Knife Rights

[HankB]

Of course, if you would have to use it, the charges could be higher, but the law of self-defense then would come into play as well.

There's also the matter that if a person is violently assaulted, the perp has probably made sure there's no cop around to intervene . . . which of course means that there's no cop around to apprehend his intended victim should he resist the assault with an unexpected amount of vigor. 

[JN01]

Bowie knives are illegal in Texas??  Where is their sense of history?

And some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation are in the state where the American Revolution was sparked by a British attempt at arms seizure.

[Hawkmoon]

A knife should be considered a tool and unregulated like a screwdriver, it should also be covered by the whole keep and bear arms thingie. I'm pretty sure the founding fathers had knives they considered tools, ones that were arms and ones that were both.

I suspect the founding fathers all carried small knives. They still wrote with quill pens in those days, and the pen nibs required periodic reshaping. That's where the term "penknife" comes from. Every gentlemen carried a small knife for sharpening his pen nibs.

[Hawkmoon]

And some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation are in the state where the American Revolution was sparked by a British attempt at arms seizure.

True. And the Massachusetts state constitution does NOT treat the RKBA as an individual right.

Article XVII. The people have a right to keep and to bear arms for the common defence. And as, in time of peace, armies are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be maintained without the consent of the legislature; and the military power shall always be held in an exact subordination to the civil authority, and be governed by it.

Take note of the spelling of "defence." This article has not been changed since it was first adopted ... in 1780.

[gunsmith]

the recent Baltimore fiasco had me thinking about this subject.
I hardly watch the other cable news networks as fox is liberal enough for my taste - it was sad/hilarious watching them fumble mumble about the differences betwixt spring assist, thumb stub and switchblade.
Our legislatures are so racist and stupid.
Most folks can't carry switchblades because in the fifties and sixties teen exploitation movies had hoodlums using them, machine guns got the same treatment in the 20's - 30's and we cant carry nunchucks because Bruce Lee used them and the kung-fu exploitation movies in the 70's scared people ...
So two of the oldest common use weapons will net you a record for mere possession, completely opposite of the spirit of the 2A and the two SCOTUS decisions heller/mcdonald ....
How long have humans used knives now? Since before they were even modern humans!   

[Scout26]

Dad say that the "Switchblade laws" were supposed to stamp out teenage gang crimes.*


Ummmmm, not quite.









*- He also famously said that, "They are going to legislate us to Heaven, whether we want to go or not."

[gunsmith]

why you can't carry a switchblade.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWb_xz0OakQ

[MillCreek]

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/varying-knife-laws-can-confuse-across-state-local-lines/

A timely AP article on the subject.