Why Not Ship Knives To Minors?

alex1577

alex1577

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I'll be frank and admit it, i'm only 17 years old. Very often i see people posting in their sales threads: Will only ship to people 18 and older and must follow local laws etc. I've only once bought a knife from someone that posted 18+ only and it wasn't an issue.

So, my question for my fellow members, you guys, is: Do you guys not ship knives to minors to try to cover your ass, or what is the reasoning behind it?

I would assume a valid reason is for minors getting into an issue with their parents and requesting a refund but that's about it. Here in NJ the only law restricting minors and knives is that it is a crime to sell a knife with a 10''+ OAL to a minor, i don't know of a state where selling a knife to a minor is fully restricted, so why is it such a big deal then?


(also if this is the wrong post area feel free to move it or delete it, this seems like the most logical subforum)
 
it is a federal law not to sell to minors, there are some states that ignore this law and sell to minors


the people who post that are just obeying the law
 
MNofUSN said:
it is a federal law not to sell to minors, there are some states that ignore this law and sell to minors


the people who post that are just obeying the law
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could you post the name of this law as i don't seem to be able to find it, meaning it probably doesn't exist

just a side note: you said it's a federal law not to sell to minors. :D So i guess according to you most of us here are federal criminals.
 
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alex1577 said:
could you post the name of this law as i don't seem to be able to find it, meaning it probably doesn't exist

just a side note: you said it's a federal law not to sell to minors. :D So i guess according to you most of us here are federal criminals.
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I don't believe there is a federal law on that. I could see possibly a state law, but that would be on a case by case basis. I can see some folks hesitation to sell/trade to a minor. Lots of chance for lash back if something were to go wrong. On that note, I find that if you have wandered onto this forum, looking at Sebenzas and Benchmades, you may not be the common punk kid. I leave my option open to each situation. If I get the wrong vibe, no go.

PS: I was on this forum at 16 and had many great folks willing to deal with me, both with my posts and in the trades subforum.
 
For me personally, I leave it up to the parent on how they want to educate their child. If the parent wants to give a knife to their child, heck yeah I'll sell it to the parent. If a kid is going behind their parents back and buying a knife without their knowledge/permission and then goes and hurts themself or someone else, the parents are going to be looking for someone to blame. I would rather not be in their crosshairs whatsoever.
 
Older members respect the law. You young whippersnappers are too busy getting high and chasing tail to play with knives, anyway :)
 
I think most states, 18 is the age the law considers a person to be a legal adult and able to make their own decisions.Yes I think it is a CYA thing.

MMMMMMMMMM, tail:D
 
Liability. Personally, I don't wish to be sued by an angry parent whether they have grounds or not. I do not want a parent's, or any other lawyer, including state's attorneys to try and hold me responsible for a minor's actions with said knife in an effort to "make a statement" if the knife I sold was used in acts of wrongdoing, whether criminal or otherwise by a minor. It's just not worth it.
If a minor really wants the knife, then I want a legal guardian to make the transaction, or proof of emancipation of minor will do.

 
Jaxx said:
Liability. Personally, I don't wish to be sued by an angry parent whether they have grounds or not. I do not want a parent's, or any other lawyer, including state's attorneys to try and hold me responsible for a minor's actions with said knife in an effort to "make a statement" if the knife I sold was used in acts of wrongdoing, whether criminal or otherwise by a minor. It's just not worth it.
If a minor really wants the knife, then I want a legal guardian to make the transaction, or proof of emancipation of minor will do.
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Very well said. It's definitely pays off to treat a minor or anyone for that matter as they are irresponsible until they prove their responsibly
 
Lone_Wolfe said:
I've sold to, bought from, and traded with minors before. This thread made me think twice about it. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1043734
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Just got done reading that. It's a fair showing of how minors like myself can act. I myself am very laid back and don't let the small or even big things bother me very much, but the large majority of us are not in total control of ours minds yet and are prone to acting on impulse and anger, males especially. That thread is a testament to the slightly larger risk that is involved with dealing with minor rather than adults.
 
Jaxx said:
Liability. Personally, I don't wish to be sued by an angry parent whether they have grounds or not. I do not want a parent's, or any other lawyer, including state's attorneys to try and hold me responsible for a minor's actions with said knife in an effort to "make a statement" if the knife I sold was used in acts of wrongdoing, whether criminal or otherwise by a minor. It's just not worth it.
If a minor really wants the knife, then I want a legal guardian to make the transaction, or proof of emancipation of minor will do.
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That is my reasoning as well. I couldn't have stated it better myself Jaxx. Life is hard enough at times, without the need to add on a ticked off parent wanting my head on a stick for selling their kid a "deadly weapon of mass destruction". It might seem like an exaggeration, but some folks are pretty uptight as it is and look for any excuse to let it all (psycho) hang out.
 
Selling or trading to minors can be a grey area, if they do it behind their parents back , I think it could come back to the person who sold it or trade it to them.
I know a local kid here who is really into knives and his parents will take him to shows, let him buy knives. His parents say it keeps him out of trouble, having a hobby.
 
Yes for me it is Cover Your AXX thing. Even that may not make any difference in being sued by an irate parent. But If one doesn't make any effort. Your really letting your pants down.
 
I buy knives behind my parents back all the time (my own money, of course)
And they could care less, as long as I use my card, PP account, etc and not theirs. (because they're cool like that)
Though when I told them my collection is worth more than $2,000 they looked awfully surprised :D

Of course most of the times the topic of my age doesn't pop up, because I don't make an a** of myself.
So, I guess most of the time they (the seller) assume I'm an adult.
 
TotalDbag said:
I buy knives behind my parents back all the time (my own money, of course)
And they could care less, as long as I use my card, PP account, etc and not theirs. (because they're cool like that)
Though when I told them my collection is worth more than $2,000 they looked awfully surprised :D

Of course most of the times the topic of my age doesn't pop up, because I don't make an a** of myself.
So, I guess most of the time they (the seller) assume I'm an adult.
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I was expecting a reply from you after reading that thread from lone_wolfe. I suppose i do the same. My dad trusts me in that he allows me do as i want as long as i stay out of trouble. Age typically doesn't matter(at least 13 of course) for members on here as long as their age isn't related to them doing something wrong, essentially. We have to remember though that just because our parents don't care, doesn't mean every minor's parents don't care when they buy something behind their back, especially knives/weapons, and that's why many members choose to keep their dealings with adults. Others like Jaxx ans RedDevil do it for liability reasons, which is a serious concern in today's deteriorating society. Well, that's about all i have to say :)
 
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alex1577 said:
Just got done reading that. It's a fair showing of how minors like myself can act. I myself am very laid back and don't let the small or even big things bother me very much, but the large majority of us are not in total control of ours minds yet and are prone to acting on impulse and anger, males especially. That thread is a testament to the slightly larger risk that is involved with dealing with minor rather than adults.
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You're pretty much spot on there. Anger and impulsiveness can make a bad combination, and written words don't just fade away. OTOH, some of you kids have shown yourselves to be young men and women that I can respect and would gladly trade with. Dbag is another example. You guys are the reason I don't restrict my trades to over 18 years old automatically.




RevDevil said:
I remember that. He was banned for his behavior and was caught 4-6 more times. Little do people know that we have sooper toolz that allow us to see through phony names and ID returning trolls.
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I saw that he got himself banned later. I was hoping he'd take the lessons he learned from that thread going forward. Too bad, he's a bright kid.
 
I just read that thread and picked up a few things from it.

My interest in knives has grown since being on this forum and it grew leaps and bounds after reading that thread, mostly because of the people that seem to be regular posters regardless of age.

One of my biggest complaints with society now is that our school system is incredibly sub par. It's easily noticed by the lack of the simple skill of completing sentences or spelling words that are on a 3rd grade level. A piece of me believes this is partly due to the text message and general internet jargon. I don't believe this is a valid excuse, but rather should be a reason to better proof any posts made simply because they will be read by other people.

Most of the people in that thread, especially most of the members under the age of 18 should be commended on the ability to grasp the English language as intended. A good friend of mine is an adult and I can't understand half of what he sends me via text. And its not because of some new abbreviation used, just a lack of basic English skills.

In addition to the previous reason, the level of tact used by most on that thread was amazing. I play video games and can't believe what I hear from kids who can't be more than 10 years old. Being that there were several members between 15-18 years old posting and agreeing with the right thing makes me proud that our society still has at least a few straight thinkers when today it seems to be commonplace and even applauded to have an acceptance of someone's deranged opinions.

And some background on me, I am 34 years old and have been buying knives on my own since I was 10 years old at fairs/festivals, unfortunately most of cheap quality, but have been handed down a few knives from time to time from my grandfather. My opinion of whether or not I would sell/trade with a minor is dependant on how well someone represents them self.
 
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