
C - Hands my brother back the knife - Put it where we can't see it and go.
B - Ok - tucks it in his pocket and leaves
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I had a LEO in Canada see my pocket clip and asked for my knife. I was keen on the gun laws, but ignorant of the knife laws and even had pepper spray in the cup holder in the van. After about a 20 minute "getting to know each other" session, he told me to hide the spray and knife so people at the boarder wouldn't have me detained. Canadians can be so nice.
Cop - What is that in your pocket?
Brother - A knife.
C - Let me see it.
B - Ok - hands knife to cop
C - Cop measures blade across the palm of his hand, of course the 4" blade is longer than his hand is wide - I'm going to have to confiscate
B - Ok, but I'll need you to call a supervisor and I'll need a receipt complete with both your names and badge numbers.
C - What are you talking about?
B - Texas allows a 5.5" single edge blade. You want to confiscate my legal knife for some reason; I am complying, I just want a witness and a receipt so I can pick it up later.
C - Hands my brother back the knife - Put it where we can't see it and go.
B - Ok - tucks it in his pocket and leaves
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I had a LEO in Canada see my pocket clip and asked for my knife. I was keen on the gun laws, but ignorant of the knife laws and even had pepper spray in the cup holder in the van. After about a 20 minute "getting to know each other" session, he told me to hide the spray and knife so people at the boarder wouldn't have me detained. Canadians can be so nice.
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Conceal all your edc knives real good. Dont whip them out all over the place in public. And dont talk to the militarized thugs in blue costumes, or do anything that would result in you having to talk to them. Ie speeding, stealing, getting into a fight ect. If you do all that you should be good. I have never had a problem
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I got pulled over for a broken windshield and no seat belt in my work van. Officer came to my window asked for my licence and the usual. I told him it was in my wallet in my bag in the back of my van so he said to get it. Open the side doors and I have a large Philippine bolo in a wooden sheath wedged between the seat. He saw it and freaked out told me to back away from the door. Hand on his gun he asked if I had any other weapons or drugs in my van. I told him I have a pistol in the box behind the seat but no drugs and you're free to take a look. 45 minutes later he tells me to get my windshield fixed and wear my seat belt and that I couldn't have my big knife in the open like that. It was unseen until I opened the side door but I didn't feel like arguing. He took my Glock apart. Slide in the box where I told him it was, mags in the back cargo area, frame in the front passenger seat. He said I could put it back together when he leaves.