Thread: Folding pocket knives

Taxi driver mate of mine had a Olfa knife confiscated and was reported for caring a offensive weapon, in SA ( don't know about other states) you can not carry a knife of any kind, due to stupid badly conceived and badly written regulations, having said that I have carried a folding knife on my belt for 50+ years and I am not about to stop now.

Supposedly you can carry one "for a good reason" but the sheeple will be the problem. I have always had one in my pocket and will continue to do so, but most people have Ben brainwashed into thinking "weapon" when they see one.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

I carry my leatherman when I'm working in our family business, because I'm often called on to fix things or make minor repairs or things like that. I also carry my leatherman when I'm working in the workshop or the garden, and I don't bother to take it off if I need to dash up to the hardware shop or whatever. I usually wear it when I'm walking about town to the bank, post office or whatever. From what I understand of the law, as long as it isn't a prohibited weapon (there is a list that includes flick knives, balisongs, shurikans, push daggers, trench knives, spring knives, ballistic knives, and anything similar to any of those), and as long as the blade is less than 4 inches long, it is legal to carry a pocket knife such as a leatherman. You may be asked to justify carrying it, and it is illegal to carry any blade into a school or any such area unless you have a very good reason (like you're a tradie installing carpet for instance). I would also suggest that carrying a knife for self defence is not a good idea. If you were to take a knife out in a confrontational situation I think you'd be in heaps of trouble, even if it was just a small pocket knife. So carrying a knife to a pub to have a drink is not something I would do. I would also not take a knife on a night out - I reckon that would be construed as carrying it for the purposes of using it as a weapon. I do take my leatherman in my laptop case when I go to client sites to do IT work, but not carried on my person. The number of times I've needed it to cut a cable tie, undo a screw, fix a chair, etc, make it a very handy thing to have.

I have still got the folding pocket knife that was issued as part of the tools when I joined the then PMG in Jan 1964 in Perth.

Mike

My Grandfather gave me a penknife when I was 11 yo, pretty much first thing I did was to cut my finger... "That's sharp" says I, "You'll not find much use for a blunt one" was my Pop's sympathetic reply.
I have carried a knife (or two) on my person ever since, must use one at least 10 times a day around the garden & workshop.
(Needed even more now I have some plastic teeth )

Mark
Opinel carbon steel folding (No.7)
Mora laminated steel (4") in a belt sheath

"Can be carried for good reason." It's all in the detail. You can be done for carrying a screwdriver !
Burning question is - When does a household tool become an offensive weapon? Short answer -Upon suspicion.
Life gets tedious don't it.

I can think of two folding pocket knives (Swiss Army type) that I know where they are but still missing.
1 - In possession of TSA, Kahului airport
2 - In possession of TSA, Kona airport

It used to be, hand the SAK to TSA, walk through the metal detector, TSA hands the knife back to you. But now stupidity reigns.

Hi All,
Yes I've carried a Pocket Knife, since I was 15/16 yrs old, almost 80 now. Lost a couple. Keep buying new ones now & then.
I'm told a Knife is a weapon if it has a locking blade.
My knife has a Neoprene covering, so it doesn't wear my pocket out, nothing special, just a knife.

Thanks for the input guys, I think i'll keep the knife.

You say your grandson is a responsible 14 YO? I would have no problem in giving him something like this providing that I'd stressed that it is neither a toy nor a status symbol. In other words the only time it would come out of his room is when he as actually using it round the house, and the only time he carried it around was when he was fishing or camping. Giving him this could be perceived as a measure of your trust in him.

This can actually be quite a sentimental gift; my father bought me a Swiss Army knife as a Xmas present when I was in my early twenties; I still have it now and it travels with me constantly. At work it lives in my pocket full time, at home it usually lives on my bedside cabinet. He passed away nearly ten years ago but it's a constant reminder of him.

Originally Posted by fenderbelly

Thanks for the input guys, I think i'll keep the knife.

Sad when it comes to this.
I still have a pocket knife my father gave me fifty five years ago.
On the other hand, I have several scars from knife attacks while working as a "bouncer" in hotels in my younger days. Usually a knife is easily separated from the wielder in a face to face situation, but soon gets ugly if you're shived from behind.
Upon presenting a lad with a pocket knife you give him the onus of responsibility. This is important for every child's development. To deny him that seems more "criminal" than the alternative.
I gave my son his first knife when he was nine. I gave it to him with my shirt off. He knows that is not what nice people use knives for.

I have carried a pocket knife from the age of 14 until I moved to Melbourne six years ago and had to stop because of the nanny state's interest in my safety

there was a gap of three months when I was 18 and joined the Army. There, the powers that be deemed it too dangerous to have a little pocket knife while doing basic training so they took it off of me on the first day and gave it back at the end.

I have never understood why they did this because the day after they took my pocket knife they gave me a rifle and an eight-inch bayonet to stick on the end of it. Apparently that was not as dangerous as a pocket knife

Cheers

Doug

My oldest boy (15) has at least 3 knives that I know of. He knows he isn't allowed to take them with him when he goes out. My 10 yr old daughter has been "carving" with me for a couple of years now. I only let her use the rasps and files, not a knife, but she can't wait to be old enough to use a knife. She used to object terribly about only being allowed to use the rasps and files until she stuck the sharp point of a rasp into the pad of her hand. No objections since then...

I fail to understand the logic behind a recent experience, when I got air side at an airport I went to a restaurant and they give me a bigger knife than the one that would have been taken away from me at the check-in.

Mark