Come And Take Them

Update: Joanna wins the internets by suggesting the addition to one's household of a box "...marked 'Not Knives, I Swear, Don't Bother Looking In Here.' Then when they open it and find it full of, I don't know, socks or something, I could shrug and say, 'Hey, it says right there on the box ...'"

[Come And Take] ...My one-hand-opening pocket knives, that is; I've been reading about this for awhile now. Sebastian linked to a newspaper column[1] from Bob "Will wear Wookie suit to run for office" Barr on the subject: It appears the Feds are after my Kershaw or any of the other one-hand-opening knives I own, both over-center versions and the ones with a stud or divot in the blade to let you flip it open easily. Even the ubiquitous Leatherman multi-tool looks to be on the verboten list.

Well, screw you, Feds. I'm keeping mine and I will buy more. They're tools and I use them every day, in innocent, useful ways.

At this point, they've got their fat heads set on banning the import of and interstate commerce in such knives, but once it's on the Federal naughty list, a lot of States will take the next step and ban 'em.

Here's a question: wouldn't an instantly-ready sheath knife be an even awfuller weapon? I've seen the videos (Cold Steel, I'm lookin' at you) in which a first-rate locking folding knife is beat on, used as a piton, etc. etc. but it stands to reason a properly made fixed blade-knife is even stronger -- and there's no fiddling around getting it open at all. And they're not especially difficult to conceal. Ewwwww! Cue panic!

The Second Amendment does not say "guns." It says "arms." You'd think that'd include knives, wouldn't you?

In some ways, this makes me even more angry than going after guns. I carry a gun (at least a little way) every day but I'm doing well if I get to shoot it every other week -- and that's target practice. But I carry and use knives all day, every day; use them hard enough they sometimes break, which means I'd be after some of those nice, banned ones, by and by.

What is it Tam says? "When it's time to bury your guns, that's the time to dig them up." And when it's time to bury your knives...? Might as well try the soapbox and ballot box first.
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1. Insert obligatory steam-powered comment here.
2. He swears he had a gen-u-ine Road to Damascus moment; I'm just the suspicious sort when it comes to the motives of politicians.