Knives: Dangerous Personal Protection Gear

We sell knives. They're one of the most popular self defense products, and also among those most rarely used by their purchasers - and thank God for that. Knives are dangerous!

Our catalog features two different kinds of knives: self defense pen knives and what knife enthusiasts call tactical folders. These knives can be used as tools but they're primarily designed to cut somebody who poses a serious threat to your well being. They're pretty, too. There are plenty of knife enthusiasts out there who appreciate a good blade's craftsmanship and aren't bracing themselves for the worst. Make no mistake, however: Carrying a knife is one of the most extreme measures you can take to protect yourself.

A Knife is a Lethal Weapon

Don't carry a knife believing you'll use it to scare someone away or just cut them "a bit" if they get too close. It takes very little force to mortally wound someone with a sharp knife and in the right spot, a cut can cause a fatal "bleed out" in seconds. Do not assume you'll be able to control the amount of force you use. In fact, knives are not any less lethal than many handguns. In other words, a knife is for scenarios just as serious as the ones you'd reserve a firearm for - situations where you're prepared to kill an attacker.

Knives are Unpredictable and Hard to See

To understand how knives work, you have to know how they're used in criminal assaults. Throw away visions of the wide, sweeping motions and threatening gestures you see in action flicks. You will never, ever see people "duel" with knives, either. Assailants conceal knives right up to the attack -- then they hit fast, and often. Many knifing victims don't even know they've been stabbed until the assailant's long gone and they start bleeding heavily. That's when they discover that each "punch" was a knife blow. Tap the bottom of your fist lightly but firmly against your desk ten times. That's how quickly someone can stab you ten times.

In a Fight Against a Knife, You'll Get Cut

You can see, then, that a knife is less of a deterrent than a way to protect your life from someone who will not be stopped with nonlethal means - a larger and/or armed attacker determined to do something terrible to you or your loved ones. If the attacker has a knife too, expect to get cut. Remember: he's probably already stabbed you a few times before you can even start protecting yourself. This is why a gun can't protect you from a knife, either. Police studies (specifically, the Tueller Drill) show that within 21 feet, an assailant can close and stab an officer before he has time to draw his gun. Training to defend against a knife is about maintaining as large a safety zone as possible and if that fails, receiving the cut in a way designed to minimize injury.

So Are You Ready?

Assuming you don't just want to buy a knife because you're a collector or martial arts enthusiast, let's use the above facts to help you decide whether or not you should buy a knife. Do the following points apply to you?

• Are you willing to kill someone in an extreme situation - to save your life, or that of a family member, for example?
  
• Are you willing to "ambush" someone instead of passively waiting for an attack?
  
• Will you keep fighting after being cut instead of freaking out at the sight of your own blood?
  
• Do you understand that carrying or using a fighting knife is as serious as carrying and using a firearm, and that the authorities will likely see it this way as well?

If you can accept the above, then by all means, exercise your rights; buy a tactical folding knife or a pen knife. If not, have you considered an alternative, like a stun gun?