Ever been stabbed or slashed?

As a kid, I got into a fistfight in Jr. High in my Radio Electronics class (teacher was asleep and usually was). The classroom was swimming with X-acto knives and soldering irons and the kid I was in the tussel with went for one of the knives. I got it first and he grabbed the sharp end. As anyone would, I jerked my hand back.

Last I spoke to him, he clamied not to have feeling in his middle finger. He was a stand-up guy about it, he called it an accident and neither of us suffered any disciplinary action. We actually ended up friends. But his hand was a wreck and I felt horrible.
 
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I've been cut and stabbed. Both were experiences that were not pleasant. With that keep some things in mind. When we were fighting and I was trying to shoot him I didn't know I was cut or had a ink pen in me till it was over. Knives also require training. Its up close and personal and defending yourself with a blade isn't as easy as once would think. Most cops can remember being shown the cheesy "surviving edged weapons" that was played to death for years. The lethality and wounding capability of the blade is as real now as then…. but unless I was traveling in a non permissive environment and a legally carried knife was it that wouldn't be my first choice. Fighting for your gun and slashing them off etc but not primary. You will have to put real thought into the fact are you mentally prepared to get that close and personal and stab someone in a defensive encounter. Do you have a plan when it doesn't work and have to switch to plan b…c…. or Z. Its easy to say yes now. But I assure you went the bell goes off its entirely different. Its a sobering feeling when you do something to a human that should have killed him or made him hit the deck and he says ok now what you got and comes back for more. I can't stress enough. Knife training, some sort of combatives for ground fighting and weapon retentions/mentally planing on avoidance and situational awareness. Just my two cents worth.
 
Thanks for all of the response, guys.

This has been quite instructive to me, and I appreciate your sharing the experiences you've had. I hope doing so wasn't too painful in the remembering.

I've decided that maybe carrying a pocketknife is as far as I want to go in the edged-weapons department. I still have two good legs, and (I think) the mentality to fight like a cornered possum if need be, so between those and my EDC handgun I'm going to consider my needs covered, and call it a day.

Thanks again.
 
I always have a knife, often two. The utility value is so great everyone should have one for that alone. While when push come to shove any and everything should be used for self defense, a knife is well down the list of anything I'd choose on purpose, well behind a stick like item.

Knives can often prevail in gunfights, if the knife user is close enough. attacks first, and has knife out of view until it is actually used. The counter cliches are : A knife never jams or runs out of ammunition.

Another knife defense stratagey not yey mentioned : If possable attack their knee. At that point you will hopefully have a speed advantage to exit rapidly.

Planning on knife to knife duels is a sign you have watched West Side Story too many times. The two most likely scenarios are ambush style attack, or a lone defender against a group of unarmed attackers to produce a knife to either defend themselves , or create enough of a pause in the attacker to effect an escape.

And yes , the laws and particularily case law, about knives and other "Non-firearm items that might somehow be used in a defensive manner" are a big fat illogical, contradictory, confusing mess. Some times for some objects will be totally prohibited. Sometimes there will be an element of intent of "somthing" . But in researching the case law in just one state. we see Intent to : "Commit a felony" , Intent to comit a crime" , "Commit an illegal assult", "Intent to use as a weapon" . And this is not just knives per se , this is for "Dangerous Weapon" aka "Deadly Weapon" which can include ANYTHING that could be used to put a hurt on someone regardless of its nominal or usual purpose.

These phrases of so called Intent are used randomly and interchangably, despite completely different meanings. As well as can be told, it is random mood of Prosecuting Atty and/or random mood of Judge on a given day.
 
I carry a Kershaw clip knife as a tool but don't know if I could use it on a person but maybe could on a last ditch defensive move. Cutting someone is a very personal up close affair and not sure if I'm up to it honestly.

I did get robbed as a kid by a punk with a knife. He slashed me in the stomach for good measure but fortunately was just a flesh wound and treated at home just fine. Might have something to do with my aversion to knives as a weapon, I don't know.

Long story I won't get into now but girlfriend and I were parking in a field in 1971 when a maniac tried getting into my 1964 Falcon. My first reaction was to pull the stiletto I had and didn't even faze the guy. Driving off with him hanging onto the door handle was what saved us. Didn't have a gun with me then but do always now.
 
The thought of being attacked by a person or persons with knives terrifies me. I will be completely honest. I have seen a number of videos on YouTube showing actual knife attacks. All I have to say is I don't know if you can ever have enough distance. The attacker seems be literally on top of their victims just incredibly fast. The attacks are just horrifically brutal and quick. The ones that are survived all seemed to initially believe they were punched rather than stabbed.
 
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I've drafted several attempts at posting a comment in this thread, but have deleted them.

Maybe this time I'll post it instead of deleting it? ;)

So ...

Not been stabbed or slashed, aside from accidental.

I've been threatened by some people, before and after I entered LE, with knives and broken bottles, though.

The closest anyone came was telling me they were going to stick me with a knife (a wooden-scaled kitchen boning knife, with a blade that appeared to be at least 6"). He rushed me and REALLY tried to stick it in my left side (he was right-handed). His heavy swing put him really off balance when he missed. Lots of oomph behind it, apparently.

Having been involved in the martial arts for a little over 10 years at that point, I fell back on my training ... and moved away from where he swung the knife. Rapidly. I was really limited in where I could move to evade and get away from him, so I picked up a couple handy things to use, if needed. He decided not to continue his attack, and with a thousand yard stare, he turned and left. (Hint: Don't want to be cut, slashed, perforated, or otherwise wounded by a cutting edge or some sort of actual or field-expedient stabbing instrument? Don't be where it is.)

Someone once said that a blade in the hands of even an unskilled, untrained attacker might easily negate the first 5 years of martial arts training (for students of formal martial arts disciplines). Maybe so. Guess I was just lucky I had an additional 5 years under my belt. The video surveillance I later watched made it look really close & fast, though.

Something else to perhaps consider is that people often look aghast at someone using a knife on another person ... and perhaps even if it's been used in self-defense. Knives scare a lot of folks. It evokes an emotional level of response regarding brutality not often associated with the use of fists, feet ... or even guns, at times, for some reason, it seems.

Not just knives as bladed weapons, but also machetes, axes, ice-picks, etc. You know, things that ordinary folks might consider to be nasty, barbaric, brutal, etc.

Wounds caused by blades are nasty. Not always the 'neat' perforation or puncture wounds, but they can be long, deep, wide and horrific slashes, gashes and bleeding. LOTS of blood.

What would you rather be presented to a jury, in a criminal and/or civil trial ... a wicked-looking folding lockblade that looked like something carried by an Orc in a scary Movie, or used by some mercenary in the latest shoot'em, beat'em & stab'em buckets o' blood Movie? How about one with some catchy slogan, like Fang for Felons, or Slicer of Evil?

Or, something relatively innocuous, and which even an ordinary 'reasonable' person off the street wouldn't think twice about thinking was primarily intended to used as a handy tool for everyday chores? Maybe even something that was labeled as a search & rescue, water/diving safety, or law enforcement safety tool? Something in a pretty bright pastel color, maybe, like pink, orange, light blue or yellow?

Think about how someone may be able to use your choice of blade to try and portray some particular state of mind (mens rea) the next time you're looking to find a way to stick that wicked-looking, sharpened fang or talon blade into your pocket.

What's the local laws for locking blades and blade length, in your area, for that matter? Even though I can carry a concealed handgun under LEOSA when visiting other states, I've added some lockblades to my collection that meet the criteria of some of the laws of other states ... just in case some local cop decides to take issue with a knife I may be carrying, even though my handgun is lawful (exempt from local laws).

Predictable is preventable right?

I also have a nice, growing collection of canes and walking sticks. :) (I do take into consideration the appearance of the ones I might feel like taking to major cities, or out-of-state. Again, just in case, and just to try and avoid to startling local citizens.)

I was having a cigar with a close friend a little while ago. He'd just retired earlier last year, and we were comparing notes about how much we were enjoying retirement, compared to when we were working at the same agency.

We both acknowledged that there were times and circumstances in which we didn't feel it either necessary, practical or appropriate to carry handguns as retirement weapons. (Imagine that, a couple of career cops who were both firearms enthusiasts and shooters, agreeing that sometimes we could leave our homes with a gun, and not quail we'd be attacked by ravening hordes, zombies or the random terrorist cell. :eek: )

Anyway, my friend mentioned that when he decided it wasn't appropriate to carry a gun, he at least had a stout walking cane, and a strong flashlight with a strobing effect ... and often a common folding knife. (This discussion was apparently prompted by my friend seeing and asking about the white oak cane I was carrying, which was made along the lines of an Irish Blackthorn Shillelagh. He knew a bit of my martial arts background, and said he suspected my choice would be able to used to good effect, if needed. I suitably blushed. ;) )

Anyway, choices can have consequences. Consider why you're choosing what you're choosing, and the possible downsides as well as the upsides.

Hedge your options as much to your benefit as possible, and remember that our 'actions of a moment' are likely to be scrutinized over the course of weeks or months, and maybe 'interpreted' by 'experts' brought in to put some unwelcome & unwanted (and maybe incorrect) emphasis on something we could have easily avoided becoming a potential issue, in the first place.

Awareness is great, but may be compromised by unexpected circumstances. Maybe prepare a Plan B, C, D, etc? Options can be good.

Want to void being stabbed or cut? Try to conduct yourself in a manner that helps you get out of the way of, and away from, the sharp edge or point intending you harm (if you can't simply avoid being somewhere where such things might be more common than other places).

Want to avoid being prosecuted or sued? Consider trying to conduct yourself in a practical, prudent, reasonable and lawful manner that helps you avoid finding yourself in front of a jury of your peers.

Just some random thoughts. :)

Don't claim to have any definite answers. Wish I did.
 
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Fastbolt said:
I've drafted several attempts at posting a comment in this thread, but have deleted them.

Maybe this time I'll post it instead of deleting it? ;)

So ...

Not been stabbed or slashed, aside from accidental.

I've been threatened by some people, before and after I entered LE, with knives and broken bottles, though.

The closest anyone came was telling me they were going to stick me with a knife (a wooden-scaled kitchen boning knife, with a blade that appeared to be at least 6"). He rushed me and REALLY tried to stick it in my left side (he was right-handed). His heavy swing put him really off balance when he missed. Lots of oomph behind it, apparently.

Having been involved in the martial arts for a little over 10 years at that point, I fell back on my training ... and moved away from where he swung the knife. Rapidly. I was really limited in where I could move to evade and get away from him, so I picked up a couple handy things to use, if needed. He decided not to continue his attack, and with a thousand yard stare, he turned and left. (Hint: Don't want to be cut, slashed, perforated, or otherwise wounded by a cutting edge or some sort of actual or field-expedient stabbing instrument? Don't be where it is.)

Someone once said that a blade in the hands of even an unskilled, untrained attacker might easily negate the first 5 years of martial arts training (for students of formal martial arts disciplines). Maybe so. Guess I was just lucky I had an additional 5 years under my belt. The video surveillance I alter watched made it look really close & fast, though.

Something else to perhaps consider is that people often look aghast at someone using a knife on another person ... and perhaps even if it's been used in self-defense. Knives scare a lot of folks. It evokes an emotional lever of response regarding brutality not often associated with the use of fists, feet ... or even guns, at times, for some reason, it seems.

Not just knives as bladed weapons, but also machetes, axes, ice-picks, etc. You know, things that ordinary folks might consider to be nasty, barbaric, brutal, etc.

Wounds caused by blades are nasty. Not always the 'neat' perforation or puncture wounds, but they can be long, deep, wide and horrific slashes, gashes and bleeding. LOTS of blood.

What would you rather be presented to a jury, in a criminal and/or civil trial ... a wicked-looking folding lockblade that looked like something carried by an Orc in a scary Movie, or used by some mercenary in the latest shoot'em, beat'em & stab'em buckets o' blood Movie? How about one with some catchy slogan, like Fang for Felons, or Slicer of Evil?

Or, something relatively innocuous, and which even an ordinary 'reasonable' person off the street wouldn't think twice about thinking was primarily intended to used as a handy tool for everyday chores? Maybe even something that was labeled as a search & rescue, water/diving safety, or law enforcement safety tool? Something in a pretty bright pastel color, maybe, like pink, orange, light blue or yellow?

Think about how someone may be able to use your choice of blade to try and portray some particular state of mind (mens rea), the next time you're looking to find a way to stick that wicked-looking, sharpened fang or talon blade into your pocket.

What's the local laws for locking blades, and blade length, in your area, for that matter? Even though I can carry a concealed handgun under LEOSA when visiting other states, I've added some lockblades to my collection that meet the criteria of some of the laws of other states ... just in case some local cop decides to take issue with a knife I may be carrying, even though my handgun is lawful (exempt from local laws).

Predictable is preventable right?

I also have a nice, growing collection of canes and walking sticks. :) (I do take into consideration the appearance of the ones I might feel like taking to major cities, or out-of-state. Again, just in case, and just to try and avoid to startling local citizens.

I was having a cigar with a close friend a little while ago. He'd just retired earlier last year, and we were comparing notes about how much we were enjoying retirement, compared to when we were working at the same agency.

We both acknowledged that were times and circumstances in which we didn't feel it either necessary, practical or appropriate to carry handguns as retirement weapons. (Imagine that, a couple of career cops who were both firearms enthusiasts and shooters, agreeing that sometimes we could leave our homes with a gun, and not quail we'd be attacked by ravening hordes, zombies or the random terrorist cell. :eek: )

Anyway, my friend mentioned that when he decided it wasn't appropriate to carry a gun, he at least had a stout walking cane, and a strong flashlight with a strobing effect ... and often a common folding knife. (This discussion was apparently prompted by my friend seeing and asking about the white oak cane I was carrying, which was made along the lines of an Irish Blackthorn Shillelagh. He knew a bit of my martial arts background, and said he suspected my choice would be able to used to good effect, if needed. I suitably blushed. ;) )

Anyway, choices can have consequences. Consier why you're choosing what you're choosing, and the possible downsides as well as the upsides.

Hedge your options as much to your benefit as possible, and remember that our 'actions of a moment' are likely to be scrutinized over the course of weeks or months, and maybe 'interpreted' by 'experts' brought in to put some unwelcome & unwanted (and maybe incorrect) emphasis on something we could have easily avoided becoming a potential issue, in the first place.

Awareness is great, but may be compromised by unexpected circumstances. Maybe prepare a Plan B, C, D, etc? Options can be good.

Want to void being stabbed or cut? Try to conduct yourself in a manner that helps you get out of the way of the sharp edge or point.

Want to avoid being prosecuted or sued? Consider trying to conduct yourself in a practical, prudent, reasonable and lawful manner that helps you avoid finding yourself in front of a jury of your peers.

Just some random thoughts. :)

Don't claim to have any definite answers. Wish I did.
Click to expand...

As always, Fastbolt, great stuff here. And as someone who has not trained in martial arts, my takeaway from this is your astute observation that if I don't want to be on the receiving end of the edged or pointed weapon, then get to and stay where it ain't.

Sounds simple, and in my case I think I would be making every conceivable effort to embrace that idea anyway, but it is good to be reminded that, aside from the threat of a thrown knife or other pointy thing, it shouldn't be terribly hard to make room to avoid sharing the same spot on the planet with the business ends of these.

Glad you decided to post.
 
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vigil617 said:
... it shouldn't be terribly hard to make room to avoid sharing the same spot on the planet with the business ends of these.

Glad you decided to post.
Click to expand...

Well, like guns, it isn't the knives & other bladed/edged/pointed things that go wandering about on their own, looking to injure somebody.

It's the person(s) deciding to take them out & about and use them that need to be anticipated, avoided and generally shunned. That's the real 'trick'. ;)

In my case (above incident), I didn't have any choice but to be where I was at the time, since it involved employment.

Sometimes you can have the best intentions to actively avoid trouble and where it may hang out, but find yourself inadvertently crossing its path.

Kind of like the time I was driving on the freeway at night, and someone decided to fire a couple bullets through my rear passenger window. I'm guessing they were inexperienced with leading a moving target, especially from whatever distance it was from which they were shooting. They hit the same rear window twice, though, missing me in the driver's seat.

FWIW, the gun I was carrying wasn't much use to me in that particular situation. Roll of the dice running across that kind of nut. No way to predict it.

Thanks for the comments, though. Believe it or not, I often delete many more draft posts than I ever actually post, deciding at the last moment to simply not get involved in some thread, or some side-track of an ongoing thread topic.
 
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I've been cut a time er two....

I don't recommend it much....So, I carry a pistol or two of suitable caliber.

If a subject pulls a knife on me...
Twenty one feet, twenty seven feet, it don't matter all that much too me.

Hell, my older brother could throw a knife into the A zone purty much every time from 21 feet.

As the old song goes....He pulled a knife and the other feller pulled his pistol and ask,

"Where do ya want it?" ;):D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWVJm0QX334#t=14


Billy Joe Shaver Found Not Guilty for Shooting: On the Scene in Waco | Rolling Stone
.
 
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Defense Against Knife Attack

When I attended the NPS LEO academy back in 1986, an FBI instructor showed us how to defend ourselves from an attack with a knife. While the obvious "first" answer is to escape to safety, that may not always be possible. And besides, the knife wielder might run faster than you can and that leaves you with your back turned against the knife.

We were trained to drop on our azz, literally, and to use our feet/shoes/boots against any and all attempts of the attacker to cut you. Use both arms (hands on the ground) to quickly pivot on your azz, so that you can always be facing your opponent as you kick away any attempts of the attacker to harm/cut you. You can pivot much faster than the attacker can run around in circles trying to cut you.

We trained this way, taking turns as both victim and attacker. I do have to say that I found this technique to be very effective when escape was not an option. It is even possible to protect yourself from two assailants with this method. The last thing an assailant wants to do is bend over and/or get down on the ground in order to cut you.

Think about it.
 
Is it a knife fight if only one party has a knife? Twice, I have been confronted with a knife. First time I round-house swung a steel trash can into the kid's head. Second time I insulted his family lineage and turned my back on the punk to walk away. The first got me suspended from school, the second a trip to the hospital. I recommend the trash can approach.

Seriously, my knife wound was a jab that stopped in my shoulder blade. I though the punk had just slapped my back. His pals pulled him off. It was not till ~10 min later that my buddy noticed I was bleeding. Adrenaline is an amazing thing.

Either way I would never go some place where I thought a knife was needed for self protection. If it comes to needing to use lethal force, why mess with a knife?
 
and now the mildly amusing (but not at the time)

my partner and I responded to a woman calling for help in an apartment building. On arrival, we could hear a stedy thumping sound from inside and when no one answered our knock, we took the door.

Guy had his wife on the floor where he was slowly destroying her face by punching her. We both nailed him using our batons and started subduing him. meanwhile, his wife crawls to the kitchen and uses the counter top to pull herself up where she can reach a potato peeler. (that's the cause of the fight, dinner wasn't ready when he got home) Once on her feet and now armed with the potato peeler, she used it in a upper cut motion and buried it into my right armpit. It went all the went into the joint and I suddenly could not move my arm down to pull my weapon and put six in her ten ring. My partner eased her away from where she was pulling on the potato peeler with an eye for stabbing me again. He got her hooked up and her husband transported to the lock up and she and i went in the same ambulance to the hospital. She ended up in ICU and after the peeler was pulled out (ER Dr just raised my arm up and slid it out, I was stitched up and on my way. She got a year for agg battery to a PO, and she dropped the charges on her husband so he walked away from it.

Funny now but it was an exciting couple of minutes while it was ongoing
 
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I've had a few bad cuts, the sharper the weapon the longer it takes to notice. These were done while working on something with one of my razor sharp knives.

Like Shouldzagged, I'm too old to run, some folks will go on a lead diet if it gets that serious.

Vigil, being alert and aware of your surroundings is probably the most important tool in your bag. Act like you belong where ever you are at.

When a deputy some of us did practice defensive moves against knives. It does help.

I've been in 2 knife fights, well the other guy had a knife and all I had was me. I assumed the defensive stance. One guy made a few swings and left. The other was more serious, the nut job wanted me dead. I was prepared to take hand cuts. Keep your forearms and hands twisted so the arteries are pointed towards your body. I kept backing up, he knew he had one chance, if I got my hands on him he knew he'd be snapped like a twig. I saw piece of tree limb and slid past it, feinted which made him back up as I picked up the limb. I then told him it was now lights out. I chased him for a 1/4 mile before he pulled away.

Once in STL a hoodie gentleman tried to rob me and my wife. I had a thumb assist Gerber. He had his hand in a front hanging bag, I stepped up and grabbed his wrist. The Gerber was close to his jugular. He decided to go elsewhere.

Be aware of your surroundings.
Use every resource you can, the best one is your trained mind.
Practice your maneuvers. And then practice some more. Use a toy gun or knife for practice.

When you see something that does not look right it probably isn't.
I cannot stress how important it is to be alert. If I had not been fullay aware of the robber and saw him closing quickly behind me I would have been a victim.

My wife was not aware of anything until I told her to put her back against the wall and call 911. Her look told me all the advice and training I'd given her was now forgotten. She was staring wondering why I was holding a knife at someones throat. Once she caught on if I'd said sic em she would have clawed his eyes out. I got on to her for not reacting more quickly. Bozo had fled before she got her phone out.

She said she didn't have to worry, she has me. I said I worry when you go somewhere alone. Don't be too poor to pay attention.
 
nesser said:
I was stabbed in the back by an ex wife. I went to work ,she went to the bank. Closed the checking and savings account. Used my credit card to buy a ticket to California and droped my dog off at the pound on her way. That count?
Click to expand...

The scars we don't see are the deepest of all...
 
i grew up on a farm in northern WV and have been injured in most ways imaginable, including cuts. I cut myself several times butchering and working on machines. That said, an LEO career in the Army and Civilian arena's has left me with several knife wounds.

one memorable one was in central America back in the 80's and left me with scars up and down my left arm and right hand. The other was in Wheeling WV and i would have probably been unscathed if i had been sober. bled like a pig on both occasions.

my worst injury, professionally, [other than a GSW] was being swatted with a couch at a domestic when i was a housing officer, that was one BIG boy!
 
I'm bumping this thread back to the top 'cause there have been some amazing posts recently. Plus, if you want to make your day, read about Billy Joe Shaver's trial on agg battery after he shot a bully in the cheek with a .22, after asking him first, "Where do you want it?"

Never knew that the name of a a Texas swing song too, but check out Whitey's video! :D

Thanks again, all.
 
Went to a rough HS. Had one fellow pull a knife on me... others separated us. Good. He'd probably have cut me some. I'd probably have hurt him real bad with the brick I picked up.

Once on a construction job one of the men got hot at me b/c I refused to back away from a confrontation. He pulled a plain pocket knife, opened it and started up with what he was going to do. I told him he didn't want that kind of trouble and he calmed down and put the knife away.

One morning I saw a man stomping a woman at a bank ATM. I ran at him to stop him. He tore the bank bag from her hands and ran. I followed. About 3/4 mile later, cornered him against a fence. He hollared that he was going to cut me and stuck his hand in his jacket... not sure if he had a knife or gun. I had a couple of broken bricks in my hands. Back then I was playing a lot of church league soft-ball. At that distance, his head was a easy target. Thankfully the police got there before he pulled his hand out. I'd have used the bricks. At that distance he'd have been badly hurt.

Doing in home family therapy and crisis intervention, had a man pull a butcher knife out from under the cushion of a sofa. We were in a small living room. Things got intense. Ended up out the door in the front yard. Got the knife away from him and threw it into the next time zone. He ran over to his car and got another one. Got that one away from him. He picked us a piece of 2x4 which he couldn't use any better than the knives. He ended up going to jail. Only man I ever had to have arrested.

Worst was when I was running a Wednesday afternoon youth program at the church. A teenager pulled a knife out of his boot and tried to use it on me. It turned out alright, was able to get the knife away w/o having to hit him to hard.

The preceding incidents occurred between 1972 and 1995. All the men (always men) involved were plain people, not highly trained knife fighters. I have never had any training in fighting, etc. I have played different sports where one has to learn how to anticipate an opponent, deal with hard impacts, etc.

From time to time I've carried a knife b/c I anticipated being in a tight situation where I could not legally carry a handgun, etc. Thankfully I've never had to use a weapon on anyone. And thankfully since that summer in 1995, I've not had to deal with anyone out to hurt me or my family.

About the best suggestion I can offer is to pay attention to what is going on around you. If you are the authority figure in charge, be in charge and stay in charge. If someone gets froggy, they may decide to hop. So, remember, distance is your friend. At least with the folks I had to deal with, they weren't very good at running and attacking at the same time. Because I was able to get them off balance, I came out on top. That incident on the job, very glad I was able to talk and calm the guy down. He was not a bad man. Neither was I. But we were both fully of teenaged stupidity. It could have gotten really bad. Same with that teenaged boy that jumped me. He wasn't an evil spawn of Satan. He was a troubled boy who needed help. Glad it didn't go any farther than it did. Would have served no point putting him in jail. Would not have helped him or his family. One other thought. If you are in a building, pay attention to the location of furniture/doors. Furniture works real good as a block. And doors... point of escape. That joker with the butcher knife would have turned that living room into a killing field except that there was lots of junk I could throw up at him. It gave me time to get the door open. His girlfriend and baby were also at risk. For all of us that unlocked screen door was probably a life saver. That's about all I can think of that might be helpful to you.
 
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Brucev, you have convinced me that instead of a knife, I need to carry bricks instead. :)

Seriously though: good thoughts, and I appreciate them. Facing down an edged weapon takes guts, and you seem to have those to a very high degree. Excellent advice about using objects to block and distract, or even to use defensively against, a knife-wielding attacker.
 
vigil617 said:
Brucev, you have convinced me that instead of a knife, I need to carry bricks instead. :)

Seriously though: good thoughts, and I appreciate them. Facing down an edged weapon takes guts, and you seem to have those to a very high degree. Excellent advice about using objects to block and distract, or even to use defensively against, a knife-wielding attacker.
Click to expand...

With respect, not sure it's a matter of guts. Simple fact is that the incidents happened without any real warning. I only acted b/c there was no other way out. Thinking about it the second time, probably should not have posted. Sounds to much like big talk which was not my intention. Just got to thinking and remembering. No desire for any repeats. By the grace of God managed to live long enough to put teenaged foolishness in the rear view mirror. Nowadays, not interested in dodging someone else's bad day melt down. Sincerely. brucev.
 
Many years back working as a bouncer in a couple bucket of blood type places I had a knife pulled on me. This was in the 60s the legal age was 18 and we had a heck of a lot of high schools and many colleges in the tri city area, hence many inebriated young people. Drink laws AKA dram laws were only lightly enforced in that era.

I am not a knife fighter and this was way before I could legally get a pistol in the state. So to put it bluntly I got lucky. One incident kid pulled a small knife as I was throwing him out. He was kind of drunk and slow moving and I grabbed a chair a pinned him to the wall and knocked the air out of him.

Another time this drunken college kid pulled a knife and a brother bouncer came up from behind him and kicked him hard in the back of the knee and he went down. Because there were weapons involved we held them and called the cops. The owner's brother was a LT. on the local police force at the time and we got real good service!:)

Just those two incidents were enough for me to respect a knife and I was luck they were just drunk fools, facing a real threat as I'm normally armed I know the 21' rule and will do what I must to survive.
 
I spoke to a former police officer - I believe retired and on oxygen thought not sure if related to this incident - and I don't recall how it even came up.

He was involved in some sort go gang related arrests where he was shot and on the ground when a young female jumped on his back and stabbed him repeatedly - as he rolled to dislodge her (not even knowing it was a her at the time) he fired and killed the female. I don't recall if he told me any details about being treated on scene or losing consciousness at any point, it was many years ago).
The next morning the headline on the front page of the local paper was "Police officer kills teenage black girl" - it wasn't until several days later that a story ran on page 19 or so with an update indicating that the girl was related to the young man who shot the officer and she was stabbing him at the time she was shot.
 
Never been stabbed or slashed with a knife. The closest I've come to that was running a hay hook through my right knee as a kid. But I do carry a Kershaw Cryo clipped in my right front pocket. It has a smaller sized 2.75" blade, but I keep it shaving sharp. But I use it as a tool at work, not a weapon. Unless I would be forced into it, that is...

L8R,
Matt
 
Got slashed trying to stop a very drunk buddy from killing himself in college. Cut across the forearm pretty deep but no lasting damage. We got him calmed down that night and he apologized the next day.

About a year after graduating law school I got appointed to represent a mentally ill individual that had already gone through three attorneys. He went in jail on a misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge. By the time I was appointed he'd picked up multiple felonies, mainly criminal damage to the jail and battery on jailers. Was sitting talking to him one day and he shanked me in the left hand, pinning it to the table. Needless to say, he got another attorney and more charges after that incident.
 
I studied with a blade master some time back. It takes years to become proficient with edged weapons. That's why knights and samurai of old were students for 10 years or so and practiced almost every day. I have scars where I got cut in training and I can tell you that I never want to be in a life-or-death blade fight if I can help it.

My best advice for what's it's worth, run if you can, if you can't, create some distance and shoot.
 
As to the OP's question, no defensive knife injuries here. Pencil stabbed al the way through my left middle finger, but nothing from a knife. Big Cholla and Rastoff both brought out valid considerations.

From my first run through the Academy in 1978 (P/T LEO) throughout my career (including 32 uninterrupted years F/T LEO), we have been taught the fact that a knife is a deadly weapon, and justifies the application of deadly force to cease harmful intent.

I always carry a 3" assisted-opener for chores, and a razor-sharp 2" folder/money clip for finer tasks.

Our method of establishing the "Tueller Distance" is slightly different, as it saves a bit of time. Shooter faces down-range in holstered ready position. Assistant faces away, toward a safe-zone. Without warning, assistant runs away, and shooter draws & fires. Distance traveled by the sound of the shot equals the TD. Establishing this 'distance' was only for the introspective advantage of the trainee.

Our laws (New York State) clearly allow that a firearm is an appropriate response to a knife attack, but then the Grand Jury comes into play. Me, I will ALWAYS strive to bring MY gun to a knife fight.
 
Someone above mentioned college. It brought back memories of the first stabbing I ever saw. Things were different in the middle 60's, Sunday dinners in the dorms required a sport coat and tie, food was placed on the table, grace was said, all sat down to get their fair share. Just like sunday dinner at Grandmas house. On my 1st Sunday arguing started at the table next to us, right in my frontal vision.

One hoggish guy stabbed his meat and before another guy could get his meat the hog stabbed it with his fork. Quick as a hungry cat the one boy stabbed the hog in the hand with his fork. Buried the tines deep. He reached over and took his meat and the other boys fork and commenced to eat.The hog sat there whining. No charges were filed but they made one eat at a different table. About me, I'm thinking welcome to college farm boy.
 
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