Hard for me to believe, but it was 50 years ago that my parents gave me a Buck knife for Christmas. Like many of my friends, I took it to school everyday, safely secured in the scabbard on my belt. There were never any instances of one student taking their knife out in anger.
@Night Hides Not I have a little rancher style penknife, given to me by one of my 'dutch uncles' that taught me the bush... It was a small prize for my first blooded trap, when I was but a lad. That little sliver gitter is still wicked sharp, and sitting in my right pocket right now.
And as for the high school, that little penknife was in my pocket all the way through high school (and the rest of my life), as was a Schrade/Uncle Henry Papa Bear in my back pocket - (where it's successor, a Schrade Old Timer Cave Bear, resides right now), slid down alongside my wallet...
I can remember many a time playing our own version of Mumblety Peg out on the lawns in front of the auto-mech building with that big Schrade folder. The school nurse would carry on some if somebody's aim was off and stuck somebody in the foot - A rather rare occasion - But otherwise, no troubles.
O/T, but I just reconnected with a good friend from HS. We'd spend quite a few weekends, and nights during the summer at bowling alleys that stayed open 24 hours. We'd bowl until about 4 or 5, then head off to breakfast before getting home at 6 AM or so.
Can't do that today, with all the curfews put on minors today.
Yeah... I remember buggin the gut... It just ain't done anymore. What a sad thing that is.