When is it ok to use a knife in self defense?

I live in NY and the neighborhoods are getting worse. When would it be ok to use the knife i carry. I;ve heard when its 3 people vs. one. or if the other person is using a deadly weapon as well. I just don%26#039;t want ot end up going to jail using a knife to protect myself. Like with a gun..i%26#039;ve heard stories of people using guns in self defense only to get life in jail for attempted murder.|||I must concur with jakflak on both counts.





It is only self-defense if used against a deadly threat, because a knife is a deadly weapon. A deadly threat can be a person who is armed themselves, several attackers, or a much larger stronger person. But you have to consider what it looks like when the police arrive and didn%26#039;t see what happened





Knives can kill, but they do not have STOPPING power. I%26#039;ve been stabbed myself during a racially-motivated assault, and while I was seriously wounded, I never felt a thing for a full 10 minutes. I continued to fight with my fists and actually beat my attacker into unconsciousness with blood still coming from my abdomen.





Pepper spray is way better. Get a good brand that law enforcement use too, not a cheap one from a gas station. It works great. I carry def-tec pepperfoam now, and I used this many times when I worked security.|||you can always use it in self defense. in willmar minnesota where im from there is a case where a 16 year old was getting beaten up by a 20year old linebacker on the football team. The 16 year old stabbed him three times and its charged with murder because after the 1st time its not self defense anymore. be warry of this. sorry your community is so rough.





miles david edinburough is the kids name in case you think im full of crap.


adam kennith milton is the man that was killed.|||using a knife might not be a good idea. lets say you defend yourself and some scum bucket tries to rob you an you just wound him, he can come back and sue you. during my academy training they basically said if you wound a person they can sue you and you lose your job and such. now if they are using deadly force against you and it proven then you can use the same. just make sure when the cops come the other persons weopn is there to prove your side|||If deadly force is OK you can use a knife.





However, a knife is a very poor self defense weapon unless you know what you%26#039;re doing. It causes severe injury and death but NOT instant trauma, which is what you want while defending yourself.





I%26#039;d take a can of pepper spray over a knife any day.|||There is no standard set in stone. The basic question is this: was the threat you faced sufficient to cause serious bodily harm, and was the force you used appropriate for the level of threat? It is a fairly subjective standard.|||buy a stun gun