JAB

    Oh, I've got no problem with it.  If some folks have 800 bucks lying around and have nothing else they need to spend it on then they had might as well give it to her for one of those knives.  As folks have been making knives from files for years and leaving the file intact along part of the blade and as her knives are pretty standard kitchen knife shapes (with maybe some minor, personal variations), I doubt she could copyright the design.  Of course, as some have already said, she has made a name for herself and certainly "Chelsea Miller Knives" is something she can (and maybe already has) copyright or trademark or whatever the proper term is.

Oh, yeah, I can easily see you making a living as a knife maker, GT. Some of the pics you have posted of knives you have made actually look better, to me, than a lot of things I have seen from people who are making a living doing it. I actually like the look of her knives (except I don't think I'd want to pay that kind of price for a knife on which the wood handle looks like it is about to crack in two and fall off) but I wouldn't pay $800 for one. In some circles, I imagine paying $800 for your chef's knife is all about being able to say, "Yeah, I paid $800 for this knife." I think what caught my eye most was that: 1. She is using recycled rasps and files, much like many 'do-it-yourself' type knife makers do. In fact, it seems to me like a lot of 'beginners' go that route (I would like to make a file knife some day) and folks are dropping some serious (ridiculous?) amounts of green for her knives. 2. She is a female knife maker who has had enough success that she is making her living doing it. Not being that knowledgeable about the custom knife world I don't know how common that is but I don't have the feeling it is all that common.

Well, keep in mind that the police have admitted that he wasn't buckled in when being transported in the back of their van/truck. That is not in doubt and is a violation of their departmental regulations. He was probably bounced around inside the vehicle. This is apparently intentionally done often enough that there is a cutesy term for it called giving a suspect a 'rough ride'. Baltimore police have lost cases where suspects were injured when given 'rough rides' in the past. Even if his original injuries were from falling off the fence the 'rough ride' could have exacerbated them - and that is if the injuries weren't actually caused by the 'rough ride'. So, yeah, if the 'rough ride' or anything else those officers did resulted in or contributed to the suspect's death then there has to be some accountability.

  Nah, with smart phones and tablets you can now log in from the bar.

  I had to chuckle last night when, on Channel 8 news (I only watch because Amanda Hara is so danged hot) the anchors said something to the effect of 'even though the curfew has been in effect for about an hour, now, people are still rioting...'  They then cut to a shot of a street in Baltimore that was entirely empty except for two police officers standing on the sidewalk and a couple of official-looking vehicles driving by.  The anchors continued with '...well, obviously not in this shot but they are still rioting, elsewhere.'

Knowing that I like and am interested in various bladed tools as well as an interest in cooking, my co-worker (who is originally from New York and has a subscription to the New York TImes) brought this article in for me to see the other day.  This lady is hand-making culinary knives and making a living selling them.  She apparently sells a 10 inch chef's knife (made largely from recycled materials that she gets for free or nearly free) for $800.  Man, I am in the wrong line of work!  I think it is interesting how she makes some knives out of old farrier's rasps and actually leaves the rasp teeth on part of the blade.  I like the look of file knives, etc. that people make and leave the file marks on part of the blade.  In this case, though, the rasp teeth aren't just cool looking or intended to show the 'history' of the blade.  Instead, she intends the rasp teeth on the side of the blade to be used to perform chores like grating cheese, garlic and so on.  Pretty clever.  Here is a link to the article:   http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/22/dining/chelsea-miller-most-treasured-cooking-tool-knife.html?_r=0

  One thing I try to always do when changing mags in my P3AT (which has a plastic mag catch just like I believe the PF-9 has) is that I press the mag release button in until the mag is fully inserted then release it and bump the bottom of the mag to make sure it is seated.  Of course I wouldn't do that in a 'real life' situation or if practicing quick mag changes but for target practice/range work it saves a lot of wear and tear on the mag release.  I didn't come up with this idea.  It seems to be fairly common practice among the members of the Kel Tec forum and that is where I first got the idea.

One of my favorite knife designs - just for 'looking at' even more than for actually using - is the 'sharpfinger' style of upswept skinner and the Schrade Old Timer version was always a favorite of the style. When I was a kid, my maternal grandfather had a couple of them and something about those knives always fascinated me. It certainly wasn't the blade size - there are pocket knives with bigger blades. It was more the blade shape - the way it swept up and down along the spine and edge of the blade. They almost looked more like something out of a fantasy story or movie than a real life kniife. In fact, although that was long before the most recent Lord of the Rings movies came out, the sweeping lines of the elvin blades in those movies are, to me, very reminiscent of the sharpfinger style. Because I was a 'fan', back in the early 2000's when I heard that Schrade was closing, I went out and bought a couple of the Old Timer Sharpfingers since I figured it would be my last chance to buy any. Later, when I heard that another company had bought the Schrade name and was going to keep many of their designs in production I was glad since not only was I a fan of their sharpfinger but their Old Timer folders were also favorites of mine. I became a little disappointed when I heard that the new knives would not be made of high carbon steel but would be stainless, instead. I was even more disappointed when I bought one of the 'new' Schrade knives (not one of their more traditional styles but, instead, kind of a 'tactical' folder) and realized that it was absolute junk. Disgusted, I refused to buy any of the China Schrade knives for years but would check flea markets, etc. in hopes of finding 'real' Schrades (I actually managed to buy a Schrade U.S.A. Old Timer three blade folder new in the box as recently as about three years ago at a flea market for not a bad price.) Well, the other day I was at Academy and noticed they had some Old Timer Sharpfingers in bubble packs hanging on the rack in their knife aisle with a price of $19.99. My curiosity got the best of me and I bought one. I decided to do a side by side 'initial impressions' comparison with my real, USA made Old Timer Sharpfinger. At first glance, especially in their respective sheaths, they look like pretty much the same knife. However, I could already tell that the leather used in the USA made knife felt like stronger, better quality material (the USA knife is on top.) One difference that can be seen without unsheathing the knives is that the fonts used for the 'Old Timer' name plate on the handles are different. Not really something that impacts knife usage or quality, just a detail I noticed. Original: Taylor made: It is when the blades come out of the sheaths, however, that the differences become more obvious. For one thing, the Taylor version doesn't sheath or unsheath as smoothly and easily as the original. Of course, this could just be specific to my examples of each. Things that are likely not specific to just these, two knives, however, are quite noticeable differences in the blades, themselves. In fact, even apart from likely using different metals, I would say that the blades are different enough that the original Old Timer Sharpfinger and the Taylor version aren't really the same knife, exactly. First, notice that the original has an upsweep near the base of the blade on the edge side which the Taylor version doesn't have. There are also slight differences in the treatment of the thumb 'bump' and the spine of the original seems to have a deeper 'sweep' along the spine. The area where the bevel terminates is much more pronounced on the Taylor version. Overall, the blade of the original is not as wide as the blade of the Taylor. Before anyone suggests it, no, this is not due to sharpening of the original over the years. I have really only sharpened the original enough to get the bevel/edge I want. Honestly, it has only seen whetstones once or twice since I have had it. I rarely use or carry it since it is my only example of the original Old Timer Sharpfinger (I had two but am not sure where the other is at the moment) so it hasn't been worn/ground down - the blades are simply shaped a little differently. The blade on the original is also a little longer (although the length of the actual cutting surfaces may not be that much different - more on that, below.) Overall, the original looks much more 'graceful', to me, and is just more aesthetically pleasing than the Taylor version. The Taylor version retains enough of the original design to still look 'good', to me but when put next to the original it looks flawed, to my eye and just doesn't 'grab' me like the original. Notice that the information stamped at the base of the respective blades is also different. The original has Schrade USA and 152 (which I assume is the model number) where the Taylor simply has Schrade stamped in much larger letters. On the other side, the Taylor has 1520 stamped (I guess they added the 0 at the end to update the model number for their version.) There doesn't seem to be a country of origin stamped anywhere on the Taylor version. Along the spine, although possibly not obvious from this picture, the Taylor version appears (at least to my eye) to be a little thicker but not markedly so. When the blade is flipped edge up, however, another major difference is noticeable. The ricasso on the Taylor version is thicker and ends more abruptly but the unsharpened ricasso on the original is much longer. That is the reason I said, above, that the actual cutting surface is probably pretty close between the two even though the blade of the original is a little longer. The Delrin scales are pretty comparable but some minor differences in the shape of the knife make the original feel slightly more comfortable in my hand. Not that the Taylor version feels bad or anything just that the original feels better. I do think that the Taylor Schrade knives have improved in quality over the years. I was very pleasantly surprised that the Taylor Sharpfinger came shaving sharp right out of the box -er - blister pack. When it comes time to sharpen, I will probably convex the edge but for now I will leave it as is. I will probably buy a couple more of the Taylors here and there to carry , occasionally, so my original can stay safe at home. I have also been going back and forth on buying one of the Taylor made big brothers to the Sharpfinger. I think it is called the Deerslayer or something along those lines. I will probably pick one of those up at some point, too, based on my impressions of the Taylor Sharpfinger.

  Me, too.  I have also heard good things about Byrd knives (Spyderco's 'value' line) which, I think, are also made in China.  For that matter, the 'value line' of their knives that actually have the Spyderco brand are made in China, too.  I just checked and my Spyderco Resilience - which I have been edc'ing for about a month, now, and which none of my other folders seem to be able to evict from my pocket - has 'China' stamped on one side of the base of the blade.

  Than you for doing so, for setting an example for others and for ensuring that those you supervised did the same.

  I used to work at the circulation desk at Lawson-McGhee Library in downtown Knoxville.  We dealt with all the vagrants, homeless, mental cases and perverts that downtown Knoxville had to offer.  Also, being situated right next to the federal building, we often received the fallout from people who were angry at the government folks there and were taking it out on us (after all, we were government employees.)  I have had a known nut-job - I mean crazy as a loony bird - stand on the other side of the desk from me and try to grab a pair of scissors while asking where the guard who was usually near the desk had gone.  I have been compared to the Nazis by one woman who was yelling at me because I wouldn't let her friend check out a book (neither of them lived in Knox County and so were ineligible for library cards unless they paid for them.)  I have been threatened with physical harm for the smallest, stupidest of reasons.  We dealt with guys who would just about lie on the floor on one side of the shelves trying to look up the dress/skirt of the woman or even little girl on the other side.  We also had our share of 'jerkwads' when I worked as the branch manager of the Carter branch.  We didn't even have security guards there and the couple of times I had to call the cops it took fifteen to twenty minutes for them to arrive.  So I, too, have dealt with that line of 'animals'.  The difference was that I did not have a gun, baton, pepper spray, handcuffs, police powers and a radio to call for backup when I had to confront the people causing problems or printing porn on our computers and tell them to leave (most were embarrassed at having been caught and did so quietly but a couple got angry and belligerent.)  Further, I was expected to treat each and every person who came to the desk politely, professionally and without an 'attitude' that came from the previous person being a jackhole.  If I can manage to do so (and I did) then I expect other people who have to deal with such things to treat people who aren't animals, jerkwads or jackholes with at least a modicum of courtesy and respect regardless of how much of a jackhole the person - or the twenty people - that came before them were being.. Anyone who cannot manage to do so, IMO, should be looking for another line of work.   I do not say this to challenge you (you are the forum admin so I would lose, anyhow) or tick you off.  I am also not trying to go all 'mall ninja' (or 'library ninja') and act like I was a defacto cop.  I am just trying to give a little bit of a different perspective.

I checked BING for knife sharpening services in Chattanooga to see if I could find something that might help you out.  Unfortunately, nothing definitive came up.  Here in Knoxville, on Lovell Road just down the road from where I work, there is a place in a little 'strip mall' kinda center called Kinney Sharpening.  I haven't used them but told a co-worker about them when she asked if I knew of any places that offer sharpening services.  She said she took about ten knives (mostly kitchen knives, I think) and other things there, all at once, and was pleased with the results.  Not that this helps you much in Chattanooga.   The only advice that I can think of off the top of my head is that you might call the Chattanooga Sportsman's Warehouse ((423)892-6300) and see if anyone there (they actually have a good sized knife counter) might know of a local sharpening service.

  That is the old normal.  Maybe you got in under the wire before they stated the staggering/pro-rating thing?

  If I ever get one, I'd prefer a 16 inch barrel, as well.  For one thing, I just think that barrel length in .357 looks and 'balances' better.  For another thing, according to the info on Ballistics by the Inch, most factory .357 ammo shows gains up to about 16 inches of pipe (in some cases, pretty significant gains over a handgun, even one with a 10 inch barrel) and after about 16 inches the velocity gains are very small and some actually start to lose velocity   The results for .38 Special indicate that at least some factory ammo in that caliber also tends to lose velocity in test barrels over 16 inches in length while others show minimal gains.  Yes, I know that a handloader could cook up a round specifically for the longer barrel but, for me, the whole point in having a revolver/lever gun combo is the ammo sharing thing.  If I am going to be creating special rounds specifically for a rifle - which means sort of losing the ammo commonality thing - then I had as well just go ahead and get a lever gun in a 'real' rifle caliber and forget about it.  :2cents:       http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/327mag.html http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/38special.html

  As OS said, I think the only way things are going to get clearer is if the law is completely overhauled to make carrying a handgun legal in TN with a short list of very specific exceptions to that rule rather than the opposite situation we currently have.  By the letter of our state constitution, blanket laws making all carry illegal then offering exemptions/defenses isn't really 'legal' in my non-lawyer opinion but not being legal never stops politicians from passing laws, anyway.  At any rate, because of the blanket prohibition of carry with certain exceptions/defenses situation we have a bunch of piecemeal legislation that - even when some things change for the better - leaves bits and pieces of existing legislation in place which isn't always cleaned up to make new laws/regulations more clear to the average citizen.  You also have legislators who, even when a bill starts out 'clean' and clearly in favor of gun/carry rights, will insist on amending it to death before it will ever have a chance at passage so you get stupid crap like carry being off limits in places where it is normally legal if the local middle school happens to be holding their field day there at the time then you can (maybe) still carry in most of the park where it is usually legal for you to carry but not in the 'general vicinity' of the three-legged race or the potato race because, God knows, seeing a bunch of adolescents engaging in a sack race will turn a normally responsible, trustworthy permit holder, who could usually stand in that exact spot while carrying a loaded firearm with no problem, into a raging killer.

  I must have been confused.  Not an unusual occurance, really.  Maybe it was that Ruger used to convert .357 only BH revolvers to convertible guns for owners who wanted that and no longer do that.  Or maybe I dreamed the entire thing.   Still, I have never - not once - seen a .357/9mm convertible BH in 'real life' in any store, period, in my entire life as far as I know.  I have actually seen .357 levers on shelves for sale but not very often - and don't recall ever having seen a used one for sale.

    Actually, federal law does not prohibit carry in all buildings within federal parks, does it?  My understanding is that the law only prohibits carry in buildings within the parks where/when federal workers are present, right?  Buildings where federal workers are not normally present (such as unstaffed restroom facilities, for example) are not off limits for carry, correct?  So, since (at least in my experience) most community centers do not have regular staff who are present during events held there then any precedent in federal law should go toward allowing, not prohibiting, carry.  Besides, aren't federal buildings still supposed to be posted in order for the prohibition to be enforced?  Under the new state law, however, postings on places such as community centers should hold no validity for permit holders.

  Once, when the subject came up on another forum I used to frequent (a Ford Mustang forum, I believe it was) one of the members, who was a cop, stated that yes, there is a correlation between cops and donuts and that there are good reasons for it.  From memory, a couple of the reasons he gave were:   1.  They are quick to grab and easy to scarf down if there happen to be some at the station when you are headed out on patrol and it will be a while until you can grab something else to eat   2.  Until recent times, few places were open late at night and if you happened to be working the night shift there weren't many culinary choices.  One place a cop on night patrol duty could grab a quick pick-me-up snack and a cup of coffee was at donut shops, which in many places are open late hours or even 24 hours.  Further, because the management and staff of donut shops drew comfort at those late hours from having a cop stop in every so often they would often give officers a cup of coffee on the house.

  Yeah, the whole thing needs an overhaul.  Maybe, since the Tennessee Constitution only gives the State Legislature the power to regulate "the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime" they should start with something along the lines of, "It is legal to wear or carry a loaded firearm anywhere in the state unless you plan to use it to commit a crime in which case it ain't.  This shall take effect immediately upon becoming law, the public welfare demanding it."   I just went to look at the summary, again, and was interested to see that there was actually some knife/blade regulation included in the bill/law.  Specifically, it says:         Now, I figured that carrying a machete or sword on school grounds was verboten, still, even after the change in knife law last year.  This, however, establishes that there is a 'no machete zone' of 150 feet around school property.  Of course, it also specifically prohibits the OPEN carry of a machete, sword, etc. so I guess a concealed machete would be okay, at least by the letter of this law?   I also think that the list of exceptions should include:   (9)A ninja.

I like bacon but I think that it has become more a fad that has been overdone than something that really needs to be in/on everything.  I tried a bacon chocolate chip cookie from a bakery/coffee shop in Gatlinburg last year.  It was pretty good but, honestly, the bacon didn't add anything.  The cookie and the chocolate were by far the prevalent flavors.   I will not add to the donut/cop jokes.  Instead, I will relate an absolutely true story told to me by a friend who used to work at Krispy Kreme as a driver (and who, himself, sometimes still works events as an auxiliary deputy or whatever they are called with Knox County.)  When he worked there, my friend could get all the glazed donuts he wanted at no charge.  Yep, as many as he wanted absolutely free.  This was even if he wasn't working that, particular day (I went with him to pick up a couple of dozen on more than one occasion.)  So, one morning after his route - which was a third shift gig, more or less - he had a couple of dozen hot, fresh donuts in his passenger seat.  He was also in a hurry to get home and was, by his own admission, speeding.  Well, he saw blue lights and got pulled over.  He said that the officer walked up to his driver's side window and said, "Sir, do you know why I stopped you this mor...oooh, donuts!"  At which point, my friend said, "I just came from work at Krispy Kreme.  They are fresh and still warm.  Would you like a dozen?"  The officer accepted, told my friend to take it easy on the rest of his trip home and let him go.

  Honestly never been to one.  My point, however, was that there is a difference in being an activist and, maybe, carrying long guns in public areas to bring awareness to a cause and taking your protest - be it carrying long guns in a Chipotle's or open carry of a handgun in Starbucks - into a private establishment.  Putting private businesses in the middle of a debate that they likely want no part of - often resulting in everyone being banned from carrying in businesses that were not, previously, posted - is cutting one's  own nose (and the nose of every other member of the firearm carry community) off to spite one's face.   This is the same reason I hope folks don't go overboard with park carry and act like Voldemort when carry in state parks became legal and he went walking around Radnor Lake park with an openly carried Drako.  Just because we can doesn't always mean we should.  Getting carried away and not exercising a little common sense (real common sense, not the 'common sense' that anti's refer to when trying to stifle our rights) is not the way to gain future advances in the restoration of firearm and carry rights.

  Except, at least to my understanding, they still won't be able to carry in Chipotle's as their antics lead to those stores being posted against carry of any type, even in states where open or concealed carry was already legal.  Please correct me if I am wrong about that..

  The funny thing, to me, is that many of the folks making comments criticizing this change to the law do not seem to realize that:   1.  This law has nothing to do with state parks.  Even some of our local media talking air-heads have stated (before it was signed) that it would make it legal to carry in state and local parks.  It has been legal to carry in state parks since before Haslam was governor.  The law changed shortly after Obama signed legislation making it legal to carry in federal parks.   2.  This law did not make it legal to carry in local parks.  Carry in local parks has been legal, again, since before Haslam was governor.  That is another point that the sound byte mavens who pass for 'news reporters' also seem to have missed.  This law simply removes the ability of local governments to 'opt-out' of the state law which already made it legal to carry in local parks.  Therefore, unless their local government opted out, there have been hcp holders legally carrying firearms in local parks (as well as in state and federal parks) - and around their precious, little brats - for years.   3.  Despite the fact that they and their kids likely never get more than twenty yards from their minivan and the more highly trafficked areas of the parks, there are spots even in some local parks that are secluded and can be a bit 'lonesome'.  There are also greenways where crimes can and have occurred.  Case in point:     http://www.wbir.com/story/news/local/maryville-blount/2013/09/11/homeless-man-now-charged-with-three-attacks-on-local-women-in-less-than-2-weeks/2801265/   In other words, it isn't specifically about carrying a gun at their kids' little league games (although that really shouldn't be an issue, either.)  It is about being equipped to protect oneself at any time or place when the need may arise - which can be anywhere at any time.

Maybe this should be a multiple choice question. A. Because they didn't realize that there is a difference between raising awareness for a cause and looking like radical idiots B. Because they actually believed that carrying an AR where someone was just trying to eat a burrito with their family would win public sympathy for their cause C. Because those long guns look so cool when you pose for a picture in a fast food joint wearing your sunglasses (indoors) or your 'tactical' boonie hat D. All of the above As for park carry in the 'vicinity' of school related functions, I suggest that a firearm that no one knows is there (carried concealed) is unlikely to cause any grief or legal troubles for someone who unknowingly wanders into such 'vicinity'.

Good thinking.  I have found that my NAA .22WMR with a 1 5/8 inch barrel - in a cloth pocket holster - actually fits in the ashtray/catch-all tray that is mounted in just about the same place on the dash of my 2001 Dodge Ram 1500.  The ash tray will even completely close with it in there as long as I tilt it the right way - and I have the oversized (mini master) type grips on mine.  It wouldn't be quite as fast as your solution but I can flip the ashtray open and present it pretty quickly.  Sure, it isn't a 9mm or a .40 but a Gold Dot or two in WMR to the face at close range should do the trick of getting my butt out of danger..  Just tossing that out there as an idea for folks for whom stealth may be a bit more of an issue.