re: Is the pocket knife a lost art?

I looked it up: According to German law, you're allowed to carry a folding knife - that can only be opened by 2 hands and has a blade at or less than 4 3/4 inch long. That means no switchblades, butterfly, knife or knife with a blade wide enough that you can flick it open with one hand. I'm pretty sure this also applies to things like daggers. I do know that a Kraut cop took my bayonette at a traffic stop in '93, but I wasn't charged for it (there were other things involved).

I can see your colleague, I've had the same reactions. Weapons can be a touchy subject here, though I do know some people who align with me pretty much. They have no concept of what's normal for us, and it's fun to frick with them. But hey, my wife's shot just about everything (back home in the US) and had fun doing it. There is a shooting range in Munich where you can go spend some money and ball out.