Well S/F - I don't have that problem! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hi P/K,

I guess SW Missouri area would be a good none "sheeple" place to be then....the Ozark Plateau sounds cool...."a wooded hilly region of rivers and narrow winding lakes"....according to my Atlas. Sounds like Pitman's type of scenary...you should post some pic's of where you are because it sure sounds beautiful.

I went to Dorset over here to do a course with some guys your old regiment were named after (just kidding <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ) and all the locals would say when you said how lovely Dorset was....because it has no motorways going through it and is quite unspoilt...was that "if ye like it like this....tell no-one"....and they are right. The best places only stay that way if you can keep them quiet....I live in wild scenary in one of our national parks....and you can see as many tourist hill walkers as sheep some days on the hills....and not a single one of them would probably be wearing a fixed bladed knife. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" />

Hmmm... My experiences seem rather different than those of many in this thread.

Perhaps it's because I'm an outdoorsman, but few people question me about knives I carry. I don't hide them. Do people look at me funny because I'm carrying a knife? I don't know; I don't check so I don't notice. Every now and then, someone will ask me about a knife they see me carrying... I give them direct and worthwhile answers. If they bring up the subject of weapons, I answer them plainly. I don't try to make my answers PC. No need to make "sheeple" assumptions about them; they're asking something they don't know, because they are seeking to learn.

I find most people open and sensible when offered good explanations. Most of my lovers, friends, and family have started carrying knives, once they understood how useful of tools they are, and how important it is to be responsible for self defense and defense of loved ones.

I've met people who were not yet well informed, but I haven't met many people who were truly incorrigible.

Welcome to the Yard, newdogma. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Maybe somebody should print some handbills or something, similar to how gun-rights advocates print up micro editions of our Constitution.

1.) Knives are not weapons. They are tools. A tool is an item designed to perform a task. Sometimes that task is very specific and sometimes it is very broad. Hammers, knitting needles, fingernail clippers, and catching mitts are all tools. Tools give us capabilities that we would not otherwise have. A weapon is a tool which is used to cause injury. "Weapons" are a sub-type, or a smaller group within that of "tools". Some types of tools are specially designed to cause injury, to be weapons, like swords. Other times, a weapon is merely a tool that is used in a way it wasn't designed to be used, like baseball bats. The difference between a weapon and a tool in everyday life is that of intended use. A four-door sedan has a potential to cause injury and death, but that is not its purpose, and if used this way deliberately it is a corruption of the intended use. Versus an armored tank, which is designed and intended to be used in battle. A sedan is a useful tool, a tank is a deadly weapon. A knife could be used as a weapon to cause injury, but that is not its intended purpose.

2.) A desire to carry a knife is not a desire to be armed. Some types of knives are designed to be useful as weapons, but most are not. In fact most knives make very poor weapons. People carry knives to perform useful work, such as opening packages, preparing food, or trimming material. For these people, a knife is as much a part of their everyday "toolkit" as are a cellphone, a wallet, or a watch.

3.) Those who carry knives openly are not the ones to be wary of. Those who carry knives as weapons, who intend to cause harm or threaten it, carry them hidden. People who wear a knife on their belt or around their neck, visible to the world and ready at hand, are showing you that they have nothing to hide. A hunter, who has nothing to hide and has done nothing wrong with his gun, carries it in his arms. The criminal wears their gun under their coat where people will not see it.

(continue if desired)

only one or two people have ever said anything but i have gotten some strange looks.a majority of them from lesbians to be honest,not that it matters but is interesting.i wonder if they see it as me trying to be macho.who the hell knows.

i have a folder clipped to my pocket every second of every day.the only exceptions are when i am in the shower and while i'm at work due to their rules about "weapons".and yes,it is even there when i sleep.

i walked into a court room with a 9in folder once and forgot about it when i went through the metal detector.i told the cop i forgot about it.to him it was a huge knife and he sarcastically said "i guess so".he was chill about it and held on to it until i got out and gave it back.he didnt have to do that and some would of "confiscated" it just to keep for themselves since it was a nice folder.

i hear some of you guys from canada or over seas say how you would prefer it in the states to a certain degree regarding knives and guns and it makes me realize that we are the last refuge that isnt a 3rd world country but we keep getting more and more PC everyday as a nation.

i'm going to start a knife loving,gun toting and beer & bourbon guzzling nation on the moon where one of the biggest rules would be no PC allowed.oh yeah,you better find a job because you wont be getting no free-bee check from my country on the first of the month either.i will also control the population to a 2 girl for every guy ratio.

i will call this country MAN'VILLE or maybe just HEAVEN.

no PC, no hand outs and you fellow dogs are all welcome to help be the founding fathers of MAN'VILLE.

I don't necessarily show people the collection, but I do have a lot of non-knife friends that camp. Whenever we are all out they make fun of me for always having multiple knives on me, but it does not stop them from constantly wanting to borrow one...

Thank you everyone. I love to talk "to" people about my passion and not just "at" my wife about it while she patiently pretends to listen. Bless her heart.

I am also excited about the new business plan. I was getting frustrated that I may never get my hands on a SY blade.

I look forward to participating more often in the forum as well.

- newDOGma

This has been exactly my experience as well. I've brought knives on school camping trips before (my school is very chill about that, on camping trips at least) and people look at me weird and get freaked out, but I also get requests to borrow it all the time. my SOP is to bring a knife for use and a SAK for lending