Thread: How many people CCW here?

I never understood that about the US. Here in Belgium, offensive weapons are illegal to carry.
Guns are illegal, so by extension the knife ban (not banned to have them or use them, but carrying them for use as a weapon) is logical.

In the US, handguns are legal to CCW (subject to the regulations etc) but knives aren't, even though guns are much more dangerous to bystanders and the public at large. Knives can be more dangerous in close combat, buy you don't hear of knife-killing sprees, and in a confrontation, there is virtually no risk to bystanders either. And accidents are much less likely as well.

It doesn't really make sense imo.
Carrying a fixed blade openly (for use as a weapon) is silly imo because anyone close to you can draw it before you do.

Whether you do, or don't, carry a concealed weapon, why tell people? You are simply advertising to people that you are either unarmed (not smart to advise people of your vulnerability), or that you are armed, and that they should preemptively shoot you (also not smart). Keep it to yourself, and be secure.

I have to agree with you on that mhailey. In person, noone knows that I carry, but online it doesn't really matter, I'll never see any of you and Y'all have never see me. But you do have a good point.

Bruno, knives are not illegal to carry, just certain knives. Fixed bladed knives are stronger and usually have longer blades compared to a folder. Most states have length laws on how long the blades can be even on folders. In Texas I believe that the limit is 4 inches or about the width of the average hand not including thumb. Where I live I see people carrying all kinds of knives of all lengths, But I live in a mostly farming and ranching area it's common. Knives are tools, just like hammers, screwdrivers, and pliers it's all about the use. I don't go anywhere without a blade on me. Not for defense but because they are very handy to have around.

I currently carry a concealed fixed blade IWB every day unless I'm in uniform. In MO the law is under 4 inches and I dont think there is a blade width limit. I carry it because until a few months ago I couldn't carry a pistol because I lived in IL. Most people close to me know I carry and I will talk to people I know about it and explain why I do. But the average person on the street or the people I'm not close to have no clue I carry anything but a folder thats clipped on my pocket

Originally Posted by Bruno

I never understood that about the US. Here in Belgium, offensive weapons are illegal to carry.
Guns are illegal, so by extension the knife ban (not banned to have them or use them, but carrying them for use as a weapon) is logical.

In the US, handguns are legal to CCW (subject to the regulations etc) but knives aren't, even though guns are much more dangerous to bystanders and the public at large. Knives can be more dangerous in close combat, buy you don't hear of knife-killing sprees, and in a confrontation, there is virtually no risk to bystanders either. And accidents are much less likely as well.

It doesn't really make sense imo.
Carrying a fixed blade openly (for use as a weapon) is silly imo because anyone close to you can draw it before you do.

At the risk of sounding political. Laws are often motivated to target the criminal more than the physical danger of one item over another. Blackjacks and batons are banned in most places too. Lawmakers want a reason to take people they suspect off the streets before they potentially cause violence. As you accurately point out, openly carried fixed blades are not a good weapon, so they are allowed.

Guns have a special value to Americans and thus their protected status is a separate issue altogether.

Originally Posted by wrxguyusa

At the risk of sounding political. Laws are often motivated to target the criminal more than the physical danger of one item over another. Blackjacks and batons are banned in most places too. Lawmakers want a reason to take people they suspect off the streets before they potentially cause violence. As you accurately point out, openly carried fixed blades are not a good weapon, so they are allowed.

Guns have a special value to Americans and thus their protected status is a separate issue altogether.

Fairly well said.

Originally Posted by Bruno

I never understood that about the US. Here in Belgium, offensive weapons are illegal to carry.
Guns are illegal, so by extension the knife ban (not banned to have them or use them, but carrying them for use as a weapon) is logical.

In the US, handguns are legal to CCW (subject to the regulations etc) but knives aren't, even though guns are much more dangerous to bystanders and the public at large. Knives can be more dangerous in close combat, buy you don't hear of knife-killing sprees, and in a confrontation, there is virtually no risk to bystanders either. And accidents are much less likely as well.

It doesn't really make sense imo.
Carrying a fixed blade openly (for use as a weapon) is silly imo because anyone close to you can draw it before you do.

Bruno, I think you are missing the larger point,-there's no such thing as an offencive weapon,unless its used in that manner. If I stab you the knife (or whatever I have used is being used in an offencive manner. That would be true whether it was a bat or a screwdriver,its how you use an object that makes it offencive or defencive,its the same crap they try to use here about so called "Assault Rifles" because there black and have those scary bayonet lugs,....If I attacked you with a hammer that was black would that make it an Assault Hammer? No the way it was used is what dictates what it is, and one last thing, even though you read about shootings here in the U.S.,its skewed to make it seem more frequent than it really is,compared to the amount of guns and people carrying them the number that are misused is quite small, I've been carrying a gun for thirty-one years and nobody even knows I have one on me,unless I want them to,and the mere presence of a gun stops many conflicts just by it's presence. Two last points, there are no accidents, just bad judgment,and poor handling skills,and unfortunately some use there gun as a set of balls that they weren't born with,and the second point is that the press NEVER,and I mean NEVER reports when an armed individual saves his or her own life BECAUSE they were armed.

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

Bruno, I think you are missing the larger point,-there's no such thing as an offencive weapon,unless its used in that manner. If I stab you the knife (or whatever I have used is being used in an offencive manner. That would be true whether it was a bat or a screwdriver,its how you use an object that makes it offencive or defencive,its the same crap they try to use here about so called "Assault Rifles" because there black and have those scary bayonet lugs,....If I attacked you with a hammer that was black would that make it an Assault Hammer? No the way it was used is what dictates what it is,

That was exactly my point.
I can carry a knife if the reason for carrying is something else than 'using it as a weapon'.
No cop would mind my swiss army knife, because everyone knows they are just general purpose tools.
Ditto for a leatherman etc. Otoh, my spyderco looks 'aggressive' and there is a good chance that cops would mind, even though the blade is really not bigger than the blade in my SAK.

Originally Posted by Grizzley1

Two last points, there are no accidents, just bad judgment,and poor handling skills,and unfortunately some use there gun as a set of balls that they weren't born with

That is semantics. Accidents are unintended events. A cop accidentally shooting a prostrate person in the back is an accident. A kid finding his fathers gun and killing his brother is an accident. shooting yourself in the foot is an accident. Sure, they are still the result of human error, but accidents nonetheless. You could do everything right, and still there could be the chance of something going wrong. Bullets can fire even without the trigger being pulled.

If you don't believe the last one, head over to the darwin awards website to find the confirmed report of a father 'proving' to his son that the safety made his gun perfectly safe. He slammed the stock on the floor, causing the bullet to fire due to the shock, shooting himself through the head. Granted, you could still argue that those were stupid things (and I agree) but even then, the gun could have fallen just wrong with the same results. Accidents do happen. Just because you can find a cause doesn't mean they are not accidents. Otherwise, nothing is an accident because everything has a root cause.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Sure, they are still the result of human error, but accidents nonetheless. You could do everything right, and still there could be the chance of something going wrong. Bullets can fire even without the trigger being pulled.

If you don't believe the last one, head over to the darwin awards website to find the confirmed report of a father 'proving' to his son that the safety made his gun perfectly safe. He slammed the stock on the floor, causing the bullet to fire due to the shock, shooting himself through the head. Granted, you could still argue that those were stupid things (and I agree) but even then, the gun could have fallen just wrong with the same results. Accidents do happen. Just because you can find a cause doesn't mean they are not accidents. Otherwise, nothing is an accident because everything has a root cause.

Just getting technical here, not judging

That is called a slam fire and can occur either by the spring in the bolt of the rifle being released, or if the Firing Pin has the ability to be in contact with the primer, this is a known condition, and a known safety issue... (Colt SAA owners always carried 5 not 6 and rested on an empty chamber for this reason, early M-16's were prone to slam fires too)

Therefore it can be said that it was still not an accident, but unsafe gunhandling... and yes that was Semantics, I tend to look at how many Gun Rules somebody broke for the "accident to occur"

Gunhandling 101 He broke a few rules

There is NO such thing as a safety...

Never point a weapon at something you do not intend to kill (The PC crowd has changed this from Kill to Destroy)

Never handle a weapon carelessly or with disregard to proper safety

Never chamber a weapon, or leave a weapon chambered, without cause (this rule is open to interpetation for Police and Military)


And I am out again, as I try and stay away from gun discussions

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Just getting technical here, not judging

That is called a slam fire and can occur either by the spring in the bolt of the rifle being released, or if the Firing Pin has the ability to be in contact with the primer, this is a known condition, and a known safety issue... (Colt SAA owners always carried 5 not 6 and rested on an empty chamber for this reason, early M-16's were prone to slam fires too)

Therefore it can be said that it was still not an accident, but unsafe gun handling... and yes that was Semantics, I tend to look at how many Gun Rules somebody broke for the "accident to occur"

Gunhandling 101 He broke a few rules

There is NO such thing as a safety...

Never point a weapon at something you do not intend to kill (The PC crowd has changed this from Kill to Destroy)

Never handle a weapon carelessly or with disregard to proper safety

Never chamber a weapon, or leave a weapon chambered, without cause (this rule is open to interpetation for Police and Military)


And I am out again, as I try and stay away from gun discussions

Thanks Glen, you said everything I was going to with the exception of it being semantics. It was poor gun handling pure and simple, and that MY opinion, people can agree or not but,thank God I've never had an "accident" with a firearm and have had them around my whole life. I don't leave them with one in the pipe,nor do I count on a safety to make up for my carelessness, and I have never had a gun go off for no reason whatsoever,not once. One last thing, when not in use I keep them in a safe where they belong, and the one that's left out is hidden,and has the magazine out and in a different place,I find it keeps things safe that way.