What’s the Best Self Defence Knife? Generally the One You’re Carrying

This is a tough one, as the laws vary so dramatically from one state to the next. Thankfully, there are organizations out there who have built a useful compendium of data that will help shed some light on what is and isn’t considered “legal carry” in most places across the US. They also advocate on behalf on knife and tool makers to ensure that laws aren’t limiting your ability to carry any further than they already are.

In some states and counties, it’s illegal to be carrying a knife for the purpose of self defence in the first place. You’ll want to look into that locally, even at the municipal level as well as state. Before even looking at the situational consequences, if an officer stops you, and you state that the knife that you’re carrying is for self defence, you might already be in trouble. This is a further testament to going the “EDC Knife” route, as in that case you’re carrying a personal tool that you use for work or other daily tasks. Sure, it can be used for self defence if absolutely necessary, but intent is key here.

As an interesting note, Did you know that you cannot have an exposed knife of any sorts in New York City? By that I mean, even if a pocket clip is visible outside your pocket, that’s grounds for an arrest if an officer decides to give you a hard time. If a knife blade is under four inches in length, and remains completely concealed when in the public realm, you’re in the clear.

In stark contrast, Texas carry laws are far more forgiving, though one recent attempt to amend restrictions failed to be passed at the beginning of June 2021. The current law bans the ability to carry any blade over 5 1/2″ into a number of different public venues ranging from schools to hospitals and elsewhere. The amendment was intended to remove this restriction from bars, places of worship, and amusement parks (an odd selection, mind you), however the amendment was quashed for the time being.

For more details on the legalities of carrying a knife in your state or city, take a poke over to KnifeRights.org for all the information you need.

When looking at this category at all, our biggest concern at front of mind was the legality of it all. I’m not talking about what you can and can’t carry any more, but rather what happens after you make that decision that your knife is your only way out of a dangerous situation. No matter how the scenario breaks down from there, expect there to be charges, or at the very least a challenge coming from the legal system.

A knife is a deadly weapon in the eyes of the law. Accordingly, justifying the use of a knife as defence requires clearing several hurdles, which frankly is a good thing. Having a legal environment where any idiot can draw a knife the second they feel mildly threatened (or just mad) would lead to a mass of undue harm.

What we’re basically looking at here is “stand your ground” law. If you’re on this site in the first place, there’s good odds that you know a thing or two about how this law works. If you’re a little rusty, the basics are simple. The law allows an individual to respond with force, and if necessary deadly force, when: he or she reasonably believes it is necessary to do so to prevent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the commission of a forcible felony. (Note that the specific verbiage of the law may vary from state to state).

In some states, if the potential victim had the ability to flee the situation and didn’t, they are not protected by the law. In other states, the guidelines of where and when this rule can apply will vary. Yet again, know your local status.

In essence, however, the surrounding structure remains the same. You have to first be able to prove that you were somehow “outgunned” in the scenario. Was the assailant larger than you, stronger than you, or more combat proficient? Was he already wielding a weapon that he intended to use on you?

Next, was/is there a clear opportunity for the assailant to do immediate harm to you? Is the person in your face with a bat in his hand? This is also crucial, because there are plenty of situations that can arise where the assailant does not have a clear path to harm (shouting threats from a passing car, or from inside a residence or other premises, etc), and if you go to them to confront the situation, you’ve become the one that has created the opportunity.

Lastly, does the assailant present the intent to do you harm. This can include everything from a gun pointed at your head, right through to aggressive vocal threats. There doesn’t necessarily have to be an initial act (he who swung first started the altercation), but a clear intent/imminent threat needs to be obviously present. Things will get murky if you’re talking about a 1-on-1 altercation in a dark alley with no cameras around, but intent is still a crucial consideration when it comes to the legal side of using a knife (or any other weapon) in self defence.

At the end of the day, our hope is that none of our readers face a scenario in their lives where pulling their knife in self defence is necessary, but knowing the world is far from perfect, we hope we’ve been able to provide a bit of insight about all the considerations to take in before you have to make this life-altering decision.