What Would You Have Done?

[kevinmccune]

Critics say these saws won't help if your path is blocked by a large tree. This just isn't true. On two occasions, I've cut branches off 24" diameter trees to make room to lift the bike over the fallen trunk.

I used to have a "Bushman Raker" that thing cut through wood like a sharp knife through cold margarine.( Brothers left it at a campsite, never been able to find its equal.

 

[J.R.]

Critics say these saws won't help if your path is blocked by a large tree. This just isn't true. On two occasions, I've cut branches off 24" diameter trees to make room to lift the bike over the fallen trunk.

I've done the same with one made by Gerber. Came with 3 different blades, coarse-med-fine. Amazing little saw.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Interesting to read American opinions. For what it is worth, some countries such as UK forbid carrying any knives in the public places.

 

[kevinmccune]

Interesting to read American opinions. For what it is worth, some countries such as UK forbid carrying any knives in the public places.

With good reason.

 

[6zfshdb]

Interesting to read American opinions. For what it is worth, some countries such as UK forbid carrying any knives in the public places.

Would a folding hand saw, like those discussed above, be considered a knife and therefore illegal in these countries?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

A bit harsh?

Yes, exactly.

I think if you draw a gun and open fire in a public place, pretty much regardless of context you are taking your chances.

One of the things that is often forgotten when discussing using a firearm in self defense is that in most jurisdictions you have a duty to retreat or disengage if you can. About the only exception to that (again most of the time) is in your own home, you don't have a duty to retreat from a dangerous intruder in your home. There are less stringent exceptions that apply when your life and safety, and sometimes the life and safety of others, is in immediate peril.

In most mass shooting scenarios (and we have too damned many of them) you very likely would have an opportunity to GTFO safely and wouldn't need to get in a gunfight.

So for sure if you were in the Safeway parking lot when a mass shooter started murdering people inside, if you grabbed your pump-action shotgun (modified to carry 7 rounds, buckshot, skeet chokers) and ran inside to get in on the fun you'd be on your own.

 

[Cowlitz]

Interesting to read American opinions. For what it is worth, some countries such as UK forbid carrying any knives in the public places.

I always carried a pocket knife around with me at work. They come in handy to pick stickers out of your hands, cut up an apple for lunch, pry out a jammed staple in a staple gun, cut stuff, etc.

Those little scissors in a Swiss Army knife are also very handy to have.

Working in the forest is a different kind of world. When someone asks to borrow your knife to cut their food, you first must say, "Be careful, it is razor sharp." and after they start cutting, you say something like, "Yup, the last thing I used that knife on was a dead skunk."

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I always carried a pocket knife around with me at work. They come in handy to pick stickers out of your hands, cut up an apple for lunch, pry out a jammed staple in a staple gun, cut stuff, etc.

My preferences was either the very smallest Swiss Army Knife or a very small locking blade knife.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

In the thousands of trail miles I've logged, I thought I'd seen it all. I was riding a rural and fairly remote section of the Pine Creek Trail this morning and came up behind this middle aged guy. He was walking down the center of the trail, idly swinging a double edged hatchet! I stopped about 100 feet behind him to decide what to do.

There was no-one else around and we were several miles from houses or a trailhead. I was in an area where I rarely encounter a walker let alone one wielding a weapon! Do I turn around and try to detour around him? Should I follow at a safe distance to see what he does? Should I call the police? There was no cell service at that spot so this wasn't an option. Besides, he hadn't actually threatened me so no crime had been committed.

There was no easy detour around so after thinking about it, I decided I was just being paranoid. I moved closer and rang my bell. He hadn't seen me at that point and it startled him. He stopped swinging the hatchet and, moved to the side of the trail but made no threatening move toward me. He was neatly dressed and didn't look deranged so I passed giving him as much space as possible. I watched in my mirror as he moved back to the trail center and resumed swinging his ax! It was one of the most bizarre experiences I've had on the trail so far!

In retrospect, I wonder if I made the right choice. What would you have done?

Depends on the "neighborhood".

 

[PedalUma]

It's amazing what those little saws can cut through. I've carried one for decades on the motorbikes and slip it into my mtb pack if it's been windy. Dors that mean I'm carrying a concealed weapon?
View attachment 134518

I would say No, not if it has sap on it and other marks from use. Martial Arts in China developed from farm implements. Peasants couldn't work without them.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

Interesting to read American opinions. For what it is worth, some countries such as UK forbid carrying any knives in the public places.

Punishing everyone for the crimes of the few. I've carried a pocket knife, every day since Christmas in 6th grade when I was given one as a gift from my parents, I'm 53 now. Millions of people are just like me, carry them as a tool, not as a weapon.

My kids now carry pocket knives, because they recognized that they can be useful tools. They have been taught to control themselves and understand that they're not toys.

 

[PedalUma]

I do think that context is everything. Being in rural Lancaster is different than on an airplane. Being in a heavily wooded trail setting is different than an urban path. Those brothers in Manitoba killed a bunch of people this week with knives. 10 dead, 18 wounded. Last I heard 4 are critical. Knives are something not to take lightly in public. The kitchen or where it is a useful tool is different.

 

[Kayakguy]

Like several other trail riders I know, I carry a folding 10" hand saw for emergency trail work. It's gotten me through a few trail blockages over the years.

View attachment 134517

Some years back, we had an ice storm locally, which brought down a lot of tree limbs and even whole trees. At one road blockage, as the vehicles piled up, I saw several guys jump out and grab their chain saws. Being cold and damp as it was, every one of the chain saws refused to start--too much moisture in the gas, plus probably weak spark. Several people who hoped to be the hero of the evening ended up quite crestfallen.

 

[Kayakguy]

Punishing everyone for the crimes of the few. I've carried a pocket knife, every day since Christmas in 6th grade when I was given one as a gift from my parents, I'm 53 now. Millions of people are just like me, carry them as a tool, not as a weapon.

My kids now carry pocket knives, because they recognized that they can be useful tools. They have been taught to control themselves and understand that they're not toys.

I still bear faint scars from my early adventures with pocket knives, beginning at about the age of 4, when I was given my first one. Didn't get my first gun that young, however. Probably just as well.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

I still bear faint scars from my early adventures with pocket knives, beginning at about the age of 4, when I was given my first one. Didn't get my first gun that young, however. Probably just as well.

My scar from my first one is still clearly visible, as well as a bunch of other scars that just come naturally growing up not in a bubble.

 

[kevinmccune]

I always carried a pocket knife around with me at work. They come in handy to pick stickers out of your hands, cut up an apple for lunch, pry out a jammed staple in a staple gun, cut stuff, etc.

Those little scissors in a Swiss Army knife are also very handy to have.

Working in the forest is a different kind of world. When someone asks to borrow your knife to cut their food, you first must say, "Be careful, it is razor sharp." and after they start cutting, you say something like, "Yup, the last thing I used that knife on was a dead skunk."

How about I cleaned my lead battery posts and battery terminals( true happening)? Heavy metal bogey plus a tang of acid.

 

[PedalUma]

I grew up in the country and felt terrible when I saw kids in NYC. I would run barefoot. Catch bugs and worms and fish all day. I would also make my own toys with my great grandfather's wood working tools and learned how to sharpen them, including the draw knife. I started with those tools a age 4.

 

[kevinmccune]

Punishing everyone for the crimes of the few. I've carried a pocket knife, every day since Christmas in 6th grade when I was given one as a gift from my parents, I'm 53 now. Millions of people are just like me, carry them as a tool, not as a weapon.

My kids now carry pocket knives, because they recognized that they can be useful tools. They have been taught to control themselves and understand that they're not toys.

I found a pocket knife to be particularly useful, after a few blood blisters and rounded off nuts( no not that kind- the castration blade is for that) I took the "Gerber" multi- tool off and left it at home, on my belt it was perpetually snagging things.

 

[kevinmccune]

I grew up in the country and felt terrible when I saw kids in NYC. I would run barefoot. Catch bugs and worms and fish all day. I would also make my own toys with my great grandfather's wood working tools and learned how to sharpen them, including the draw knife. I started with those tools a age 4.
View attachment 134548

Speaking of drawknives, back in the dark ages around here in order to sell pulpwood you had to take the bark off either with a drawknife or a tool you made from some scrap iron. A good drawknife is invaluable for timber frame construction. A good timber-frame or even a post frame is one the best, strongest ways to build with timber and it doesnt use one heck of a lot of wood either,I build post frames all the time with treated posts or locust posts.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I do think that context is everything. Being in rural Lancaster is different than on an airplane. Being in a heavily wooded trail setting is different than an urban path. Those brothers in Manitoba killed a bunch of people this week with knives. 10 dead, 18 wounded. Last I heard 4 are critical. Knives are something not to take lightly in public. The kitchen or where it is a useful tool is different.

I received a couple of RCMP public alerts on my phone warning people of these two (now down to one) characters. It now appears that the one brother is still at large somewhere near Saskatoon, SK. Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones.

I see no problem carrying around a pocket knife as I’m sure many locals here do. Not taking into account axes, guns or knives, most anything can be weaponized these days. That being said, I feel pretty safe cycling in my community and have never encountered anything remotely suspicious as what the OP reported seeing. No telling what he was doing but I would likely have done the same as the OP and rode off discreetly.

Like many cities of comparable size/populace, we do have a drug problem as opioids continue to take their toll on our fair city as well as many other outlying communities. Our city center where the majority of the social agencies are located, businesses have experienced some degree of low-level criminal activity and vagrancy but for the most part it’s likely more at the hands of a few bad apples that need to feed their habit.