Question of ettiquette..

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geophysicishooter

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A forum member recently posted that a family member had given him a gun. That's an awesome gift even if it is in 9mm. :D

My question is: Does the etiquette that applies to giving someone a knife also apply to giving someone a gun? Or does that only exist in certain parts of the country, like eating black eyed peas on New Years? Growing up, anytime my dad would give me a knife, he'd make me give him something (always of little or nominal value) because he said it was bad luck to take a knife and not give anything in return. I've experienced this all my life. When someone gives you a knife or you give someone a knife there has to be an exchange; the article can never be simply given away...

does the same apply to firearms? and have you ever heard of this tradition or etiquette?? if so where and from whom did you learn it?
 
Heard of this with knives, never guns.

Having a bit of *ahem* hillbilly *ahem* in me, I'm well aware of this custom regarding knives. Never heard of it with a gun, though.
 
Growing up, anytime my dad would give me a knife, he'd make me give him something (always of little or nominal value) because he said it was bad luck to take a knife and not give anything in return.
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In my family it was that you must give money (usually a penny) with the knife -- lest your friendship be "severed" by the gift.


And yes, it is Appalachian (i.e., hillbilly) in origin, I believe.
 
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As yes it is Appalachian (i.e., hillbilly) in origin, I believe.
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I have lived in SW PA and now in Northern WV and I have never heard of this.

I will have to ask around and see if others have heard of this practice.
 
That's how we've always done it in my family. When I got my first pocketknife, I gave my dad a penny in return. He didn't use the "severed friendship" explanation, but rather the explanation that it truly made the knife mine.

I would apply the same tradition to guns, but I'm not sure it's actually part of the tradition. However, the giving of guns has not taken root strongly in my family (guns are 'spensive, if nothing else!).
 
Half hillbilly, half PA Dutch. When I got my first knife from my father, he made me give him a penny. Nothing was exchanged when he gave me my first rifle though.
 
Doesn't apply to guns.We always give a penny with kitchen knife gift sets. In fact some gift sets came from the manufacturer with a penny included. Here in Beautiful Alabama giving a knife OR pistol to a minor can get you 6 mos.hard labor and/or $50-$500 fine. So check that birth certificate!
 
I can remember my father sending me to find a penny, so he could 'sell' my first pocket knife to me. I'm not sure where he picked up the custom; his family were all missionaries so they lived all over (as in India, China, and the Philippines)
 
I was told that it was a Scot-Irish tradition. And since the S-I gravitated to the unproductive, bumpy parts of the nation, the "hilljack" explanation makes sense.

From Wikipedia: A common belief is that if a knife is given as a gift, the relationship of the giver and recipient will be severed. Something such as a small coin is exchanged for the gift, rendering "payment."[8]

Have not heard this applied to guns. I do make the nephews do push ups for gun gifts.:)
 
I was told that it was a Scot-Irish tradition. And since the S-I gravitated to the unproductive, bumpy parts of the nation, the "hilljack" explanation makes sense.
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Well that fits, since my dad's mom's side moved over from Scotland 1895 or there 'bouts.
 
when you buy a knife at Excalibur they include a little card with a penny glued to it and the explanation of the tradition. you give the card with the knife, the recipient gives you back the penny, all is well. kind of a nice thing for a knife shop to do.

Bobby
 
It's an Asian thing as well, it is bad luck to give someone a knife. Thats what my mom said....maybe she just didn't want to get me a knife that christmas.....hmmmmm.
 
With the others, I don't know where the custom originated, But I've passed it on to my children. My Step Father was Dutch-German from the back woods of Kain-tuck.
 
Well, it truely is interesting the array of responses that've been posted. And the varying opinions on the origin.

It seemed to me that an indian origin would make sense (feathers, not dots) due to the bartering and trading tradition that existed prior to European arrival to the New World. That and the fact that there's a branch of the family that's Texas Commanche.
 
Henry Bowman said:
In my family it was that you must give money (usually a penny) with the knife -- lest your friendship be "severed" by the gift.
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That was my grandfather's custom, too. Somewhere, I think I still have a box with my grandfather's pearl-handled pen knife that he gave me as a kid -- with a penny in the box.

No hillbilly in my grandfather, he was English and mostly Scottish -- but a lot of Scots did settle in the hill country of the mid-Atlantic states, so the custom may have come from Scotland.

I've never heard of it with respect to a gun.
 
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