I guess I'm lucky. I rode my bike to the local (and only) sporting goods store in town and bought a Western Cutlery
4 inch hunting knife when I was about 12 (still have it too), no ID required, no parent required, and I only used it for cleaning and skinning deer, cleaning fish, trimming my fingernails, whittleling, and occasionally nicking my finger. Never even thought about sticking the class bully with it. And just about every boy carried some kind of knife to school every day, with everyones implied permission. Different era I guess...