This is one reason I like to carry a multitool (Wave). It is much easier to convince fellow workers that it is more of a tool than a weapon (because it is, basically)

I just used a hacksaw to cut the spout just before that stupid bulge thing. Works fine. Cap still fits the top.

Plus I have 5 Scepters....

I hear you. However, I hate giving up ground on something that is perfectly legal.

Society's attitudes have really changed during my lifetime. When I was in middle school we played knife games, some rather dangerous, at every recess. Everybody carried a knife routinely. I think one kid brought his 22 to school for show and tell and actually avoided incarceration

Still, if I wanted a weapon, I would consider an aluminum softball bat or pepper spray, among other effective alternatives.

I'm probably a bit younger than you, hikermor, but I concur. I remember bringing my deer rifle to school for show-and-tell in middle school and the teacher was fine with it! The job I worked during HS and my first year of college was the same; my boss knew I was a "gun guy" and was considering the purchase of one he knew I had (a Ruger Mini-14), so he asked me if I would mind bringing it to work so he could check it out (!! ). So I did. Right there in the kitchen he was pointing it around.

Naturally even then small town SD was probably not the same as CA. But even here that would bring a SWAT team today.

Most of my youth was squandered in Dallas, Texas(not really part of the real Texas) and other places in the Midwest. But owning guns was "normal" then.even, I think, in California.

Whole lot of folks are younger than me - gets more so every day.......

When I went through middle school ('87-'89), the "students cannot have knives or other weapons" policy was already in place. The policy at that time did not apply to staff and faculty. The shop teacher had, and lent out to the students, a Buck 110 knife on his belt. And, the physics teacher brough in a pellet rifle to demonstrate concervation of momentum(IIRC, we determined it shot a 1 gram pellet at 900 fps).

When I went back to work at the school discrict as a TA (glorified babysitter) in '94 or '95 the policy had already changed to "nobody can have a knife or other weapon".

Now it's "nobody can sketch/bite their food into/ make pretend their hand is a knife or other weapon". I find this darly amusing considering the unholy ****storm that was street crime 20+ years ago compared to today.

IMHO, given the incredible lack of maturity of the student body in general, I remember as both a student and TA, I'm inclined to agree with the "No knives or weapons for students". OTOH, I think that if you can be trusted to effectively raise our kids, then you should be able to be trusted with a sharp tool.

Maybe with today's kids, but we all had knives in school and I graduated in 91. Kids threw punches at each other (one girl took down a teacher one time as well) but their knives always stayed in their pockets.

Bragging how everybody got into fights, but nobody got knifed is not a very convincing argument for maturity. Dropping a teacher is an even less convincing argument.

And, yes I know the difference between rough housing among friends and putting somebody, namely me, in the ER.

EDIT: OTOH, I don't remember many people getting knifed. I did lose a couple of classmates to gunfire though...

what I'm saying is fights happen weather knives are banned or not and having them didn't create any more fights or make them any worse. "weapon" bans don't help anything.