I don't own a plastic knife, can't see a need for a plastic knife, and don't want to get wrapped around the axle on this particular issue.
However, I am vehemently opposed to the notion of hoplophobic prohibitionists dictating what someone else may need to defend themselves. As that same article implies, there are those who would restrict knives that can be opened with one hand - as clearly anyone who would want such a thing is up to no good. The burden is not on the armed individual to justify his being armed, double edged knives, plastic knives, one handed opening knives, greater than ten round magazines, flash hiders, bayonet lugs, lockpicks, or what have you, need not indicate ill intent.
Life is not safe. Attempts to legislate it safe are doomed to failure and seem to breed further attempts to legislate it safe in a vicious cycle of stupidity.
There is also in these laws (many of them anyway) a dangerous double standard. If I read the law correctly, it is now illegal to have a Swiss Army Knife on your person in the city of Boston. Now I'm in my forties, more than a little gray in my hair, tend to dress well, and white. It's very unlikely that if found with a SAK in my possession that anything will happen to me. (In fact, I was in the Federal Building in Boston and handed over a SAK before going through security, there was a little handwringing on the part of one woman security guard over the blade length, but it was returned to me and I went on with what I was doing.)
I have to wonder though if I'd been a black teenager, or was wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt (or the Che t-shirt I borrowed from NDD
), if I'd have had more trouble. The law
should apply to all or apply to none. DC, I'm told, allows Congress critters to be armed, but it is nearly impossible for a private citizen to get a carry permit. I find that disturbing.
