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What are the laws pertaining to a minor carrying a pocket knife/ pepper spray while not in school? We live in a very nice area but there are a few weirdos around. We dropped her off for work one afternoon and there was a grown man sitting in his car in women’s lingerie in the parking lot. He had the door wide open and had both feet on the ground while he was adjusting his thigh high stockings.

Richbirdhunter wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 9:32 am What are the laws pertaining to a minor carrying a pocket knife/ pepper spray while not in school? We live in a very nice area but there are a few weirdos around. We dropped her off for work one afternoon and there was a grown man sitting in his car in women’s lingerie in the parking lot. He had the door wide open and had both feet on the ground while he was adjusting his thigh high stockings.

Yeah, Thigh highs, should only be worn for formal occasions.

As far as I know, there are no age restrictions, on pocket knives. They let Cub Scouts carry them. As far as pepper spray, I don't know. I got my daughter, an ESEE, Izula, neck knife.

https://eseeknives.com/knives/esee-knives/izula/

She works in a hospital, so no handgun carry allowed. She can wear it on a lanyard, around her neck and under her scrub top. Even if someone grabs her from behind, she can still deploy it, and there's no fumbling with trying to open, it, or getting it out of a pocket, or purse. They make it in pink, and I wrapped the handle, of hers, in pink paracord. JMHO

My teenage daughters always carry pepper spray with them while jogging. I know of law that makes this illegal. I do know that it could possibly save their lives.

my daughter has been carrying a pocket knife since she was 15 and she is a girl scout only one at camp with a pink buck lock blade.

lowdogtx wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:33 pm my daughter has been carrying a pocket knife since she was 15 and she is a girl scout only one at camp with a pink buck lock blade.

I bought one of those for my wife.

Is your daughter a ninja or trained knife fighter? If not, the chances of it getting taken away from her and used against her are higher...

cyphertext wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:36 pm Is your daughter a ninja or trained knife fighter? If not, the chances of it getting taken away from her and used against her are higher...

They say the same things about handguns...so why bother carry anything?

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:41 pm

cyphertext wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:36 pm Is your daughter a ninja or trained knife fighter? If not, the chances of it getting taken away from her and used against her are higher...

They say the same things about handguns...so why bother carry anything?

My daughter, is not a "trained" knife fighter, I have shown her a few things, I know (which is far from professional) mostly about protecting the knife, and not just stabbing blindly. I demonstrated, (using a plastic butter knife) how she could use, it on someone who grabbed her from behind. Like cutting his hands, and arms, to stabbing him in the thigh, groin, or even the eyes, and face. I like the neck knife because it can be deployed with either hand, and is ready to use, without having to open it.
I would prefer, that she be able to carry, her handgun, but anything is better than nothing. JMHO

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:41 pm

cyphertext wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:36 pm Is your daughter a ninja or trained knife fighter? If not, the chances of it getting taken away from her and used against her are higher...

They say the same things about handguns...so why bother carry anything?

Well, with a handgun, a little distance is your friend. A knife is much more up close and personal. A knife isn't a magical talisman that will offer a great deal of protection with no training on how to use it... neither is a firearm.

cyphertext wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:54 pm

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:41 pm

cyphertext wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:36 pm Is your daughter a ninja or trained knife fighter? If not, the chances of it getting taken away from her and used against her are higher...

They say the same things about handguns...so why bother carry anything?

Well, with a handgun, a little distance is your friend. A knife is much more up close and personal. A knife isn't a magical talisman that will offer a great deal of protection with no training on how to use it... neither is a firearm.

But if you can’t carry a gun, for obvious legal reasons (she’s a teenager), then a knife or pepper spray is the next best thing. If your argument is that the knife could be taken away from her .... well .... yeah, that could happen. But if she’s faced with the kind of attacker who’s not afraid of the knife and willing to try and take it from her, then she’s already faced with an attacker that may will kill her anyway - knife or no knife. Better she has at least a fighting chance....especially if he’s not expecting to have to deal with a knife.

cyphertext wrote: ↑Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:36 pm Is your daughter a ninja or trained knife fighter? If not, the chances of it getting taken away from her and used against her are higher...

Agreed completely. I am amazed at the number of people that buy a device like pepper spray, knives, and firearms and cling to them for comfort as if the possession keeps the evil spirits away.

We live in a time with the best weapons technologies and the best training, yet most do not train to defend themselves in violent encounters with unknown contacts in public and private spaces.

Heaven forbid your children be placed in a position where they have to fight for their lives, but without proper training and the requisite mindset to get violent fast themselves, they will realize at the worst and final moments of their live that they had no plan, no strategy, no tactic, no skill, and no desire to fight like a rabid savage to survive. Instead, they are armed with what will kill them: the tool the parent purchased with zero regard for training.

Same with handguns. Carrying a gun to protect yourself in a fight is no use if you do not train for the fight. Fighting trains you for fighting. Get after it and get some.

Rob72 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 8:25 am a determined male attacker of any size is going to be hard to overcome.

Based on what facts?

I have seen 5 foot tall 90 pound trained housewives overcome and defeat 6 foot 250 pound men.

I have also seen 90 year old women with enough firearms training and a home protection plan to successfully defend themselves against multiple fighting age male attackers whose ages added up together was less than 90.

What I have not seen is an overwhelming majority of civilians - male or female - carrying a firearm or knife with little to no training survive a violent encounter with an unknown contact in a public space.

Odd to see this kind of debate on a self-defense forum because this next part should go without saying, in the style of "been there, talked about that already".

The argument that a knife won't help... it overlooks the psychological factors that characterize the act of predation. Last month, I gifted a neck knife to a young woman who is a friend of our family (also too young for a LTC). She was elated. All of a sudden, a spark appeared in her eyes. She felt a little more empowered. That same spark will be just as visible to potential predators as it was to me. Human predators can smell victims at a distance - it's what they do. Would the young lady be able to defend herself successfully with her new neck knife? Unknown, but she THINKS that she will be in a better position to do so, and that confidence will be visible to predators who are then a little bit more likely to choose weaker prey instead of choosing her.

There are no guarantees in life, but self-defense is absolutely not limited to being a strictly mechanical process. It's not about the mechanics of "can she use a knife successfully in a fight". It's about the whole package of the woman and how she presents, and the signals she gives off to the rest of the world. An armed woman gives off stronger, more assertive signals. People are not stupid and are less likely to mess with a strong young woman.