- Joined
- Nov 23, 2007
- Messages
- 20
I used to carry a Buck model 527 pocket knife which had a 1 7/8 inch long plain edge blade. I carried this particular knife for so many years that I thought nothing of using it in any public venue. It was a nice small innocuous looking utility knife in appearance that would be considered belonging to the so called gentleman genre of pocket knives and certainly not related to a tactical weapon by any stretch of the imagination regardless of how elastic one's definition was of tactical. I thought that its scare factor was right up there along side the average pair of nail clippers. My belief in this matter was soon to be publicly disabused.
Two weeks before the September 11, 2001 terrorist's assault on this country I had to fly to Minneapolis. I carried the 527 in my pocket without any thought whatsoever. I was not necessarily overcome with unencumbered joy of having to fly again as I find the whole process to share more in common with the concept of an ordeal rather than a delightful experience since being tall resulted in sitting in a narrow seat with one's legs perilously angled in the general direction of one's shoulders. I was not looking forward to this mode of travel at all but time constraints and practicality ruled out driving to the city.
The return trip required that I fly to Washington D.C. in order to connect to a flight home to New England. It was a long layover and by the time we actually loaded the aircraft I was tired and more than a bit cranky. Little did I realize that the fun was just about to commence. We sat on the tarmac without any indication of actually making an attempt to take off from the runway for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time. I finally politely inquired of a passing steward why there appeared to be a unknown flight delay. He informed me the the Air Phone that was mounted on the back of the seat in front of me was not seated correctly in its cradle and he was off to try to find a suitable tool to address this issue.
I looked at the phone and thought that the way this trip was going there was a very real possibility that I might not return home while I was still capable of actually remembering the address where I lived. Without hesitation I removed my small knife and started poking around between the back of the handset and its cradle. I finished seating the handset fully in the cradle just as the steward returned with one of the plastic knives that airlines at that time issued to passengers for trying to cope with what passed for airline cuisine that they begrudgingly handed out to those whose misfortune was to have chosen this form of transportation in the first place.
The woman in the seat behind me started to scream HE'S GOT A KNIFE!!!!!! at the top of her lungs. The volume and intensity of her exclamation was such that it could have effectively been employed in place of a fog horn off the coast of a dangerously rocky shore in order to give warning to unwary mariners transiting the area. I looked at the steward and in a travel weary and fatigued voice said to him that FAA regulations allowed passengers to possess a knife whose blade length did not exceed 3 inches and this specific knife had a blade length of 1 and 7/8 inches. The steward to his credit calmly said that actually the regulations allowed passengers the possession of knives with a blade length of 4 inches maximum. He then gave me a slight nod of his head and strolled away.
Apparently the steward's explanation, which was delivered in a voice loud enough for the benefit of those in the cheap seats which actually included all of us, was not sufficient for the Snowflake who screamed and evidently was very disappointment that a SWAT team had not boarded the aircraft, threw out a few flashbangs and then proceeded to remove me in irons. The next public utterance from this dimwit was WHILE HE CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED ON A SCHOOL GROUND WITH THAT KNIFE!!!!! I was sorely tempted to reply to her that she was actual irrefutable proof that there is no viable life forms at the shallow end of the gene pool but thought that these sorts of idiots will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience so what would be the point.
It also entered my thoughts that perhaps I could point out to this fool that the airlines have always provided a suitable self defense weapon to each individual passenger in the form of the glossy heavy magazine advertising things that most normal folks were not interested in buying even if they could afford to do so that resided in the back of the seat in front of each passenger. The simple addition of a few quarters in the center of the magazine followed by a tight rolling up of same transformed this high brow consumer media to a effective ersatz baton the application of which to the solar plexus end on or sideways to any available limb of the threat could be an effective self-defense tool. As far as I was aware passengers were allowed to carry change on their persons without restriction so this was a viable alternative for those choosing to take responsibility for their own individual safety in a moment of extremis. Instead of saying anything in response I concentrated on repeating my address to myself in a quiet voice which struck me as a more productive usage of my time.
I have read many comments over the years mentioning the universal ubiquitous nature of Swiss Army Knives and how many folks recognize them as the tools they are as opposed to their being a deadly weapon more appropriate to belonging in the armory of a Mall Ninja. While there will always be people whose first response to a life problem is to curl up on the floor in a fetal position while pleading in a whiny voice please don't hurt me there are still sufficient folks in my experience who understand that a SAK is definitely not the first choice of weapon to the criminal element and as such does not necessarily need to engender an unreasonable reaction of abject fear upon seeing one in the real world.
Knives and firearms share the same attribute that their very existence is not indicative of a discernable threat to Western Civilization for the simple reason that they do not have the inherent ability for a rational or irrational decision making process by themselves. Their employment is wholly governed by the actions of their owners. If you wave any knife around like a fool then you can expect to garner unwelcome attention and all that that entails. If you employ this most valuable of tools in a responsible low key manner then most, but not all witnesses to your usage of same will pass by without benefit of hysterical comment.
And if you happen to find yourself off shore in the Atlantic Ocean and hear what at first appearance strikes you as a fog horn warning of unfriendly shores directly in your path make sure you keep your knife firmly secured in your pocket just in case that woman from my flight has in fact secured employment as a replacement for a fog horn.......an interaction with her will just lead to feeling your brains start to dribble out you ears.....
Harry
Two weeks before the September 11, 2001 terrorist's assault on this country I had to fly to Minneapolis. I carried the 527 in my pocket without any thought whatsoever. I was not necessarily overcome with unencumbered joy of having to fly again as I find the whole process to share more in common with the concept of an ordeal rather than a delightful experience since being tall resulted in sitting in a narrow seat with one's legs perilously angled in the general direction of one's shoulders. I was not looking forward to this mode of travel at all but time constraints and practicality ruled out driving to the city.
The return trip required that I fly to Washington D.C. in order to connect to a flight home to New England. It was a long layover and by the time we actually loaded the aircraft I was tired and more than a bit cranky. Little did I realize that the fun was just about to commence. We sat on the tarmac without any indication of actually making an attempt to take off from the runway for what seemed to be an interminable amount of time. I finally politely inquired of a passing steward why there appeared to be a unknown flight delay. He informed me the the Air Phone that was mounted on the back of the seat in front of me was not seated correctly in its cradle and he was off to try to find a suitable tool to address this issue.
I looked at the phone and thought that the way this trip was going there was a very real possibility that I might not return home while I was still capable of actually remembering the address where I lived. Without hesitation I removed my small knife and started poking around between the back of the handset and its cradle. I finished seating the handset fully in the cradle just as the steward returned with one of the plastic knives that airlines at that time issued to passengers for trying to cope with what passed for airline cuisine that they begrudgingly handed out to those whose misfortune was to have chosen this form of transportation in the first place.
The woman in the seat behind me started to scream HE'S GOT A KNIFE!!!!!! at the top of her lungs. The volume and intensity of her exclamation was such that it could have effectively been employed in place of a fog horn off the coast of a dangerously rocky shore in order to give warning to unwary mariners transiting the area. I looked at the steward and in a travel weary and fatigued voice said to him that FAA regulations allowed passengers to possess a knife whose blade length did not exceed 3 inches and this specific knife had a blade length of 1 and 7/8 inches. The steward to his credit calmly said that actually the regulations allowed passengers the possession of knives with a blade length of 4 inches maximum. He then gave me a slight nod of his head and strolled away.
Apparently the steward's explanation, which was delivered in a voice loud enough for the benefit of those in the cheap seats which actually included all of us, was not sufficient for the Snowflake who screamed and evidently was very disappointment that a SWAT team had not boarded the aircraft, threw out a few flashbangs and then proceeded to remove me in irons. The next public utterance from this dimwit was WHILE HE CERTAINLY WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED ON A SCHOOL GROUND WITH THAT KNIFE!!!!! I was sorely tempted to reply to her that she was actual irrefutable proof that there is no viable life forms at the shallow end of the gene pool but thought that these sorts of idiots will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience so what would be the point.
It also entered my thoughts that perhaps I could point out to this fool that the airlines have always provided a suitable self defense weapon to each individual passenger in the form of the glossy heavy magazine advertising things that most normal folks were not interested in buying even if they could afford to do so that resided in the back of the seat in front of each passenger. The simple addition of a few quarters in the center of the magazine followed by a tight rolling up of same transformed this high brow consumer media to a effective ersatz baton the application of which to the solar plexus end on or sideways to any available limb of the threat could be an effective self-defense tool. As far as I was aware passengers were allowed to carry change on their persons without restriction so this was a viable alternative for those choosing to take responsibility for their own individual safety in a moment of extremis. Instead of saying anything in response I concentrated on repeating my address to myself in a quiet voice which struck me as a more productive usage of my time.
I have read many comments over the years mentioning the universal ubiquitous nature of Swiss Army Knives and how many folks recognize them as the tools they are as opposed to their being a deadly weapon more appropriate to belonging in the armory of a Mall Ninja. While there will always be people whose first response to a life problem is to curl up on the floor in a fetal position while pleading in a whiny voice please don't hurt me there are still sufficient folks in my experience who understand that a SAK is definitely not the first choice of weapon to the criminal element and as such does not necessarily need to engender an unreasonable reaction of abject fear upon seeing one in the real world.
Knives and firearms share the same attribute that their very existence is not indicative of a discernable threat to Western Civilization for the simple reason that they do not have the inherent ability for a rational or irrational decision making process by themselves. Their employment is wholly governed by the actions of their owners. If you wave any knife around like a fool then you can expect to garner unwelcome attention and all that that entails. If you employ this most valuable of tools in a responsible low key manner then most, but not all witnesses to your usage of same will pass by without benefit of hysterical comment.
And if you happen to find yourself off shore in the Atlantic Ocean and hear what at first appearance strikes you as a fog horn warning of unfriendly shores directly in your path make sure you keep your knife firmly secured in your pocket just in case that woman from my flight has in fact secured employment as a replacement for a fog horn.......an interaction with her will just lead to feeling your brains start to dribble out you ears.....
Harry
Also, what the hell does this have to do with Multi-Tools? This forum is for nerding out about the number of flathead screwdrivers that come on a Leatherman (too damn many, I say!)
