The Role of the Small Blade in Defense

[Owen Sparks]

Shallow cuts with a razor or really sharp knife do not really hurt much, at least at first. If someone is drunk, high or just plain mad enough they may not even feel it at the time. It takes a deep penitrating stab to a vital organ or a deep cut that severs a major artery or tendons to disable a determined assailant.

 

[JShirley]

Yup.

But it may be hard to keep holding onto your victim if your hands are covered in your own blood.

 

[sidheshooter]

It takes a deep penitrating stab to a vital organ or a deep cut that severs a major artery or tendons to disable a determined assailant.

I only half agree with this. Deep penetrating stabs to vital organs are great for causing eventual death, but not so great for ending a fight quickly. I am not interested in waiting around for stabs to take effect. Tendons, nerves, muscles or bust. Cut a lane to safety; get away.

 

[silentnewB]

However, the anti-rape ARK was designed around the premise that attackers are likely to lose interest in rape if they need 17 stitches in an arm.

True enough--some years ago a friend was attacked in a parking lot by a drunk. He had pinned my friend against a minivan by the throat, so my friend drew a Spyderco Worker, inserted the tip into the BG's arm, and ran it up to the armpit. The attack ended immediately.

 

[JShirley]

Welcome to THR, silentnews!

Owen, your statement, on further review, is only true if you are specifically addressing the limitations of SMALL knives. Even fatal stabs may take hours to disable an attacker.

The quickest way to end an attack with a bladed instrument is to use something large enough that it can cut into the bone with one chop. Losing an arm may not be fatal, but it will tend to end an attack.

John

 

[glistam]

Doesn't take a very long blade to get an eye, and that is pretty hard for the BG to ignore. OSS material even suggests slashes across the forehead to make them bleed into their eyes. I've bled into my own eyes and it is not fun.

And again, as I cannot emphasize enough, I don't think it's valid to judge an individual weapon with the expectation that it be a magic silver bullet that works 100% of the time against all types of threat.

Getting on the other topic, I had considered wrc's suggestion of having a sheath to accommodate an opened and locked folder. While in some jurisdictions this invalidates the folder exception to concealed weapon laws, federal law contains no such language and Maryland state law even has case law on the books establishing that the "penknife" exception stands regardless of the knife being open and locked. I might make a leather piece myself or have a kydex one custom made.