Real or fake Ice Pick Dagger???

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A thought about concealed pointy or sharp things and their employment in bad, really bad situations. In my opinion (somewhat backed up by experience on scenes where these kind of weapons were actually used....) the shock value of such a weapon employed from utter concealment was as great a factor in any outcome as the actual damage done in the encounter.

Against an individual with some skill - you'll never know that a blade or spike was involved until you've been hit.... Witnesses to knife encounters that I spoke with almost never saw the blade. They usually reported that one individual was "hitting" the other.

We can speculate whether one type of hand weapon (as opposed to firearm) is more or less effective in actual use, but I believe you really have to consider every portion of the equation in these kind of encounters. The human animal's response to violent encounters (or the clear threat of this kind of encounter) varies so widely that you can come up with every sort of result and have real world incidents to back up your point of view. I've seen victims that never knew they were cut or stabbed until after whatever happened was over and done. I've spoken with folks threatened up close with blades and similar weapons and noted every response possible from immediate flight (of the victim) to immediate and successful attack (by the victim). This ranged from the large and fit individual that fled on sight of a blade to the little clerk who turned into a raging tiger at the mere sight of a threatened blade attack (and everything in between).
 
JS,

Oh no doubt that writer friend was lucky.....I was also lucky when I did not have to shoot someone I had leaveled what the press would refer to as an "5.56mm NATO Assault Weapon" at them and they ran away.

He did however have a weapon of some sort when he might otherwise have had none.

Perhaps that silly spoke gave him the edge he needed. I also suspect that the hammer blow of his fist might well have had some effect and that effect would be magnified by having a bicycle spoke invovled.

This writer had experience with close quarters combat of a permenant kind some 20 years earlier and perhaps the attackers saw something that made them realize that they would not be his first or even tenth rodeo.

We used to refer to any little weapon as an "edge" not necessarily because it had an edge but because it gave the carrier one over having nothing and some level of confidence that might be lacking. I had a buddy that used to carry a bit of thin steel cable crimped over two grenade rings under the collar of a civilian winter jacket he wore down town. Now I know that was a silly thing for him to carry.....but I was with him when the five "Turks" got around us with folding knives and commented about our lack of life expectancy. I did have a midsized sheath knife that came out immediately before they could close (they started talking and laughing way to soon) and one of the two facing me did seem to begin to have second thoughts. But when Moose whipped that wire out and twanged it between his thumbs everyone noticed and Moose laughed and commented that "this is going to be fun" and everything stopped. They exchanged some middle eastern words grinned again and put away their knives and walked away.

I got no doubt that had it started to get rough Moose and I would have at the very least been cut up if not and more likely dead. The point is it did not go further. I am convinced it would have, given the time and place and who we were and who they were.

In peniology there is a theory that sureity of punishment is more effective than severity. That is being pretty sure you will be caught for a crime and given some punishment is more effective than believing one will not likely be caught regardless of how severe the punishment is.

I think that evening in NYC those two street thugs had a certainty that what ever the outcome other wise one or more of them were going to be stabbed with that bicycle spoke. I think that on a foot brige one night five turks were pretty certain that even if they "won" someone was going to get cut up with a wire and or a sheath knife. They all decided it was not worth whatever they were after.

If a bit of wire or an ice pick or a sharp rock gives someone enough hope and confidence to get through a rough spot I am all for it.

-Kbob
 
RC might steal ur idea and make something somewhat similar. ive been looking for something to throw in my boot for those down range flights
 
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