Using large folder in public?

Chronovore said:
This is true in theory. However, the journey still has a cost. It's like how you could sue someone who violated your rights and you might win. You'll still need to have gone through the ordeal in the first place. Then you'll need to invest however much time, energy, and/or money in pursuing the case. Yes, you might be compensated in such a way that would cover your costs and you might even walk away with a tidy settlement. However, you can't count on that. Opposing counsel can be dishonest, corrupt, or just blindly good at their job. Judges can be biased, crazy, or just having a bad day. Sure, you could appeal but look how much of your life has now been spent versus just slicing an apple and moving on with your life.
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I don't really understand your point. Slicing an apple and moving on is precisely what I said to do. Most criminal lawyers will say the same. Unless you are certain that talking to the police will result in a better outcome, you generally shouldn't. The police may be friendly and not want to disrupt your life, or they may be approaching you with the intent to do some kind of enforcement action. If the former, then the only negative to not talking is perhaps offending a nice officer who just wants to talk. If the latter, then there is no downside to not talking, and it can only help you in court. Most people are not going to be able to do this analysis on the fly while under the stress of being approached by police, which is why attorneys recommend you don't talk.
 
sledbot said:
Found the sovereign citizen auditor.
But seriously, speaking like this just escalates things. Read the room and find a better way to communicate this. Please don't get your lines from a Youtuber you saw, please.
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I have no idea what you're talking about. I work for a law firm. Seek out an attorney for actual legal advice (or just read several criminal attorney's websites) and you will probably get the same answer. Hell, ask a police officer what they do when they're approached as a civilian by police. They know not to talk. Most people don't know the police's intent towards them. Most people don't know how to carefully select their words under pressure in order to avoid possible incrimination. In general, don't talk.
 
IMO it’s a size issue. Naturally, it’s always important to gage your surroundings.
At a group lunch, someone quipped about me using a sword to cut food. (8” overall) some didn’t laugh.
Since then, if I’m going in public outside camping or work enviroment, I’ll carry a knife that’s shorter than the width of my fist.
I don’t see this as giving up any rights. Just avoiding the uniformed emotional experts. Who are usually the loudest.
 
I think about this all the time. I'm confident that I understand my local knife laws, but I do not want attention from law enforcement. Yes, I think there are people who would see a large knife and call the cops, even if you are with your kids or whatever. Would you end up in cuffs? Unlikely, but I wouldn't want that heat. I carry a GEC with a 1 1/2" pen blade for times when I'm concerned about public fear factor. Be discreet!
 
I've read a decent amount on laws on knife rights website. I travel for work and sometimes go through multiple states. So if questioned don't say you carry for self defense. Most places need to prove intent for it to be used as a weapon for you to be charged with something. Given you're following the law in that area. As far as looking for laws theres an app called legal blade that is pretty cool. I hope it's accurate. I think it was designed by knife rights and blade hq
 
With everything going on, I would hope a pocket knife would be the last of anyone's worries.
Still, I try not to go overboard on my EDC choice and look nonthreatening. Try not to peg anyone's threat assessment and you should be fine.
 
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I usually carry a large-ish folder. Shaman or an Emerson lately. I also always have an SAK for lighter tasks or if I think someone will freak out. People in my circles always know I have a knfe on me so it has never been a problem.

As far as police go I am a former officer and unless I found it in commission of a crime or a reasonable stop it was never an issue for me. If someone kept going for their pockets in general they would be in bracelets "for my safety and yours."
 
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Most people, including LEOs, react to how you behave, not to the size of your knife. So be confident, don’t toy with it, etc. I carry larger folders and belt knives all the time, also in CA, never had a problem. If asked, it‘s a tool.
 
What is a little funny is I never thought much when carrying my chunky and large ZT 0200 even though it has the same cutting edge length, maybe even more if you take into account the recurve over the length of a police 4, but the extra long handle and finger choil of the police 4 really turn it into a long knife, and thus the appearance of quite a big knife. The black dlc blade of the ZT 0200 also helped it blend in with surroundings unlike the shiny satin police 4. And I have to believe the unique shape of a Spyderco blade with the signature hole can only draw more attention to it, no? So I guess blade length isn't always everything, as some of your guys awesome attention drawing knife pics posted have shown. That being said choking up on the choil of the police 4 and the handle being black do help it blend in ok. And the police 4 carries so well i don't see any benefit to going any smaller if it's already easy to forget it's there until I need it.
 
I do believe it is in the appearance of the person more so than the knife if legal. Kinda like when I walk my bull breed after work and I look homeless and sketchy, people cross the street when they see us, but if I am clean and have my camera hanging around my shoulder, I get people coming up to talk about my dog.
Police where I live do not need to prove anything to confiscate a knife of any size. Best to comply with questions from an officer and most will find the officer is just gauging intent of carry as a knife as a weapon is a very serious no no. I witnessed a person in the mall tell an officer he had the knife for SD... that was the last time that person saw their knife again, even though it was not taken out of the pocket. (clip was showing)
A person looking like some kind of gangster is going to have problems with a P4 in a food court to cut their sandwich where I live.
 
My current food knife is a Native chief M4 bevels corrected to 15 dps. Shown with the fixed blade I can't seem to get off my belt.
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Cuts food unbelievably well. At the restaurant when not in hand I set it on my plate or napkin like I would do with any dull restaurant knife. Friends, family, wait staff, and the onlookers. never had anyone give me weird looks or say anything.

The missing part of the equation is what part of the world you live in.

In my part of Alaska a big knife is normal. When I went to visit my sister in Minnesota her friends were not used to the 4" recon 1 let alone using a folding knife to cut a meal. They relentlessly sawed through a poorly cooked piece of meat like it was just the way it was done.
 
I love going to restaurants that don't cook steaks or other food properly so it's just a mass of gristle and dried out protein. It's really my thing.
 
BlindMouse2of3 said:
My current food knife is a Native chief M4 bevels corrected to 15 dps. Shown with the fixed blade I can't seem to get off my belt.
view

Cuts food unbelievably well. At the restaurant when not in hand I set it on my plate or napkin like I would do with any dull restaurant knife. Friends, family, wait staff, and the onlookers. never had anyone give me weird looks or say anything.

The missing part of the equation is what part of the world you live in.

In my part of Alaska a big knife is normal. When I went to visit my sister in Minnesota her friends were not used to the 4" recon 1 let alone using a folding knife to cut a meal. They relentlessly sawed through a poorly cooked piece of meat like it was just the way it was done.
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I carry a gaurdian 3 for a food knife. Do you cut right into a ceramic plate? I'd use mine more while out to eat if I wasn't worried about chipping a mirror polished blade. I had one conversation about it with a stranger. He thought it was neat, but wondered how I cleaned it. I wiped it on my dirty pant leg n threw it back in the sheath. Told him I haven't got sick yet. I think I was cutting a burger with an over easy egg on it. I still haven't got sick from it yet.
 
Once in a blue moon it hits a plate but for the most part I can get real close without hitting a plate or putting pressure on the plate with the edge. It doesn't take much effort to cut with it. If I have to touch it up then that's the price of using it. I keep looking at them guardian 3's thinking I should buy one but I've got a pair of knives on order with David Mary and the 3" should pretty well make the guardian redundant. If I could actually put hands on a guardian I might would buy it anyway but I've never seen one in stock in my neck of the woods.

As for cleaning, I wipe it off. I'll wash it once in a while when I think about it and recoat it with a food grade mineral oil. If I don't have sticky buildup I'm not as concerned about it.
 
Four and a quarter inch blade is about the largest I typically use, in a Spyderco Resilience that I reground thin and pointy, or a belt knife of my own making.

RBB2 said:
If you don't look sketchy chances are no one will give it a second glance.
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Quiet said:
if you are going to use a larger knife, I'll say this: body language, a calm demeanor, and a relaxed face are everything
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Exactly. And a smile with a quick hello to near bystanders goes a long way too. So simple.
 
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