Stabbings in Atlanta up 300% due to Blade Show…

…said no headline in Georgia ever. There are thousands of edged tools, implements and weapons here at the Cobb Galleria and none of them have leapt off the table and gone Athos-Porthos-Aramis all by themselves.

One might come to believe this sort of inanimate object is powerless to do harm unless directed to do so by a person. If only it was the same with guns.

Oh, wait…

The 33rd Annual Blade Show is this weekend in Atlanta and there are manufacturers of every type represented – enough to fill a 116,500 square foot show hall. It is open to the public. In addition to custom knife makers, production knife manufacturers and craftsmen making specialty tools, attendees can sit in on numerous classes from BLADE University. Topics include Knife Designs of the World, 7 Essential Skills to Survive Deadly Attacks, Bladesmithing for Kids and numerous others. Instructors include names like Emerson, Harsey, and Reeve – a lot of knowledge concentrated in one small area.

Inside the hall are representatives of the American Bladesmith Society, the American Knife and Tool Institute and the Knifemakers' Guild as well as hundreds of displays. Brands at the show include MultiTasker, Coye Knives, Steel Flame, HTM/Darrel Ralph Knives, DPX Gear, Rustick Knives, Spartan Blades, Hinderer Knives, Hardcore Hardware Australia, Emerson, Strider, RMJ Tactical, Klecker Knives and Tools and scores of others, along with many smaller individual craftsman companies and family owned businesses – about 6 pages of knives in the guide.

It's a helluva collection and there is lots to talk about. Stand by for further.