A warning on carrying spring-assisted knives.

Bob A said:

Sympathetic as I am to keeping to the letter of the law, especially for those empowered to enforce it, I think if I were hassled about a "penknife" in MD, I'd ask if I was being detained. Absent a positive answer, I'd walk away, secretly hoping for an arrest, with a subsequent fat jugdement.

I'm a greyhaired geezer myself, and tired of being pushed about by people who should know better. Education can be expensive, but if they need it, they can pay me for a lesson.

My edc is a 3.9 inch Benchmade 701. I have a spare if they take it away. I have enough money for a phone call to a awyer who would like to make some money and get some publicity.

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Ethan83 said:

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+1

Here's one of the blades I carry whenever I go somewhere(top knife, fixed blade is just to show size).
It's a Cold Steel Voyager X2 and it's bigger than a Kabar.
I LOVE IT so I got more than one. You won't find any assisted openers this big and it opens with a flick of the wrist....

Bob A said:

Sympathetic as I am to keeping to the letter of the law, especially for those empowered to enforce it, I think if I were hassled about a "penknife" in MD, I'd ask if I was being detained. Absent a positive answer, I'd walk away, secretly hoping for an arrest, with a subsequent fat jugdement.

I'm a greyhaired geezer myself, and tired of being pushed about by people who should know better. Education can be expensive, but if they need it, they can pay me for a lesson.

My edc is a 3.9 inch Benchmade 701. I have a spare if they take it away. I have enough money for a phone call to a awyer who would like to make some money and get some publicity.

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That's exactly how I would handle it, regardless of cost and aggravation for the subsequent lawsuit. It's a matter of principle for me.

Here's my primary EDC below. No spring. None needed. A simple thumb flip and it's open and locked in a fraction of a second. I'd carry a bigger folder if my hands were larger. A colleague's EDC knife unfolds to 10", with a 5" blade.

Bob A said:

Sympathetic as I am to keeping to the letter of the law, especially for those empowered to enforce it, I think if I were hassled about a "penknife" in MD, I'd ask if I was being detained. Absent a positive answer, I'd walk away, secretly hoping for an arrest, with a subsequent fat jugdement.

I'm a greyhaired geezer myself, and tired of being pushed about by people who should know better. Education can be expensive, but if they need it, they can pay me for a lesson.

My edc is a 3.9 inch Benchmade 701. I have a spare if they take it away. I have enough money for a phone call to a awyer who would like to make some money and get some publicity.

Click to expand...

Me, I take halfway approach and carry multiple knives, for more than just legal reasons. Legalities aside, you gotta have some awareness of people around you and how they are going to react before you pull out any sharp instrument. If you think cops can be dumb, civies can be dumber.

I always have a big knife (or two) and at least one small "sheeple-friendly" knife like a leatherman micra or Benchmite. The little one is the one I take out when I am in the company of people who just don't get knives. Like when my female coworker needs help opening a package. The micra is perceived as "little folding scissors;" nobody calls it it a "knife." The big one is always there for big tasks that can be done alone or when I know the people around me are cool with it, aside from smart remarks.