Open carry of knives

[Eastex]

I was eating lunch with a friend the other day here in east Texas and we both noticed how many people were openly carrying knives on their belts. Most of the people would have fit into the rancher/working guy category. I’m pretty sure this is related to where I live and the fact that there aren’t a lot of suit and tie types where we were eating but I’m just curious about other areas of the country.
Also wondering if the new knife laws here in Texas will affect what types of knives people carry. Most of the ones I saw looked like 4 inch blades and I don’t know that double edge or big Bowie styles will show up since most of these looked to be working knives. It wouldn’t surprise me if a big Bowie went unnoticed compared to a pen carried pistol though, those still stand out in the crowd.

[BillSWPA]

In southwest Pennsylvania, I do not see many knives on belts, but folding knives clipped into pockets are very common. I will not go as far as to say that they go unnoticed, but they certainly don’t raise any concern, and unnoticed would not be far from the truth. I carry at least one even in business casual attire or in a suit. Those who carry fixed blades (not many) tend to conceal them.



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[Clusterfrack]

Here in Portland, carrying an expensive custom fixed blade is the new hipster thing.

There's also a lot of open carry of very large fixed blades among the vagrant community.

[SunTzu]

We have new knife laws here in TN, as well. I've seen a small uptick in people carrying fixed blades but most of them are just belt knives not big eff off kukris or swords, lol.

[Totem Polar]

In east side WA state (opposite side from Seattle, in more ways than just geography), I’d say that openly carried belt-born fixed blades are fairly uncommon, and "relegated" to people doing labor and maintenance jobs (and street people). But clipped folders in pockets? Get outta here... unless you’re artificially inflating white collar colors (suit and tie bank/finance, academia, etc) a clipped folder is de rigeur. Even the docs I know carry them regularly around here. Nobody conceals those thimgs, and security at places like the courthouse will hold them for you if you ask.

I’m more discrete, but that’s partially because I travel in artificial white collar circles. Partially.

[ReverendMeat]

Here in Portland, carrying an expensive custom fixed blade is the new hipster thing.

Wat. I've never seen this, is that really a thing?

ETA: The only time I've ever seen a preponderance of OC fixed blades has been biker bars in Reno.

[Totem Polar]

^^^Go to rural Canada. It’s like game of thrones.

[Willard]

I was eating lunch with a friend the other day here in east Texas and we both noticed how many people were openly carrying knives on their belts. Most of the people would have fit into the rancher/working guy category. I’m pretty sure this is related to where I live and the fact that there aren’t a lot of suit and tie types where we were eating but I’m just curious about other areas of the country.

This seems more pervasive in TX than anywhere else I've lived. Also, noticed during my daughter's FFA live stock shows, folding knives in some type of fancy embossed holster (usually center of back) seem to be part of the costume for juvenile males. I like to see boys can still have a knife at a school related function, so no issues there. I grew up in the south, and it was perfectly normal even in school (and no one ever pulled one on someone else during a verbal or physical altercation. But I bet it wouldn't be permitted today.

As a side note, I saw my first, in town, real life, "open carry" handgun fellow last weekend. Gazing into jewelry/accessory case with female companion, while in condition white, and posturing himself so as to make his pistol very easy to snatch. Based on his physical conditioning / situational awareness / carry decisions / posture, anyone so inclined could have received him of what appeared to be a Filipino 1911 clones & accompanying open carry dual mags. I kept an eye on him during our time in that establishment, not because he seemed a threat, but because he was providing any deranged individual who might pass through easy access to his armament.

[Eastex]

Those yellow handled Case Sod Buster folding knives in leather sheaths are seen with nearly every blue FFA jacket around here.


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[NickA]

Side note about the FFA/farmer/rancher types: we were at a county fair in rural Iowa a few years back. There were some knives on belts, but EVERYbody had a pair of pliers/wire cutters in a belt sheath. I haven't noticed it as much here in TX but I'm not usually around that crowd either. Plus it's technically illegal to carry wire cutters here due to archaic cowboy laws [emoji41]

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