Why You Should Carry a Knife Instead of a Gun for Self-Defense

[Ranger]

I used to do martial arts pretty seriously, have a black belt in one style, and trained extensively in others. During those days, a friend and I worked on knife and gun defenses a lot (I still have visible scars from cuts on my hands decades later). Given a choice within handshake distance, I'd prefer to go against a gun. Some of the knife defenses work so well in practice that it's almost magic how effective they can be. Problem is that people sometimes do stupid stuff and aren't 100% predictable. Their stupid stuff can get you hurt badly.

Given a choice of which to bring to a party, I'd choose both (and pepper spray)! If limited to one, it'd be a gun.

 

[tbobcar]

I am a combat Marine, albeit Vietnam. Granted my view of dangerous situations may be skewed but I have never seen anyone succeed with a knife, except when the person being attacked was completely unarmed. I offer a few thoughts:
Firstly, who is going to attack with a knife, guns yes, knives? "okay, this is a holdup everyone on the floor, or I'll stab you", Naw. Secondly, have you ever stabbed anyone, it takes a lot of grit. Few (sober) people can do it. Throat cuts are one heck of a mess. Blood is slippery and it is difficult to hold a weapon for a second strike.
Thirdly, knife wounds rarely slow an attacker very much, unless it's a bayonet thrust. Whereas, a .45 anywhere, even just taking the hair off an ear, is going to stop an attacker.
As far as the question of where does a bullet stop, good point; however, I use #9 shot in my 1911,
up close it will make a big hole. It will do nothing after 15-20 feet, except make a big, big noise.

 

[BULL'S-EYE]

The best of both worlds. View attachment 29992

I just assumed everyone had at least one LaserLyte pistol bayonet...Whether they admit it or not...

 

[KIR]

So nobody here is into knife throwing. My son bought me a set to practice with in case sometime I am without a gun. I do carry a EDC knife.

 

[tbobcar]

So nobody here is into knife throwing. My son bought me a set to practice with in case sometime I am without a gun. I do carry a EDC knife.

Okay, well done. Hand to hand combat really sucks, it's not for me at least if I can help it. A blazing .45 is a good start.

 

[pyth0n]

 

[tbobcar]

Why You Should Carry a Knife Instead of a Gun for Self-Defense

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Click Here ↓↓↓ To Read Article.

Why You Should Carry a Knife Instead of a Gun for Self-Defense - Knife Life

Guns are often the go-to self-defense tool, but a knife might be a better option for you! Read this article to find out whey!

www.bladehq.com

Okay, thank you for the well presented arguements for an edged weapons carry.
However, I can think of half a dozen knife fights and duals that I saw in Vietnam '68 and '69. A couple people had their throats cut and another guy stopped a thrown bayonet with his forehead.

A knife's ability to be hidden, to be silent, and be quite lethal are just what scares hell out of me.
Maybe Col Fairbairn was a champion knife fighter and maybe there are other people around as good as he was, but don't you see,
that is what scares hell out of me.

Nobody wins a real firefight just one side has the fewer dead and injured. Nobody wins a real knife fight just one side has fewer ears, eyes, and other severable body parts missing.
I can tell you who wins a knife Vs
gun fight, easily with no damage.

 

[harley08]

I should have added that if you are going to carry a knife for defense, make sure it is a full tang fixed blade. Full tang for strength, fixed blade so it's ready to draw, rather than fumbling around and then getting a folder open.

Or get an assisted opening folding pocket knive!

 

[Bullthrower338]

I carry both, a case CS blade for boxes and such and a bench made auto for people and such. But if it comes to the time a real threat is presented I will go for my handgun first. I will take the risk of being fired for carrying long before I will go unarmed. With the way the world is and all the disgruntled employee shootings that have happened, I don't plan to wait under my desk until I am found and shot. It would make a horrible obituary.

 

[bigdave101]

Why You Should Carry a Knife Instead of a Gun for Self-Defense

​

Click Here ↓↓↓ To Read Article.

Why You Should Carry a Knife Instead of a Gun for Self-Defense - Knife Life

Guns are often the go-to self-defense tool, but a knife might be a better option for you! Read this article to find out whey!

www.bladehq.com

cause you want 2 get shot...

 

[pyth0n]

I read the whole article, and it ignores so many realities it is laughable. If someone is 50 feet away and pulls a gun on me, they are most assuredly a threat, and a knife is pretty useless. I am also arthritic to the point of being crippled, so getting into any scuffle where the bad guy is close enough for me to effectively deploy a knife is not likely to end well for me. And I challenge anyone to tell me the presentation of a pocket knife is more likely to cause a bad guy to stop acting aggressively and turn tail than a firearm. I also want to know what percentage of violent encounters have been stopped by one or two pokes with a three or four inch blade. Kinda' willing to bet it's not as high as poking one or two 45+ caliber holes completely through an attacker. Sorry, the entire premise of using a knife as a primary defensive weapon is bogus. I carry a Kershaw Speed Bump (made in the USA, Ken Onion design) and a Leatherman REBAR daily, so I do have multiple blades on me at all times, but I sure wouldn't stake my safety or that of others on them.

"If someone is 50 feet away and pulls a gun on me, they are most assuredly a threat, and a knife is pretty useless."
Don't take the article personal.
But what about defending yourself from someone close to you in any environment, & not 50 feet away? Or attacks without a gun or any weapon at all? You can be in danger of serious injury or death from an empty hand attack in close quarters. Using a gun ignores so many realities also.
One of the knives I have is a Ka-Bar TDI, designed by a police officer for police officers for use, as they state, "In extreme close-quarter encounters where a suspect is attempting to take an officer's handgun, or an officer cannot access his or her handgun, the TDI knife is available as a "last option" knife."
Designed by John Benner, founder and owner of Tactical Defense Institute.
kabar.com/product?item=1480

The article;
"Knives are inherently hand-to-hand weapons. They are designed to affect only that which they can touch."
"I understand why for many, the best self-defense option out there is a concealed firearm."

Then there's this from another post;

Man Survives Bear Attack Using a Folding Knife

Mike was attacked, without provocation, by a cinnamon black bear in 2020. He fought it with a folding knife and survived. This is his story.

www.ammoland.com

JMO

 

[crstrode]

It is obvious you did not read the article, if you did, you would not have wrote what you did.

That is the result click-bait posters aim for.

Even the author of the "story" admitted it was click-bait.

 

[Jeepnik]

Their is a simple solution. Carry both. Better yet carry multiples of both.

 

[MaxMan]

21 Foot Rule - Tueller Distance Legal Strategy for a Self Defense Shooting

The 21 foot rule, or Tueller rule, is crucial to know and understand for a self defense legal strategy. Here's why, and what you should know.

modernsurvivalblog.com

I'm not sure how far 21 feet is exactly. Also, my experience knife fighting is limited to Thanksgiving.

 

[noahmercy]

"If someone is 50 feet away and pulls a gun on me, they are most assuredly a threat, and a knife is pretty useless."
Don't take the article personal.
But what about defending yourself from someone close to you in any environment, & not 50 feet away? Or attacks without a gun or any weapon at all? You can be in danger of serious injury or death from an empty hand attack in close quarters. Using a gun ignores so many realities also.
One of the knives I have is a Ka-Bar TDI, designed by a police officer for police officers for use, as they state, "In extreme close-quarter encounters where a suspect is attempting to take an officer's handgun, or an officer cannot access his or her handgun, the TDI knife is available as a "last option" knife."
Designed by John Benner, founder and owner of Tactical Defense Institute.
kabar.com/product?item=1480

The article;
"Knives are inherently hand-to-hand weapons. They are designed to affect only that which they can touch."
"I understand why for many, the best self-defense option out there is a concealed firearm."

Then there's this from another post;

Man Survives Bear Attack Using a Folding Knife

Mike was attacked, without provocation, by a cinnamon black bear in 2020. He fought it with a folding knife and survived. This is his story.

www.ammoland.com

JMO

Thank you for taking the time to take one small quote from my post, then write a reply which completely ignores everything else I wrote. Since police are known to carry firearms, and they are highly visible, they are far more likely to encounter a situation where a bad guy is trying to get their guns away from them. They also have to get close enough to a bad guy to arrest them, thus placing them in close proximity. I carry concealed, am exceedingly aware of my surroundings, and place myself at a tactical advantage to avoid "close encounters", thus the chances of finding myself that scenario are very slim. If, despite my best efforts I am faced with someone attempting to remove my primary firearm, I have a small BUG I carry weak-side so that I can quickly and easily access it. A bullet from that which penetrates 14-16 inches is way more likely to end the attack quickly than a 2-3 inch knife blade.

And again, I will reiterate the simple fact that immediate incapacitation of an attacker who may be mentally or chemically impaired is virtually impossible with a knife. They are unlikely to have the pain/flight response a rational person would upon being stabbed or cut. I have a martial arts background, and am quite adept with a blade, but they are poor choices for defense in most scenarios, full stop.

As to the guy killing a bear with a knife, good on him. A lady once killed a record grizzly with a .22 LR. Does that make it a practical or viable cartridge for protection against large, dangerous game? Of course not. One-off happenings are simply exceptions...they do not prove something is a good idea.

 

[Navarone]

Not me. A guy told long ago "Everyone gets hurt in a knife fight".

I watched a YouTube video of two martial arts students using black markers as knife substitutes. They sparred for about 30 seconds and both were covered in black markings. The instructor said "a knife fight is just two people stabbing each other to death."

 

[the_leper_colony]

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

I read the whole article too. I have also been trained in Asian martial arts(Bo staffs, nunchucks, and edged weapons), and European sword and dagger arts. I prefer a gun, but since weapon free zones exist, I am down to #2 pencils, and my cane at times with a bar of soap and a pillow case thrown in. One doesn't "present" a knife til just before it is inserted into the perp. Done correctly, the knife makes much bigger holes than any .45!!! I carry both gun and a knife most of the time. Don't count out knives for self defense. At age 73, I have had to change how I would fight. Maybe even feigning a heart attack? Getting closer can happen quicker than trying to run away lol. That my friends is where a knife shines!
gramps

I always wear a pocketed vest. When a firearm is prohibited, I have a cane, tactical pen, a stun gun, pepper spray, AND a knife. I have had what looks to be the same training as yourself- minus the sword- and since we are capable of using almost anything as a weapon, why not have as many options as possible?

 

[Mobuck]

"So nobody here is into knife throwing."
Who's going to throw away their primary weapon?

 

[RC44Mag]

It is obvious you did not read the article, if you did, you would not have wrote what you did.

The thread title you posted was a definitive statement and the story you posted has the same title. The key word of the article title is instead and that's all I needed to know, I responded to your title statement.

Even the author of the story stated that its click bait and indeed it is and you just copied and pasted his click bait. Perhaps you should have posted a title that didn't mislead like the author clearly did and admitted.