ban of fixed blade knives?

[JasonG172]

This is my knife and I really like it but rules are rule and I do understand.

 

[Stosh]

Same here, that's why I don't use the council summer camp. We go elsewhere, but the sheath knife is but one of many rules the boys prefer not to deal with for their week.

 

Stosh

[Sidney Porter]

 

 

ok i think what i am going to try to push through is as follows

to allow fixed blades with a blade length of up to 6in

require that a scout must prove that he is responsible with a fixed blade and know how to properly use and carry it

and a scout must bring in the knife to be approved for use in the troop- approval will be carried out by myself and a adult leader

I think that you should be prepared with explaining in your proposal in more detail. It doesn't call for additional training but you are calling for additional testing for the scout to prove that they are responsible. Are you going to have an additional test to prove that they are responsible, they test should be clearily outlined.

 

The 2nd piece is with the knife itself. The only thing that is outlined is 6 inches or less. What other criteria are you going to follow to determine if it is acceptable? Since ytou are requiring the knife to be inspected by you that implies that they already purchased the knife. I would think that a parent and a scout would rather know the criteria prior to purchase rather than

 

As far as the determination being completed by you and a scout leader. People come and go so if the rules are written in such a way that it needs to be approved by "thesnakeman" what happens when you leave? By better defining the the criteria of knofe saftey and an acceptable knife, this would eliminate the knowledge base being held with one person.

 

I think you should also address how scouters would be handled do they also need to go through the evaluation process? Are they going to have the same standards of the knife selection.

 

You will also want to make sure that you know which council facility has outlawed them. What you don't want to happen if get this to pass at the unit level only to find out that they can only take them a few places.

 

I think that without a lot of detail you will be ignored. You are going to need consensus to change the rule. The only way to get this is with education and a well thought out plan. To use your term "push through" is not the best way to get consensus when the people you are presenting to are the ones that made or believe in the existing policy.

 

Good luck how every you choose to pursue this.

 

[boomerscout]

Some namby-pamby councils may thus rule based on their mis-interpretation of state, county or town knife ordinances. As long as knife is not double edged, nor looks like a ninja fighting knife it should be OK if carried openly. However, some laws disallow anyone under 18 from carrying any kind of knife.

 

One of my sheath knives was purchased at a Scout Shop a few years back. Since it has the Good Turn knot embossed onto the sheath, and the Scout insignia on the blade itself, couldn't I just say it was part of the uniform?

[Stosh]

Yeah, it's kinda hard to outlaw stuff sold in the BSA Shop.

 

Yet somehow they think it's okay. Special training and setup for fixed blade knives? Okay, there's the paring knife, rather short, but will still cut fingers. Then the boning knife, bit longer, may stretch the 6" limit, then there's the butcher, got to believe that's +6", ham knife, some of those go into the 8-9" lengths, the Ninja length knives.

 

Then there's the fillet knife. If it isn't razor sharp it isn't going to help clean fish. They have a sheath that people like say, maybe fishermen can use for a shore lunch maybe?

 

Then there's the fixed blade, serrated butter and/or steak knife. While overlooked regularly by the BSA as dangerous, it is the shim of choice in some of our more formidable housing establishments.

 

What about those camp spoon, fork, knife combo things. They come in a belt attachable sheath. Those can be sharpened to quite a good edge too.

 

I'm thinking kids today ought to be taught to eat with their fingers. It's far safer than giving them utensils that look remarkably similar to fixed blade knives. There's gonna be a lot of angry women out there that are going to blame BSA for not teaching their husbands how to use fixed blade knives correctly in the kitchen. There's nothing worse that a woman with fire in her eyes and a butcher knife in her hand coming towards you with the intent of teaching you say maybe a culinary lesson?

 

Stosh

[Eagledad]

so how would you recommend me going about getting this ban revoked or amended.

thanks

Thomas

 

I would do a fixed knife safety training class for interested scouts and adults who might use these knives outside troop activities. It would be the exact same training that I use for the pocket knife making the point that there is no difference of safety between the two types. Barry

[Stosh]

With all the boys handling fixed blade knives in the kitchen, why in the world would BSA not be doing fix blade training as part of the Totin' Chit?

 

Serious, this is a major gap in training. If one has to go outside the troop to get such training as Barry suggests, then it's time to get the subject back on the discussion table.

 

If one is to be proficient in the use of knives in the kitchen, it only goes to prove they should be just as proficient outside the kitchen with them as well.

 

Stosh

[blw2]

gasp!

"Is that a kitchen knife or a sword?"

said, as he bites his finger nails.....

[Eagledad]

Serious, this is a major gap in training. If one has to go outside the troop to get such training as Barry suggests, then it's time to get the subject back on the discussion table.

Stosh

 

And that is the point of the training, get it back on the discussion table and prove through the training that if anything, pocket or folding blade knives require more training because of their inherent of danger of non-fixed blade. I'm a pragmatic sort of person who tries to get folks thinking away from their emotions. It's just like the bow saw, most adults don't realize that it is the most dangerous woods tool the average scout or scouter uses. So they don't give it the respect it deserves and I think it is fair to say most users nick their hand with it. Barry

[TAHAWK]

Obviously, BSA does not speak with one voice, on this or many other topics. There seems to be no person or committee whose job it is to insure a consistent message.

 

Also, most of the bans are written by folks who are obviously not very knowledgeable about knives or the outdoor program - or possibly the language. (Those who know what a 'compensator" is vs. a "flash-suppressor" know the humor of the "assault weapons" total ban on the second that simultaneously allowed the first.) What do they know of the health issues of using folding knives to butcher meat or the safety issues of what sort of knife is very, very strongly suggested for white-water use?

 

Stosh, you are right on target about the gap in training. When BSA stopped selling sheath knives, it shortly thereafter removed fixed-blade training from Totin' Chip and the Handbook. So, although BSA has expressly recognized since 2011 our obligation to teach about all legally-owned knives (G2SS) - an obligation I believe that never went away given the presence of "kitchen" knives in the boy's environment, Totin' Chip still remains deficient.

 

As regards that training, the props are available even in "zero tolerance" camps - the lock-blade knife sold by BSA. Once locked, it is indistinguishable, safety-wise, from a fixed-blade knife except slightly more likely to break in the hand and except when being closed, when it presents a closing hazard. (Once closed, it is safer, as it is when left at home: safer and useless.)

 

All folding knives present the closing hazard (unless we ban closing as too dangerous). They can, and often do, close on the Scout's fingers. Anyone in the program very long has seen the results.

 

Approaching the issue as a matter of safety and training, citing the G2SS and BSA statement in Boy's Life noted above, is probably more likely to produce change than "push" or other confrontation. Got to get those Scouts ready for cooking and cleaning fish.

 

The "zero-tolerance" way is the avoidance of teaching judgment - arbitrary by definition. We should be teaching and fostering the opposite. When my former troop faced the issues raised by a tiny Scout coming to camp with a knife with a 9" blade, the leaders (that is to say, the PLC) decided "about" 4" was the maximum blade length except for "fishing knives" and "cooking knives." They also decided to disallow knives "specially designed to be a weapon" - fixed or folding. Their thinking about length was that anything needing more blade for woodcraft would be dealt with by an axe or saw. Prompted by a question from one of the adults, they also warned that a dangerous sheath would be grounds to bar carrying. (We had a session on leather-working in a couple of months, and sheaths were a favorite project.) I thought it was a fine exercise in making the sort of decisions that citizens and leaders of citizens will have to face as adults - not all black and white. A couple of "tantos" and one stiletto (designed to stab and impractical as woods tools) were disallowed. It was a non-issue thereafter. We did pass on a couple of camps for our semi-annual council summer camping experience.

 

And yes, rules change. That's part of life as well.

 

Boomer, the "part of the uniform" argument failed in the UK where is was, literally, part of the uniform before their ban. It has never been "part of the uniform" here, so . . . .

 

 

Hey, Snake, some Bussekin are less intimidating, especially to Aichmophobs. Learn to be clever. It is sometimes more important than being "right" in some sense.

[TAHAWK]

>Since we have recognized our obligation to teach the youth the proper use of all legally owned knives as of 2011, how do meet our obligation if fixed-blade knives - found in almost all homes - are the subject of "zero tolerance" policies?

 

>The B.S.A. announced in Boy's Life in June, 2008, that:

 

"The best type of knife for camping trips  and most any other outdoor activity, for that matter  is a short, fixed-blade knife with a beefy handle.

 

Folding pocketknives can fold up on your hand while cutting. Not fixed blades. And remember: When it comes to blades, bigger isn’t always better. Avoid blades longer than four inches. A small, sharp blade can cut just as well as a long one, but it’s safer to handle and easier to maneuver in tight spots. With a good fixed blade you’ll be set for most anything the outdoors can throw at you  whittling, cutting, notching, butchering, filleting, even spreading peanut butter."

 

>The basis of all our moral training is trust.

 

>I understand irrational fear. I am irrationally afraid of heights. I do not expect others to conform to my phobias.

 

> My Council briefly banned fixed-blade knives at our camps. The responsible "professional" has been fired and the rule (and many, many others he decreed) is gone, replaced by the Oath and Law.

AND BSA is selling sheath knives again.  http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/camping/knives-accessories.html

[AltadenaCraig]

I replied in the GTSS thread, but to cover all bases: I tried the link, but it took me to a blank page. Bad link, or did BSA pull the item?

[Chadamus]

They changed the page. Shortly after TAHAWK posted the link I clicked on it and saw multiple pages of knives.

[TAHAWK]

Try this for the

 

"Gaupe" (Lynx)  http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/camping/knives-accessories/knives/knife-helle-gaupe.html#.WVwA1ITyvX4

 

There were two other models of Helle sheath knives, but they are gone now.  The third is mostly cut off at the bottom left of the inserted picture.  The folding Helle is also gone.

 

 

For some reason, the ability to edit goes away quickly, so I cannot remove the non-functioning link.  Sorry.

Edited July 4, 2017 by TAHAWK

[MattR]

If you go to Home -> BSA -> Camping -> Knives & Accessories -> Knives (through the menus) or

http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/camping/knives-accessories/knives.html

There are 4 Helle knives.

 

Not sure what this is about, just trying to help.