Jury duty

[weekendskp]

My wife told me that I wouldn't be allowed to carry my 2 1/4" Victorinox Red pocket knife with me into the court house, but I pushed the issue anyway. "Empty your pockets, take off your belt." said the officer at the check-in counter. "Take that back to your car", he said. I huffed out. Huffed back to the counter and plopped my things back in their tray. This young deputy says, "calm down, take a deep breath." I said, "We're not flying the unfriendly skies here. Why the strip search?" "Just calm down", was all he would say.

When did it become necessary to prevent a person from carrying a 2 1/4" freaking pocket knife? I cut myself more often with a safety razor. I could inflict more damage with the car keys, and the shaft of the car key is longer than the blade of a pen knife! This wasn't Federal Court; just some tiny little county courthouse in southern Missouri. There's no common sense left in the world.

[Hoganbeg]

Did you actually think you would prevail? It's been that way for years in the courthouses I personally know of. Too many courtroom incidents. In the right (or wrong) hands a penknife could do some serious damage. I don't like being disarmed, but it forces me to think creatively, which is good.

[jaysonindaytona]

2 1/4 inch pocket knife jabbed in a neck could kill some one.... common sense should have told you to leave it in the car...

[Ed Hurtley]

Yet more "Security Theater".

I don't know about Missouri, but in Oregon, firearms are only barred "In any courtroom, jury room, judge’s chambers or areas adjacent thereto that the presiding judge determines." (To quote my local sheriff's office.)

Of course, many court HOUSES term this to cover the entire courthouse, and put a metal detector right inside the door. I don't know if I'd want to argue with them just to wander the hallway armed.

(I like my sheriff. I'm in the county that contains very liberal Portland, yet my sheriff makes a point of denying the commonly-attempted "no concealed carry in schools" as well as "no carrying in the airport". Doesn't mention schools at all in the 'banned' section, and says "For information regarding the Portland airports please contact the Port of Portland legal department" aka: "We don't agree with it, so we're not going to tell you NOT to carry here, but here's what the airport has to say about it.")

[Phillip Gain]

Two words:

Tactical Pen.

[Tucker's Mom]

Well...he did try, didn't he? Nice try weekendskp...

[Nightmare45]

Carry my friendly pen back it up with a two pound western belt buckle on end of 3 foot whip (belt).

[weekendskp]

Yet more "Security Theater".

That's a good term for it. I'll have to remember that. It's the David Copperfield kind of security; one gets the illusion of security, but the beautiful assistant really doesn't get cut in half. I've been saying for years that social norms are like pendulums, swinging one way for awhile, then swinging back. For example, when I was in school the teachers or principal could swat unruly students. And I believe that one day, after years of coddling and non-discipline are found to be ineffectual, that the pendulum will swing back the other way. Same goes for "security theater". One day, people will wake up, discover that the tree of liberty has been chopped down to make the paper for the endless tome of tax code.

[FN1910]

2 1/4" Victorinox Red pocket knife

Heck they stopped me with my 1-1/4" Victronix Red pocket, I hate to call it, knife. I use it for the scissors and tooth pick more than anything and carry a small buck knife when I want to cut something.

[rifleshooter474]

At a Court House why cause yourself problems?