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[MaximumZero]

While I understand gun control, the general purpose knife bans have always seemed way over the edge to me. Knives are useful tools, and I have never regretted having one on me. I suspect its a cultural difference, and laws like that only really get traction among certain populations that wouldn't have the first idea of what to do with a knife if they posessed  one.

Well, the thing is this: since guns are very difficult to get, knives are the weapon of choice in violent crime. So any crackdown on violent crime, especially among youths, usually includes restrictions on knives. (Butterfly knives for example are now completely illegal in Germany.)
Then of course the percentage of people who actually need knives as tools on a regular basis should be quite a bit lower in most of Europe than in the US, we don't have that much wilderness left.
Also there are plenty of exceptions for knives that are tools and everybody can easily buy a pocket knife. You're just more restricted on what you can carry around in public and what you have to keep in a tool box.

This is why I think compulsory self-defense classes would be useful (say, as part of public education.) While I would probably fail to safely disarm a person with a gun before being shot (I don't know the Boss' "disassemble the gun in their hands" trick, although I wish I did,) a person attacking me with a knife is a lot less dangerous to me than they think they are. (Hint: if someone has a weapon, they're going to try to use it on you, so you can focus on dodging attacks from or disabling that limb.) Anyone can be taught to disarm a knife. You don't have to be particularly strong, fast, or tough, you just have to know how to do it, and there are lots of ways to safely do so. According to the Uniform Crime Reports from the FBI, almost 20% of all aggravated assaults are with a knife. If we can even just slow that number down, that's a win for everyone. Except muggers, of course.

[tahujdt]

While I understand gun control, the general purpose knife bans have always seemed way over the edge to me. Knives are useful tools, and I have never regretted having one on me. I suspect its a cultural difference, and laws like that only really get traction among certain populations that wouldn't have the first idea of what to do with a knife if they posessed  one.

Well, the thing is this: since guns are very difficult to get, knives are the weapon of choice in violent crime. So any crackdown on violent crime, especially among youths, usually includes restrictions on knives. (Butterfly knives for example are now completely illegal in Germany.)
Then of course the percentage of people who actually need knives as tools on a regular basis should be quite a bit lower in most of Europe than in the US, we don't have that much wilderness left.
Also there are plenty of exceptions for knives that are tools and everybody can easily buy a pocket knife. You're just more restricted on what you can carry around in public and what you have to keep in a tool box.

In the US at large, the last time I checked, knives with blades less than 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) are usually considered tools and legally carriable. The main exceptions are for obviously combat-oriented knives, but not all states cotton to that. And again, a competent knife-user can draw a Swiss Army knife pretty quickly.

Interesting fact: the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) allows Scouts to carry knives on activities, but only after proving their knowledge of care and safety rules (this also covers saw and axe). If a scout is seen violating one of these rules, he gets one corner cut off of his Totin' Chip (his card that says he's allowed to carry.) After losing all four corners, his knife, saw, and axe rights are revoked. The Cub Scouts have a similar system, but they only cover knives.
Some of these rules:
Don't cut with anybody within knife range.
Have a separate area of the campsite dedicated to woodcutting clearly marked.
Don't cut towards yourself.
Don't hand an open knife to anyone.
When handing any sharp object to anyone, always wait for them to say "Thank you." before releasing it, to make sure they have a hold on it. Always say thank you when someone hands you something.

They have these rules for a reason. Once at camp, a friend of mine was cutting cardboard after being in a vicious argument. He was cutting rather forcefully, and managed to stab through the cardboard into his knee and nick a tendon that nobody had ever heard of. He had to leave camp because the only hospital suitably equipped was quite a while away.

[XXSockXX]

This is why I think compulsory self-defense classes would be useful (say, as part of public education.)

I agree in theory, but from what I gather it is pretty difficult to reliably defend yourself against knife attacks. Especially since it's often not someone openly pulling a knife on you, but someone stabbing you in the back in the midst of a chaotic brawl. Some of the fights I had as a teenager involved more than 20 people, anything could have happened there, though luckily it didn't.

In the US at large, the last time I checked, knives with blades less than 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) are usually considered tools and legally carriable. The main exceptions are for obviously combat-oriented knives, but not all states cotton to that. And again, a competent knife-user can draw a Swiss Army knife pretty quickly.

It's 8.5 cm here, but there are some more restrictions. Basically you're not supposed to carry even pocket knifes at public events.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

You can reliably defend yourself from knife attacks. You just have to accept the reality that this means you will get minor knife wounds instead of major knife wounds.

[XXSockXX]

Dude, in a real brawl? You're lucky if nobody hits you with a bottle over the head from behind while you merrily try to strangle one of his pals. 

[majikero]

Does that mean I'm legally allowed to carry around my machete?

[LeoLeonardoIII]

In my state, basically any non-gun weapons are banned. You can't own, possess, or transfer a slingshot, knuckle dusters, or any knife that opens with a spring or gravity for example. You're not allowed to possess "martial arts weapons" which is kinda funny since there are martial arts supply stores. You can't carry a knife over a certain length. And there's a kind of general provision for "anything we didn't think of".

I believe it's because such weapons are difficult to trace. You stab someone with a knife, it could be any knife. But if they recover a bullet from a corpse they will be able to link it to a gun that was manufactured and recorded, and they will know who the owner should be. Might be a stolen gun but at least they have something to go on.

It's also ridiculous in that it's pointless to regulate non-firearms: you can do a lot of damage with a screwdriver but those are legal. You can wear metal-plated boots. The blade on an ice skate is legal to carry as long as it's on an ice skate.

Re: Knives. A man with a knife in his hand can close about 20' of distance before a holstered gun can be drawn and aimed. Knives are also very concealable, such that people in a fight often don't know that a knife was involved until they start bleeding, and if you didn't get stabbed you might not realize there was a knife until after the fight is over. Knife disarms are problematic because a knife is dangerous at all angles. A knife improves the wielder's combat effectiveness - in order to perform a disarm you need to be faster and more skilled than he is. And even then it's no guarantee. I do not feel safe doing a knife disarm - but if it's what you gotta do, you try your best.

Surprise is of absolute importance, overcoming even skill and conditioning. Whoever gets injured first is in a bad position and the distraction may be enough to lose him the fight. And that first injury may be painful enough that he loses morale for just long enough for his enemy to seize the kill.

Finally, adrenaline and momentum will allow you to advance and slay your assailant unless he gets a lucky hit somewhere that disables you, or you lose morale, or you succumb to pain. A man can shoot you while the two of you grapple with the gun, but unless you die instantly you have time to dig his eyes from his face and chew into his neck. If you get the gun from him you empty it into him. At that point you know you will die and you want to destroy him for having the nerve to attack you. Perhaps you can fight him off and receive prompt medical treatment and survive. Perhaps the only thing that comes of it is that he won't attack anyone again and his buddies will think twice about carrying on that kind of lifestyle. But if you don't have that mindset, if you see danger and the first thing that comes to mind is something other than tooth and claw, you have no chance.

And I think general martial arts training would be horrible. I don't want everyone else to be better able to fight. Just makes for more potential threats. I want the douchebag who picks a fight with me to be full of himself but without substance.

EDIT: Because of flesh compression a carry-legal knife can reach organs if you stab hard enough. And it'll be able to hit arteries and the face of course. So why aren't they illegal too? It's senseless.

[Helgoland]

Dude, in a real brawl? You're lucky if nobody hits you with a bottle over the head from behind while you merrily try to strangle one of his pals. 

I think he meant in a one-on-one scenario, like a mugging. I actually heard this from two independent sources, which both know a fair bit of martial arts: If somebody has a weapon and is not overly well trained, he's almost exclusively going to act with his weapon, making him less dangerous than you'd think.
In a brawl, of course, it's different. Fancy kicks aren't terribly useful when someone's shoving a knife into your kidney.

[MaximumZero]

You can reliably defend yourself from knife attacks. You just have to accept the reality that this means you will get minor knife wounds instead of major knife wounds.

Not necessarily, but that is usually the case.

[scrdest]

Dude, in a real brawl? You're lucky if nobody hits you with a bottle over the head from behind while you merrily try to strangle one of his pals. 

I think he meant in a one-on-one scenario, like a mugging. I actually heard this from two independent sources, which both know a fair bit of martial arts: If somebody has a weapon and is not overly well trained, he's almost exclusively going to act with his weapon, making him less dangerous than you'd think.
In a brawl, of course, it's different. Fancy kicks aren't terribly useful when someone's shoving a knife into your kidney.

And the problem is, even if he does only attack with the knife, he is still attacking you with a goddamn knife. Which you haven't and he has. Meaning that most of the time you are at a disadvantage, unless you are really really skilled and/or lucky.

[XXSockXX]

Thing is, all situations I've been in where somebody might have gotten stabbed were pretty chaotic and not one-on-one scenarios. I've never been mugged or anything.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Turning a chaotic situation into a less chaotic one is part of martial arts training, though. Back away and stop getting surrounded, pick a target, go for it. If you peel off you should be able to pick a 1v1 or at least see who the 3 who are going to attack you will be. Maneuver so that both you and he have an escape route. Herd them to keep them together instead of surrounding you. If someone moves to surround you, lash out and drop him.

Notice when stuff is about to go down and prepare your positioning before the fight starts, and spot whoever seems to know what they're doing and mark them as a target or to avoid them. This may give you the chance to notice weapons, fighting stances, a look of determination, people calling for the police or for backup, approaching bystanders who may help or hinder.

Notice when you're somewhere that something might go down and keep a sharp eye. This just amounts to raising your alert level a bit and being aware of what's going on instead of just floating along like most people do - and like everyone does sometimes.

Avoid putting yourself into that kind of place by choosing where and when you go, which streets you walk down, what transportation you use, who you go with, what you wear. Depending on the crowd you run with it may not be possible to make yourself safe but at least you can recognize when you will be entering difficult territory.

[Graknorke]

Has everyone forgotten the ancient and finely-honed art of running the fuck away? Probably the thing most likely to increase your survivability in a brawl. Don't be there.

[XXSockXX]

I haven't really been in any threatening situations as an adult. As a teenager though what would happen every other weekend was something like this: two groups of very drunk 16 year olds encounter each other in the street. Somebody makes a stupid remark, people start yelling, insults and threats are exchanged. Sometimes that's it, sometimes it escalates when some of the more hotheaded idiots start fighting. Everybody else rushes in to defend their friends. If one side has clearly lost, it's over. If somebody called the cops, you run.
It's situations like that where a lot of really bad shit happens and nobody really knows who did what afterwards.

[Dutchling]

Do you dance and sing when approaching each other?

At the very least you snap your fingers to the beat, yes?