American Defense Enterprises

I grew up ALWAYS having a pocket knife.  Always.  I remember from 3rd grade on always bringing a pocket knife to school.  I never killed or injured or threatened anybody.  It was a tool — Why?  Why did I feel COMPELLED to bring it to a school?  Because I never knew when it was going to be handy.

Now, when I think we live in a world where a 4th grader was suspended for using a broken pencil sharpener to sharpen pencils (the blade part came loose and he was using it to sharpen pencils)  I really start wondering where we are heading.  I used to sharpen my pencils with a pocket knife and I remember a friend’s dad felt compelled to tell my mom I was “carrying a knife”.  I had a good mom, she asked what I was doing with it.  I guess she didn’t care if I sharpened my pencils.

I just read this story over at toolmonger about a guy that saved a woman’s life over at a carwash because he always carried a pocket knife. And I start thinking about our current society and recent experiences that have made news and personal experiences I have had.

In the UK and Canada, they are thinking about sweeping legislation to regulate possession of knives.  We have talked about this before (here and here) but a google search will reveal 100’s of such stories.

Here at work, I have had people become alarmed because I was carrying a multitool:

“Isnt that illegal?”  No.  We live in America.  This is a tool, it helps me in my day to day job.  If I want to kill you, I will use a chair.

I have used my Endura OFTEN for random events that come up.

Could I kill somebody with it?  Perhaps….. But, I find the folding chair MUCH more convenient. So, why do I have the Endura?  It is useful.  I have opened boxes, cut nylon webbing and EVEN removed a fiberglass cast with my Endura (please don’t tell Bill).

I’m sorry, I guess I just got upset.  Because I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t use a folding knife and we live in a time where most of the “civilized” world considers them EVIL.  In America, since people can still own guns, at least the nannies haven’t focused on knives yet.  But they will.  And we will be a less functional people because of it.  Great.  So when I see a story on toolmonger about how a knife can be useful for things other than killing people I get disturbed because it means that the common people need to be reminded of such things.

Seriously, WTF?