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Yes. As I understand it, knives are just inherently unsuitable for use as a defensive weapon - they don't stop someone from stabbing you, they're not even usabl
by makomk 5y ago
Yes. As I understand it, knives are just inherently unsuitable for use as a defensive weapon - they don't stop someone from stabbing you, they're not even usable as a threat to get the other person to de-escalate because if you're close enough to use it I'm pretty sure the other person can draw and stab you before you have a chance to react. The only use of a knife is to stab the other person first, before they have a chance to, before you know if they even would or if they're even armed, and they're deadly enough that untrained teenagers can easily kill with them without intending to. This only ever results in things escalating for obvious reasons. Note that the UK has police armed with guns, but not police armed with knives.
- handrous 5y agoIt's also the case that it's a hell of a lot easier to find something around you that's a better weapon than a knife, than it is with a gun (basically impossible, unless the thing you find is also a gun), which enhances its tendency to be a "first strike, or else don't even show it" weapon, rather than one useful for deterrence without violence. > Note that the UK has police armed with guns, but not police armed with knives. Yup. The set of qualities that make knives desirable weapons for criminals don't make them good weapons generally. The cops have very different restrictions (fewer restrictions, that is) and goals. A truncheon plus some strong mace are probably much, much better for their purposes than a knife would be.