i dont really see the big deal with knives being so dangerous. yes, they can be used for stabbing people, but so can pencils, pens, screwdrivers, even a stick you find on the ground at random can be jabbed into someone's eye. i guess i just don't see the big deal with knives when they are so useful. I don't remember the last time i went a day without reaching for the knife in my pocket(cutting hose, stripping wires, popping out little plastic rivets, etc.) besides, if i wanted to seriously damage someone, i wouldnt go for the 3.5 inch blade in my pocket, i would reach for the 24 inch crowbar stashed in my truck, or the breaker bar in my toolbox.
Boy, I'd hate for you guys to move here. Carrying a 6" blade on your hip is perfectly fine, folding or not. More to the point, lots of us use them every day. I live in the woods. Not "I live close to a small wooded area," I live on five acres of uncut timber in a place where I can and do shoot out the front door of my house at coyotes. (Nuisance animals, trying to eat the pets and small people...) As such, I carry a larger knife-no smaller than a 3.5" blade, and often up to an 8 incher-comes in handy for cutting stakes for plants, whittling (a Southern American occupation, will elaborate if necessary,) cutting patches (learning blackpowder,) and I've used it on more than one occasion to clear a path through a thicket in the woods or thinning around a path. I carry a blade that is completely impractical for you guys, but is the right tool for the job. My EDC is a Gerber multitool with 4" blade. One of the big jobbies, but until you've used it under the hood of a car, no complaints on size. I honestly feel sorry for you guys, and if you ever make it across the pond I will make sure you get a proper knife (right size, shape and material for the job you need.) I was raised there's no excuse for a gentleman to be caught without a pocketknife.
I carry the tiny little 1" thing that is in my Swisscard in my Wallet. I dont need a bigger one. I dont think for normal situations most people need knives. I can understand someone who is maybe working with cabling or tape all day having uses for them. I just hate them after someone mugged me a couple months back with what I can only describe as a small sword, and the guy wielding it looked retarded enough to actually use it.
Several friends live in similar places (but here in the UK) and they carry fairly large knives, machetes or axes around too. They are, like you said, a tool. They wouldn't, however, carry them with them if the popped to the shops. I live in a fairly densely populated area where there isn't really the need for a large knife or even a knife at all.
No one has mentioned yet that many of us senior citizens use their carry knife just to open packaging that younger and less arthritic hands just rip open. Buck 110 with sheath permanently attached to any of my wardrobe and tiny Kershaw folding knife(non locking - 1 inch blade) always in one pocket or another.
You could, as a multitool with a flashlight in it. You'd have to break off the knife-part though, considering you don't need that
They're tools simple as that, it gets used the same as my mobile phone. In fact why do we carry phones every day every house, office, garage has one and I'm relaibly informed you can still find them in funny boxes dotted about the place on the roadside
I always used to have a knife as a kid, I spent all my time in the woods so it was really handy. It wasn't the wild beyond like you need one for but you do need them. In cities though, you don't need big blades, that's why they're illegal. It's the same reason guns were outlawed over here. In the States and other countries where there are vast swathes of wilderness though I would want a big knife and perhaps a gun. There's a thing out there called 'nature' that alot of us Brits forget as we've far less wilderness than we used to have and our wolves and bears went a long time ago. Thankfully spending a lot of time in Finland has reminded me of what it was like to be a kid in a forest. Conversely though, I feel sorry for North America in that you can have guns in cities where they're not needed. I'm sure one day they will be outlawed over there, aside from where you do need them (like over here). I do think it an insane argument to say that nobody ever needs a knife though, they can save your life when confronted by nature if nothing else. And a knife, well, for some jobs you just need them just like you need a hammer to hammer in nails. I'm sure plenty of heads have been stoved in by hammers but it doesn't mean that we can only carry toffee hammers about.
I think the problem you have is you are viewing them as weapons, I've never once even considered using my pocket knife to attack someone, frankly it would be impractical for me to fish around my left hand trouser pocket pull it out and use it anyway. At the moment I've carrying a little swiss army spartan and today I've used it a number of times to cut a cup lid, clip a hanging finger nail and strip a wire. It's just something that is handy to have for little jobs. In my laptop bag I've got a multi-tool which comes out less often but when it does it's normally a lifesaver. If you get over the view that it's something too dangerous to let sensible people have and view it as a tool you may see the point. If you don't that's fine.
