What is your opinion on a pocket knife for self defense?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “pocket knife for self defense“
About Anna
Written by: Anna
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What is your opinion on a pocket knife for self defense?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “pocket knife for self defense“
About Anna
I’m strongly, strongly opposed to such a notion. It’s better to carry a gun.
The reasons I oppose using a knife for self-defense can best be illustrated with these two questions:
In what situation is a knife a better weapon than a gun?
And…
If you can’t (for whatever reason) carry or employ a firearm, in what situation will it ever be legally permissible to use a knife on someone?
To the first point… I can’t think of a single situation in which I’d rather have a knife than a firearm.
If I’m getting mugged by a guy with a gun, there’s no way in hell I’d reach for a knife. If I had an opening, I’d reach for my gun. But only if I had an opening. Regardless, I’d never pull out a knife because it would be absolutely worthless.
If I’m getting mugged or assaulted by a guy with a knife, I’m not going to pull out my knife and try to “knife fight” him. That’s stupid. Again, I’d reach for my gun. Because it’s the better weapon.
If I’m getting assaulted by someone with an improvised weapon, like a pipe or a baseball bat, I’m still not going to pull out my knife because I’d have to get close to that individual to use it. And I don’t want to get whacked in the head (or the hand, even) by either of those things. A gun is still better in this situation.
Finally, if I’m dealing with someone that’s unarmed… then there’s no need to employ a weapon. If they’re unarmed, you pull out a knife (or a gun), then you’ve shifted the paradigm and you’re no longer defending yourself. You’re now the aggressor. If police show up and see you holding the weapon, who are they going to arrest? You.
This is where it pays to study unarmed combat as well, like boxing, Muay Thai, or BJJ. You can’t meet nonlethal force with lethal force. The application of violence has to be scalable. Which leads to my next point…
If you can’t carry or employ a firearm, then how would it be different for a knife?
Take the situation I outlined above. If you’re defending yourself against someone who’s unarmed, you can’t shoot them because you’ll go to prison. You can’t stab them either.
If you’re too young to carry a firearm, or if you have a prior conviction, or if your state restricts concealed carry, how will it look if you’re ever brought before a judge for stabbing someone “in self-defense?” Unless the aggressor had a weapon themselves, you’re probably going to be prosecuted.
And if the aggressor does have a weapon, refer to my points above. Pulling out a knife against a guy with a gun, or a bat, or another knife, is just not smart. Your best bet is to run away as fast as possible.
The only possible exception I can think of to this second point is in the case of women who are being sexually assaulted. If I was on a jury and some woman was being charged with stabbing a would-be rapist, I’d vote not-guilty. But that’s just me, and I have no idea how well that defense would actually hold up in court.
Also, it’s worth noting that the woman would be better off if she had a gun. She can keep the assailant at distance, and if he’s able to get her on the ground, it’s much easier to use a gun when someone’s on top of you than it is to use a knife.
Now, if you’re of the mentality that “it’s better to be tried by twelve than carried by six,” then it’s entirely your prerogative to carry a knife.
But you’d still be better suited by carrying a gun.
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Here is the first and most important rule of tactical knife-fighting:
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Don’t ever be stupid enough to end up in a knife-fight.
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Take your favorite knife and lay it on a table.
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Now, go outside and cut a fairly straight two-foot long stick that’s a couple of inches in diameter at its base.
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Now, lay the stick on the table next to the knife, and think about what you’re seeing.
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Would you rather be in a knife-fight, or would you rather have the stick?
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Excellent. You’re one of the smart ones.
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Cut a four-foot length of hickory or White Oak, and use it as a walking stick, wherever you go. Limp a little. It’s good “gray-man” experience.
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Maybe even look up some training videos for using the baton.
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I know. It’s not as sexy as being prepared for a good bloody knife-fight.
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Sorry.
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A pocket knife is a tool, it is generally not to be used as a weapon for self defense. Few people are trained and practiced enough in fighting with a knife that it would ever be useful to them. As far as I know, the only people with some background in fighting with a blade are U.S. Marines, Special Operations Military Personnel, and some martial artists.
Another issue is that pocket knives are folding, they are not fixed blade. If an individual decided to use a pocket knife to stab, slash, or cut someone, there is a good chance that the user could get hurt as well. If a trained individual were to keep a knife for last resort self defense, the best choices would be a U.S. Marine Corps Kabar or a Bowie knife.
In fact, if an untrained individual attempted to use a pocket knife as a weapon during a confrontation there is a good chance that they could further escalate the confrontation and get severely injured or even killed if their opponent is skilled in martial arts or knife fighting.
Provided that you are well practiced in shooting, a firearm is the best weapon to defend yourself and your family, liberty, and property.
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You must be well trained and current, if you choose to deploy a knife to repel an attack. I am prepared to deal with someone with a knife and so are some bad guys, if someone chooses to deploy a knife with little training or practice they are essentially delivering a weapon to their attacker.
So, if you carry a knife for self-defense, practice with it! Practice deploying, slashing, stabbing, jabbing, etc. Otherwise you are giving your attacker a weapon to use against you. Realize that a knife is far deadlier than a firearm at close distance, make sure you accept this with the decision you make.
My opinion is that while anyone should be allowed to carry a knife, no matter the size, blade length, etc. Not everyone should carry a knife for self-defense, that most people do not possess the hand-to-hand self-defense skills that predicate the successful use of a close-quarters-battle weapon.
Furthermore, there is a certain psychological barrier that many people, who have never been in a combat situation, face. That is, if they muster the courage to virulently stab and slash an opponent is that they often stop once the blood of their opponent starts to squirt, spurt, and splash all over them. It’s messy, to put this simply, but when a person attacks another with a slashing instrument it gets sloppy. So, most people will stop instantly once the hydraulic leaking proceeds, it takes a determined person to keep going at this point…this is important.
I’ve been stabbed before…
It did not stop me, not at all, but it motivated to stop the actor, because he truly wasn’t committed, he was put in a position, acted hastily, because he did not realize who he was acting against, and ultimately was not committed
I was lucky, and I could’ve killed him, because of his lack of commitment to the fight…that he ultimately didn’t plan for, and likely did not want.
Otherwise.
One of us would have died.
If you choose to carry a knife for self-defense, you must be fully prepared to butcher another human with it, otherwise it is worthless. Not only worthless, but it’ll be used to butcher you.
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Pocket knives are tools and as such are designed for specific purposes. There are pocket knives designed for just about every cutting need you can think of but all have several flaws when it comes to self defense. First is that pocket knives are slow to deploy. They are in the bottom of your pocket and you must find them . Even clip on knives must be brought to position and then opened and this take time and extra moves even with the quick opening features found on many knives. Pocket knives are folding knives and slow to open and have weak joints between the blade and handle that can break or even close on you hand. The blades on pocket knives are not designed for fighting except in special cases. So my opinion of them for self defense is very low, even lower then a stick or metal ink pen. Fixed blade knives are another story altogether.
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All I can say is it’s better than nothing. In order to be at all EFFECTIVE, it has to be the RIGHT pocket knife, and you have to be trained and experienced in it’s use for defense.
I have the right knife and the right training, and I thank God that the only time I ever had to use it was against a dog who was smart enough not to try to get past the knife I held between us (or perhaps I did not smell afraid enough). Freaked out the dog’s owner when he saw the knife, though.
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A pocket knife is not a super effective tool for self defense, I would suggest buying a purpose made knife for that and getting martial arts training. Craig Douglas’ company, Shivworks, makes great fighting knives and offers the training to use their products as well.
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It is an abysmal last ditch tool. It is, however, better than an ice pick or a ball point pen.
A pocket knife can possibly be a marginally acceptable last ditch tool if you KNOW how to use a small knife. Most people do not. They think you stab. You don’t. You slash-face, exposed hands, wrists and shins and ankle tendons.
As for “stabbing”? Even a lethal wound may Show absolutely no target effect for up to ten to twenty minutes. If he beats you to death in that time you have not “won”.
As for knife fighting in general? I was told at Ft Benning: “ Remember gentlemen, in a knife fight, everybody gets cut. Use your pistol”.
I have elected not to settle for only “marginally acceptable”.
I carry a Pocket knife. I also carry a pistol.
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A knife can be a good tool for self defense. With proper training and an understanding of what choosing to use a knife to defend yourself means.
Depending on where you live it could be illegal.
You could kill someone purposefully or by accident.
It will be a messy, ugly death, close and personal. You will have another person’s blood all over you.
Someone might take that knife from you and kill you with it.
A knife should be considered a last ditch self defense tool, once all other options are considered or thwarted.
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I have known several persons who successfully used one to defend themselves from serious bodily harm or death.
Its biggest shortfalls as a weapon include that you must be much closer to your attacker than is desirable and a person who has been slashed or stabbed is usually not anything like instantly or effectively disabled like a person who been hit in the head with a hatchet or had their knee broken with a club.
Folding pocket knives come in many variations but only two basic types that are termed as ‘automatically mechanically locks on opening’ or does not do so. The blade of a knife that does not mechanically lock on opening is more likely to fold while in use and severely cut you hand; especially if used in applications like self-defense.
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If it’s for self defense or general EDC I’m fine with it.
It is not the defenders fault that he or her are attacked and forced to violently defend themselves. I have no sympathy towards the attacker.
However, the defender need to learn how to use the knife defensively because a knife attack is ugly.
You should do som proper research on knife attacks, self defense and local laws regarding this topic.
Knife Attacks – YouTube (this channel tend to be graphic and quite gory)
Home Defense – YouTube (John Lovell, please check out his other videos, they’re quite good)
Reality Check Self Defence (some profanity, but shows how some self defense instructors are shit)
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