Quote:I would counter that a Switchblade Knife was designed for quickness and convenience, not necessarily for violence.  They got a "stigma" back in the 1950's as they were used a lot by violent gang members and mafia types.  However, think about this.  A common "pocket knife" can be deployed almost as rapidly as a Switchblade Knife.  I know that my own personal knife that I carry can be opened with one hand and a flick of my wrist.  The Switchblade Knife was considered in the 1950's what some consider an "assault weapon" today with regards to guns.

 

I feel bad for you in some ways.  I have a pretty good gun collection, some of them being given to me by ancestors and have been passed down through several generations (I'm the fourth generation by the way).  Those particular guns as well as some others are kept in a safe, much like your knife and sword collection, but a couple of my firearms are kept close by, many times on my hip.  I would NEVER be okay with government forcing me to give up a single one of my firearms.  The same as you, some of my firearms have more sentimental value than anything else, and there are even some that I would not attempt to fire because I'm not clear about the safety of doing so.

 

I'll let you in on a little secret.  A police officer fears a knife more (in close proximity) than a gun.  Kevlar will stop a bullet from a hand gun, but it won't stop a blade.