ok let me clarify seeing as wile i slept words were put in my mouth. wile i did say that that self defense was one of its purpose it is not the primary use. nor have i ever used it in that roll. i see it as the same thing people say about carrying condoms with them "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it" i want to stress that i use it as a utility tool and it is much easier to carry and access than a multi-tool or a Swiss army knife. lol yes. you need to change your name to chief internet detective and get your self a cookie or some cheesecake
I've got a Swiss army knife attached to my keys and it's been there for 15 years. Blade length is only just over 1" though. As far as I'm aware, a blade of any length can be taken from you by the police if they don't agree with your reason for carrying it. So even if it is under 3" that don't mean if they search you, you will get to keep it.
I had a similar experience with Mr Plod when I worked as a Mechanic. I was walking home with a couple of my tools from work I needed. A pair of officers stopped me and asked me why I can carrying a tools, I explained but they still decided to search me. They asked "have you any sharp objects in your pockets" to which I replied "yes lots" which went down like a fart in a lift. I had my little rescue kit in my right leg pocket which was a little maglite solitare a small interchangeable bit screw driver, tech pliers and 2.5inch knife which was a titanium blade on side and the other folded out to a stanley knife. Reason i had these is because I learnt as an apprentice how easy it is to get lo0cked in the boot of a car by your work colleagues. Needless to say when I was searched they wanted to know why I had the knife, I explained and they let me go. Now, a 2.5in Knife will do a lot of damage but they did seem oblivious to the fact I was carrying a 2ft socket wrench weighing about 3-4Kg which in my opinion is far more dangerous as I has more clout than the standard sticks they get given.
I live in the UK and have carried a knife everyday for over 20 years. The simple fact is banning knifes doesn't stop people who want to carry them to use them for violence doing so. It's a tool, plain and simple.
I use the scissors on my Swiss Army Knife all the time. Restaurants all have one size of straw, but the child size cups are much smaller than the standard cup. The result is that my 3-year-old daughter has to hold her cup in an awkward manner to drink, because she isn't tall enough to reach the end of the straw when the cup is sitting on the table. I use the scissors to cut her straws down to a more reasonable size. That's just one of the many things for which I use my pocket knife.
I haven't yet commented on UK knife law in this thread but as a UK resident, knife owner and almost daily knife carrier for work purposes, I am more inclined to just say "don't even get me started" and leave it at that
I carry a knife daily out of habit. It is ridiculously useful at school and at work. Even more useful in summer when i work on the family farm. I also collect knives though... anyone besides me think that assisted opening knives being legal, while switchblades aren't is a bit stupid?
I am exactly the same except that I only carry one when I am working - usually in my toolbox when I'm travelling between jobs and clipped to my pocket when I am at a job, along with other tools like screwdrivers, pliers, flashlight etc.. Like you, it's a habit I picked up working at home on the family farm whilst I was growing up. You try opening bales of hay or silage, or bags of meal etc without one... It's the same with the work that I do now, just that I'm opening blister packaging or boxes etc.
Im pretty glad im not allowed to carry something I could possibly make the worse mistake of my life with and kill someone because in a moment of heat they try to steal my wallet and out of being scared I go for it. My wallet isnt worth their life. (As for utility... I cant think of day to day activity where I need a knife that much! If you are a builder or something then fine whilst on the job, but why would you need it otherwise!? To cut apples up? To slice an onion at an impromptu time?) edit: Just went through the whole thread and only found one persons examples of where they would use a knife (unhygenically, for one! Opening tins with a KNIFE you carry around all day?). The only person I would want to respond to is Jipa. Imagine you are a criminal and you know the population is unarmed - when you go a robbing you dont really need a weapon if you feel confidently stringer than whoever you are robbing, if you dont maybe carry a knife with you as a deterrent (for instance im a big guy, but like **** am I going to try it on with anybody with a knife). Now imagine you are a criminal and you KNOW everybody has a knife, you cant be sure your knife fighting skills are better than the person you are trying to robs, so you need a better weapon, i.e. a sword, or a gun. A gun is more dangerous because it can go off as the result of a nervous criminal, they could shoot it to taunt and hit someone far away they didnt notice, or YOU if they are new to the gun (try to shoot AT your feet, but actually shoot you). This particular phenominon isnt a theory, its been a witnessed thing that happens in things like gangs - how many robbers have guns in the UK? not many. How many robbers have guns in the US? Ill bet a few more depending on where you go.
That's a really bad argument for rights curtailing and fascism. "We don't allow you to have knives just in case someone who would mean you harm would carry something bigger than a knife, because they might hurt you, but if you didn't have a knife then they'd only carry knives, and that would be much better! Christ I hate that argument. But what I hate more is people who think that whatever stupid morally groundless emotion based feelings they have about knives being scary and dangerous gives them any justification whatsoever for stopping me having one. I know Nexxo will respond to me saying I'm adult by telling me that most of the country isn't, but damnit I don't care, I'm an adult and I'll carry a knife if I want.
It could be argued that Glasgow is a big part of the reason that there is a limited knife ban in the UK. Generation 1 the razor gangs, basicly guys who slashed other guys up with cut-thoats and old fashioned razor blades injuries tend to be cosmetic; cutting skin, subcutaneous and, yes, muscle damage but very few fatalities, these guys lived to hack each other up another day. Generation 2 imitates, and escalates to tipped blades, no longer is the damage limited to the outer layers of the body, these guys are getting deep stab wounds, punctured lungs, ruptured spleens, perforated gut, anything you can think of. Generation 3 we have a ban. I may have skipped a generation or two in the middle there, but the pattern is visible. I don't know what it was like in other cities that had major town planning nightmares like Glasgow, but I could imagine similar problems would be rampant. Which leads us to the obvious source of all our problems... the Government...
I think the point is why would you carry a knife? If you use it for work, put it in your toolbox. Why would you carry it around town if not to stab someone with? Its only better in the sense that knifes are one up from nothing. Admittedly ive never understood peoples desire to carry deadly weapons so maybe done see your point of view. Supply me with some good examples of where you might need it when walking around and maybe ill understand better (the ones that are illegal are the ones that flick out right? For a sharp knife in a hurry?).
