it scares me that theres crazy people carrying knives around and thinkin its normal to talk about it on an internet forum!
honest to god, i know the usa is different to the uk, but carrying a knife round for self protection is like wearing a condom without a date!
you are actually limiting your options in a fight to be honest, if somebody kicks off and you pull a blade you HAVE to use it because the other fella will think that you will. that means a simple street fight can turn into a full on fight to the death!
(obviously if you carry a knife for work purposes then ignore these comments, this is purely aimed at the self defence wierdos)
not necessarily...I always carry my folder with me but not really for self-defense.. more as a tool. If I get into an altercation, first thing I'll do is just try to walk or talk my way out of it... if that doens't work and I'm forced to defend myself, I won't be grabbing my knife for several reasons. One, if its only one guy, I'm trained in muay thai and know how to keep my distance with leg kicks and teeps, Jabs if I have to but I don't want to break my hand. Two, while I can open my knife one-handed and fairly fast, its still time for the other guy to close distance and harm me while I'm focused on doing something else. Three, if I do get it out and use it on him... theres no guarantee that I won't seriously maim or even kill that person. So while I might win the fight.. I'll be going to jail for a LONG time if I use it in a lethal manner.
In firearm training they say you should never pull your gun unless your prepared to take someones life with it... I think this is true for knives as well... I'll use it only as a last resort if my life is truly threatened.
Also.. there are better improvised weapons out there than a knife that are "safer", chairs, tables, wallet chains, necklaces, umbrellas, even a coat or jacket is a great offensive/defensive weapon.
and all the above mentioned things have much greater reach and versatility than a knife while not being as deadly and wound inflicting as a blade.
While there may be some stupid "rambo teens" in here trying to act tough and believe they will "cut a bitch up" if they get looked at wrong... most are harmless retards trying to act tough. The psychological trauma that stabbing and cutting another human being and have them bleed all over you is huge...even if its justified self-defense... just read some self-defense stories online or at some knife forums... its not pretty. Just think about how much a punch to the head can bleed and the blood loss from that... now imagine that but about 10x more blood.
I used to work for Busse Combat Knife Co as an apprentice and Jerry Bussy, the owner, was telling me about this guy who used one of his knives to kill this intruder who broke into his house late at night... The dude was shitting himself as hes holding this knife hiding right behind the doorframe and as the guy walks though the homeowner screams and slashes blindly at the intruder... right across his stomach... turns out the intruder was just some stupid HS kid, didn't know anyone was home... only now his intestines are spilling out in front of him and hes trying to hold them in with his hands as he falls to his knees and slowly dies... the guy was traumatized for life.. he said the worst part was the look on the guys face... one of total shock and wide eyes as his guts just spill out...
*shudder*
I may carry a knife at all times and yes, I will use it in self defense if I HAVE to, but I'll gladly lose a one-on-one fight and take a small beating if it means we both get to live.
Best,
Kokoro