Student Arrested For Knife, Boston

I'm sorry that a seemingly good person made a bad decision. He could have put this knife in his check-in baggage, declared it and he would have been left alone. It would appear that his good record will get him out of trouble but I fear that the lesson he will learn is that "knives are bad and good people don't carry them." Considering that Boston has a new law limiting EDC to 2.5", he definitely does not live in a knife friendly environment.
 
A stupid mistake that is going to cause him a lot of trouble. Whenever he travels from this point on his name will be flagged and he will be searched. This may also hurt him in what he is trying to do for those kids. I sure hope not.

He was carrying no luggage so he could not put the knife in his check in suitcases.
 
A whle back there was a thead posted about searches done in boston when boarding a Greyhound to NY. I wrote GH and got a form reply.

A couple of weeks ago I was on assignment inPhiladelphia, and one night decided to go to NY for the eve. didn't want to drive and look for parking downtown so I went to Greyhound bought the ticket and got on line. After a few, a security guard pulls up to the line with a cart and starts making these old ladies empty their purses and even open some shpping bags w gifts...I had and Emmerson Commander and an Al Mar SERE on me. Start to panic but put the knives in my backpack figuring I'll put them in checked baggage. Turns out the guy was inspecting the line to Wash DC, I got on to NY with no trouble.

Personally, I like having an equalizer in potentiallly dangerous environments, like NY city, South Bronx streets at night, and I'm a native New Yorker! I can sympathize with the young man. A generally good guy, wants his equalizer, doesn't want to make it public knowledge, and in a way it's not everybody's business that he does/has.

It seems we have to be apologetic about wanting to carry a knife for defensive purposes. Or, do it illegally with the idea that "better tried by 12 than carried by 6." Do we have any other options? Can we establish rules of discreet disclosure to people in authority so that they know we're carrying because we declare it, and let us keep our stuff? For years I flew with pocket knives, yes tacticals, in my carry on. No harm done. Now I gotta be cautious about even taking the bus with one in my pocket. Where will it end.
 
KWM, I suggest that from now on, anyone who carries a knife and flies should always carry a bag of some kind, if for nothing else, to stash one's knife while flying. I'm afraid that that is the reality of post 9/11 air travel or even bus travel.
 
I visited the World Trade Center with my family exactly three weeks before 9/11. On our visit to NYC, I carried my usual knife, a pearl handled gents folder with a 3-inch blade. Definitely Not a weapon.

While standing in line to ride the elevator up to the Windows on the World 107th floor of WT South, we had to pass through a metal detector. I kind of freaked out, thinking I was about to lose a $600 folder to a happy security guard. So I reached in my pants pocket and pulled out a large wad of change which I held in my hand as I went through the metal detector. It went BEEP of course. But the security guard looked at the change in my hand, and said "go on". I said, "Gee, maybe I could be some guy with a knife or something." He replied, "No, I am a pretty good judge of character and I can see that you are not someone I need to worry about. Have a good day".

I laughed, "no indeed, I am not the sort to be carrying an evil edged weapon with me", and almost LOL.

My wife was kind of hoping I had got 'caught' and had to give up my knife, at least for the trip to the top and was observing events with a sort of stern and annoyed amusement. I kept saying, "but, it's legal and I carry it everyday, why not here?".

I wonder if I could ride Amtrak or get through a security detector with that knife on me now. I doubt it. So I don't to carry it with me anymore anywhere I might run into a security check. Not because its a weapon, but because I don't want to lose my property to safety hysteria.

Paracelsus, now living in another world
 
I was just wondering, if you're in a situation like what Paracelsus describes and could potentially lose your expensive/sentimentally-valuable knife during a random search, would it be gone for good, or through some form of red tape could you get it back?

Example: I recently went to a concert here in downtown Richmond, and there were guards frisking people at the door. It was not announced that they were gonna be searching people, nor is it posted anywhere visible that "pocket knives" are not allowed. My friend went first and had his Micra confiscated from his keyring. I went next with my small Sebenza at the bottom of my pocket, which the fella found when feeling me up. He told me to empty my pocket, I did, and he said he was gonna have to take the knife. I asked if he'd tag it for me to retrieve, and when he said no, I politely said I'd be running it back to my car, which I did. No one tried to stop me, and there was no ugliness. These were guards paid by the venue, and not regular city policemen, so perhaps the dynamics are different.

I'm just wondering how these dynamics interact, and how we can best prepare for such instances. Curious...

Professor.
 
The Yahoo article made a couple of important points: the knife was 3-4" -- they didn't bother to measure how big // excuse me, how SMALL // it really was, and he won't be brought up on weapons charges because it didn't seem to be a weapon.

In other words, the actual human beings constituting the "authorities" in this case wish no one had noticed the knife, because it was no big deal. But they had to show up to play the security game, since, as we all know, if we can only disarm everyone, no one will have anything to fear, ever again, in the whole wide world. :cool:

The real problem isn't with the old obvious places, like courthouses, that have always had some reason to be secured. It isn't even with new obvious places, like airplanes, that have become a focus of this cover-up/hysteria. It's with the totally innocuous locales with their randomly self-righteous checkpoint charlies who now decide to "confiscate" property without prior warning -- in other words, don't carry "weapons" anywhere ever because some McDonalds you go to might be banning nailclippers this week.

F that.
 
Maybe its time we started thinking about carrying cheaper knives that we're prepared to lose and leave our good stuff at home. :( :( :(
Mike
 
Something I picked up here on the forums was that when they want to take the knife, tell them they can hold it for you till you come back but to please provide you a receipt with an accurate detailed description and including cost/value. That usually turns them off, but, they have the option of complying, returning your knife to you and not admitting you in with it, or outright trying to rip it off you, in which case the tables are turned and they are now th bad guys.

Funny incident, I work in DC and went to a local fed building to visit the Credit Union, had a briefcase with me. Hadn't been there in a while sowas unaware of new security procedure. When I entered saw a security guard and he said he had to inspect my bag, OK, well I had a William Henry gents knife in it, in its leather case. Guy goes "whoa! no knives allowed in the building, I say Ok so hold it till Iget back just gonna make a deposit, "no, we cant hold them" But I gotta get in here to transact this business should I take a chance and put it outside in the planter, Well thats what I do. I come back after and get my knife from where I hid it in the planter. But check this out. I had forgotten I have a large Sebenza in a nylon sheath in my belt, and a BM705 cliped to my pocket.

I could have carried an Uzzi under my jacket and gone in, but a gents knife in a brief case "whoa"! I'd like thoughtful and intelligent security around but what we're getting is a set of strict parameters that are so narrowly focused on that they'll create other holes for the truly malevolent BG's.

I havent even mentioned the complete greyhound incident, the Sec guard that was checking out thoseolder black ladies with easter looking hats going to visit their grandkids; well the guard at one point took out of a ladies bag a tweezer, and looked at it very closely, turned it around and upside down examining it, squinted his eyes and everything, and hesitantly put it back. Forginve my sarcasm here, but elsewhere sec guards are doing that also, but letting a crazed looking blank staring guy with a fuse sticking out of his C-4 sneaker onto a plane. HEEEELLLPP!!!!
 
Originally posted by Quiet Priest
the guard at one point took out of a ladies bag a tweezer, and looked at it very closely, turned it around and upside down examining it, squinted his eyes and everything, and hesitantly put it back. Forginve my sarcasm here, but elsewhere sec guards are doing that also, but letting a crazed looking blank staring guy with a fuse sticking out of his C-4 sneaker onto a plane. HEEEELLLPP!!!!
Click to expand...

It's almost as if people actually believe that the "War on Terrorism" is truly a war on terrorists just like the "War on Drugs" is a war on drug dealers? It's a War on Us my friends. A war on us all waged by people with complete and utter contempt for those who they are supposed to represent and protect.

PM
 
... for someone who deserves it. Here is some self-alleged street tough who told police that he carries it so that he can shank anyone who happens to give him trouble in his tough, Pittsburgh neighborhood. So what the heck was he doing carrying it to Boston? That's a long way from downtown Steel City. So then the genius sticks it in his shoe and twice LIED to security workers about it.

This is not the story of some innocent little, pie-faced baby boy forgetting about the Spyderco Mouse dangling from his key chain. This is the story of a tough punk who was stupid enough to carry a weapon onto an airplane in January '02, lie about it and get caught.

Please, what a lame excuse. "I'm carrying a knife in my shoe in Boston just in case I have to stick someone in Pittsburgh." Save your sympathy for people who deserve it.
 
Originally posted by anthony cheeseboro
Considering that Boston has a new law limiting EDC to 2.5", he definitely does not live in a knife friendly environment.
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Hi Anthony,

Do you know for a fact that the proposed Boston ordinance passed? I know that it was up for debate some weeks ago, but haven't been able to find out anything since.

If it did pass, then my Chinese folder is now illegal. :mad:
 
Well he had a 3-4 inch blade and it was not declared a weapon in Mass. The bill was proposed but I have never heard about it again. Will lobby heavily if it comes to a vote.
 
The really inane thing about the whole affair is one of the charges brought against him was being disorderly. They say he caused others around him to be fearful thus the charge :rolleyes: That has to be the stupidest thing I have heard in a long time.
Bob
 
Bob, I think considering the possible alternatives (weapons charge, making a terroristic threat, etc.) that they might have thrown at him, he should be very happy with only a disorderly. And, if it were me on line behind him, I think I'd be pretty suspicious of a guy with a knife stashed in his shoe - who REPEATEDLY lied to the guards who asked him if he had anything there! I'm not saying he was planning a hijack - but good grief, for a college student he's really not using his noggin. If he really wanted to take the knife back & forth, he should have checked a bag, even a little knapsack.
 
Carlos, according to the latest issue of Knife World (Vol.28, No. 1, Jan. 2002) the law has been passed. Check out www.knifeworld.com to see if they hve further info. The law does provide breaks for people involved in activity that involves knives and provides breaks for people transporting knives to and from knife shops etc.

As for the kid being a punk, it seemed that the media and authorities saw him as a decent kid who carried for self defense. If carrying for self defense makes one a punk, then bladeforums is full of punks. I don't know anymore than what I read, my gut feeling is that if the kid had been a known trouble maker, he would not have gotten such a sympathetic write-up he. That said, he still did something foolish trying to hide a knife on a plane. That said, he is young and sometimes young people do really dumb things, as an educator, I see it all of the time.
 
Looking at the article again, I saw that the young man is an honors student at his university and worked at youth center with kids. That does not strike me as some one looking to shank someone. I would bet that most members of this forum, especially as younger people have engaged in activity that is illegal at one time or another whther it was smoking a joint, having a knife where they were not supposed to etc. It bothers me that some of us are quick to label a person from an inner city environment a punk when there are clear indications that the young man is a person of some achievement. That is not to that this kid did not break the law and used very poor judgement, still his record would hardly indicate that he is some sort of gang memember or menace to society.
 
Poor judgement! That's quite an understatement. The punk LIED to the security guards about his knife. Not once, but twice. And he stuck it in his shoe. Sorry, but I can't respect anyone who sticks a 3-4" folder inside their shoe. If you deliberately give yourself a footache, you don't deserve a whole lot of respect. Anyone intentionally sneaking a knife onto an airplane these days is not showing poor judgement, they're being downright stupid.

And I still think his excuse is lame. He had a knife in his shoe in Boston to defend himself against the big bad tuffies back in Pittsburgh? Nah.

As for gang activity, I never said anything about it. You did.
 
Thanks Anthony. There's nothing more on their website.

Sadly there is no warning given in the local news or elsewhere, and ignorance of the law is no protection from it -- as they say. I wonder how many people are walking around with >2.5" knives in Boston without realizing that it is now illegal, and if they are stopped by the Police for anything, their newly illegal pocket knives could get them arrested. :(
 
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