Lockback Folding

Should I carry a folding lockback knife for protection?

louisiana, nawlims
I'm a 24 y.o. guy so pepper spray is not 4 me

Don't take this the wrong way, man, but no.

I'm a retired Marine, and I can tell you the best PDW (personal defense weapon) is a sidearm. Not a knife. A knife is for assault.

You see, if you're in a situation that requires a knife, that means your enemy is armed with a knife, because if it's a firearm... well, you don't take a knife to a gunfight. Since that person has a knife, and is assaulting you with it, you will simply not have enough time to 1. react, 2. locate your knife, 3. deploy the blade, and 4. position it into an effective grip. You will already be dead.

Marines carry knifes primarily as tools, though we do use them for assault. Some of the badash jarheads like to brag about gutting with Ka-Bars, but when the [bleep] hits the fan, we don't grab the blade unless we're runnin' dry on .22s and 9mms.

No, pepper spray is stupid. It's for women, and considered pus-$-ee by gangbangers.

You're 24, which means you can get a legal weapons carry license. I'd advise you check with your local and state laws, and seriously consider carrying a firearm. I'd even go so far as to suggest a Glock 26. It's small, powerful, and easy to use. Whenever people ask me about defensive countermeasures, I say Glock 26. Cops generally like civilians to have them because they don't have the firepower of larger weapons (I mean magazine capacity). They also like it because Glocks are relatively very easy to use, and a less complicated weapon means less chance of misfire. With 10 rounds, you can keep yourself very safe. A gangbanger will laugh at pepperspray, but they'll just walk away from a firearm.

You need a clean record, and a valid reason for wanting to carry. Living in New Orleans, you should come up with a good one.

Edit: Be advised, the decision to carry a live firearm is not a light matter. It's a big responsibility, and can be a potential danger to the public. You should have a strong background in handling firearms, especially the one you pick to carry. I've heard stories of idiots dropping their sidearms while in a public bathroom and hitting the person in the next stall.

By the way, you absolutely should carry a nice, small knife for a tool. It's good, common sense. Good luck.

But no, no knife for protection. It's a tool. It has been for tens of thousands of years. For brands, I reccomend Sog and Leatherman all the way. Leathernecks like Leatherman.

Alternative method of opening a lockback folding knife

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