A More Negative Reaction To Open Carry Of Knife than RIFLE?!

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Cosmoline

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I always make a point of keeping a knife in the old maxpedition manpurse. There's always a need for something to be cut. Earlier this summer I reorganized the setup and strapped a small sheath knife with a big handle and 2 1/2" blade on the outside of the maxpedition. It's easy to get to and I won't leave it on the desk and leave without it as I kept doing with the Case folder. It's clearly a hunting/utility blade with a deep leather sheath and bears no resemblance to any fighting knife. The idea of using it in a fight is a little ridiculous, though I suppose it might give a flesh wound.

Yet that knife has garnered me FAR more reactions than even carrying a rifle has! I've had guys come up and demand to know what I'm doing with a knife, I've had people ask me if it's for protection and had about half a dozen people stop and stare. One fellow came up and demanded to know: "What are you supposed to be?" And this is in Alaska!

Have others noticed this kind of thing?
 
I regularly carry a 4" fixed blade skinner on my belt. Ironically here in CA, it's techically a concealed weapon to carry a knife hidden in your pocket, however perfectly legal to open carry any knife legal to own. People never say anything but they do give me the occasional raised eyebrow.
 
only the pocket clip of my knife is normally exposed, and I get zero attention even while working in New Jersey.


Years ago when I was younger and stupider, I occasionally would open carry a ka-bar fixed-blade combat knife because I thought it looked cool. Can't say I recall ever having someone notice it, or at least not confront me about it.
 
I'm surprised by the reaction in Alaska, but I would not be surprised by people reacting to a sheath knife openly carried on a bag.
 
Unfortunately in our greatly uninformed and fearful culture discretion is the better part of valor. It isn't right, but it is the reality in which we live. I never open carry any weapon just to avoid the hassles. Am I right? Probably not. Just my choice. ymmv,

Jim
 
I was on a job and had to cut something and used my Buck Vantage folder. By my fellow crew members' reaction you would have thought Charles Manson was among them. I thought it was pretty funny. I showed them the knife blade on my Leatherman Wave which is about the same length but I guess because it was a multi-tool they were much more calm about that. There's no accounting for what goes through people's minds.

On a side note, when I was very young...maybe 8 years old... we took the Polar Bear Express while on a vacation in Northern Canada. A couple of locals were on the train wearing sheath knives on their belts. I thought it was pretty cool but a little frightening at the same time. I grew out of that fear by about age 9 but I guess other segments of the population never do.
 
I think when folks see things such as knives, it makes them realize just how vulnerable we are all and can be and this doesn't sit well. Where I am right now I can't CCW or open carry. It does make me a bit uneasy in case the cosmic dice roll funny.
 
The campus here (CU Boulder) made it abundantly clear that CCW holders are NOT authorized to carry a knife over 3" Had to swap the CQC-8 for a Spyderco Harpy.
 
Have others noticed this kind of thing?
Click to expand...

Couple of years ago we drove up to Mass. for my dads 90th Birthday.
It was a huge crowd of close to 100 people. As the party wound down and the crowd thinned I went to the truck and brought out a few knives I had made to let Dad see my work. A distant cousin, of all of 14 looked at them and said "why does anyone need a knife like that"
Not feeling particularly partial to seizing a teaching moment, I said, " to scare sissies like you."
One of the few times Dad and I agreed on anything.
 
A customer walked in and told me that she was sorry she missed her earlier appointment, but she had had a nearly tragic weekend. As her husband and children traveling on the interstate the 10 year old said there was something wrong with the six year old. They pulled over and found that the seat belt had become wrapped twice around the child's neck, ratcheted tight, would not release and was completely cutting off circulation. In a panic, her and her husband did not have a knife or anything to cut the belt. Finally they realized that the 10 year old had a pair of kiddy scissors in her back pack. The got half way through the belt and the scissors broke. They used the dull scissors as a knife to get the belt cut. The woman said her daughters face went from red to completely blue in the time it took to free her. The child was rushed to a hospital, spent several days there and her doctors are not sure how much brain damage she suffered.

One thing this woman said, She will never be without some kind of knife on her person again. She showed me about five she is now carrying. Even a small Victorynox Classic a key chain could be a life saver. This woman nearly lost her daughter because of the lack of a knife.
 
I am going to tell anybody who says there is something wrong about carrying a pocket knife about this incident.
 
Here in NY State, a large locking folder carried in the pocket (as opposed to on the belt) is considered a concealed weapon. Carry permits are for pistols only, not other weapons. Therefore, you could be legally carrying a pistol but get busted for your knife.

Do I have to mention how stupid this is?
 
Interesting reaction. I wonder if it has more to do with the fact that it is attached to the bag than that it is openly carried. In Texas, I frequently carry a mini-fox river in a leather sheath, vertically on my belt, and I've never noticed as much as a second look.

Sometimes, I partially cover the knife with a shirt, but I frequently wear a tucked shirt as well. I actually feel more self conscious about it when I partially cover the knife.
 
The only time I have been questioned in TX was at a Resturant after a Civil War Event and a wet behind the ears LEO got interested in my Bowie. But his Grizzled Sgt shut him up and set him straight.

Alaska I am very suprised by the reaction.
 
bainter1212 said:
I regularly carry a 4" fixed blade skinner on my belt. Ironically here in CA, it's techically a concealed weapon to carry a knife hidden in your pocket, however perfectly legal to open carry any knife legal to own. People never say anything but they do give me the occasional raised eyebrow.
Click to expand...
Be careful. Some local jurisdictions have prohibitations on carrying fixed bladed knives. It may be leagal according to the State of California, but still be a violation of a local ordinance.

A folding knife that clips to your pocket, as long as you don't cover the clip with other garments is not concealed and as far as I can tell, so far, legal thru out California.
 
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Everyone carries something like a Buck 110 in Texas. Me, I carry a Buck multitool in a case I made from a Tandy kit that also holds a miini mag 1 AAA cell flashlight. In the little towns around where i live, it's not unusual to see a 4" sheath knife carried openly. A fixed blade knife can be grabbed with one hand to open a feed bag or something, why farmers and ranchers like 'em. It's totally legal if under 6". Odd that Alaskans would question a knife, of all things. Of COURSE they carry rifles up there when out of the city. LOL
 
The only time I have been questioned in TX was at a Resturant after a Civil War Event and a wet behind the ears LEO got interested in my Bowie. But his Grizzled Sgt shut him up and set him straight.
Click to expand...

If over 6", that blade is in violation of state code. I believe it's a felony, not sure on THAT, though, maybe just a Class A misdemeanor.
 
bikerdoc said:
Couple of years ago we drove up to Mass. for my dads 90th Birthday.
It was a huge crowd of close to 100 people. As the party wound down and the crowd thinned I went to the truck and brought out a few knives I had made to let Dad see my work. A distant cousin, of all of 14 looked at them and said "why does anyone need a knife like that"
Not feeling particularly partial to seizing a teaching moment, I said, " to scare sissies like you."
One of the few times Dad and I agreed on anything.
Click to expand...
LOL That made me laugh.

Amazing how many people think it is odd I always have a pocket knife on me. But they never hesitate to ask to borrow it to cut something...
 
The NY and TX opinions are incorrect in particular details.

In TX, since it was part of a reinactor's "costume" there is an exception to the law prohibiting carry of the prohibited big blades, swords, spears, but be warned that it only goes so far off the stage and only in costume.

In NY state there is no blade length law. In NYC there is a limit and they've been arresting people for having the clip exposed and treating one hand openers as "gravity knives", but there are lawsuits against the city because of the abuse of the law. NYC is not all of NY.

As to absurd posturing about attacking someone for talking to you about a knife, such behavior would land you in jail or a psych eval in the real world and such posturing won't be tolerated here.
 
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