Menacing the Public

I took 5 knives to the post office this afternoon to ship them out to buyers. I went in with them tucked under my arm, juggling them all the way from the truck.

To set the scene, I live outside of a very small town. There's not much there.

When I pulled up and got out of the truck with the knives, there was a city worker there who was about to go into the post office. He saw me get out of the truck with all my knives and then went back to his truck. I didn't pay any more attention.

While I was discussing the merits of paper versus bubble wrap with the postal clerk inside (who knows me from previous shipping events), a state trooper comes in behind me and asks if everything is ok. We both look at him confused. He's not menacing or threatening me in any way.

911 dispatch received a call from the city worker that a man with a lot of knives had just entered the post office and he was the closest, I suppose.

He could clearly see what was actually happening and wasn't concerned. He looked over the knives and I gave him my website address. Maybe he'll buy something from me in the future. He was certainly amused by the situation.

I suppose it's just the times we live in, but I think you'd have to be a complete idiot to think someone would go on a killing spree with 5 knives. If I had went in with 1 knife clenched in my fist while muttering then I could possibly see calling the police, but a guy trying to juggle 5 knives under his arm with a sheet of notebook paper clenched between his teeth doesn't seem very threatening to me.

I did accidentally cut my finger though, so I suppose there was an element of danger.