Legendary Self-Defense Expert Outlines How Using Knife For Self-Defense Affects You In Court

August 22, 2026 4:04 PM ET An incident where a would-be victim using pepper spray and a knife thwarted a carjacker in Prince George’s County, Maryland, reminds us that guns are not the only items that are considered “arms.”However, how might a court view using something other than a firearm in self-defense, as was the case in Maryland? We asked Second Amendment Foundation President Massad Ayoob, who has decades of experience as a law enforcement officer, firearms instructor and an expert witness in the use of force for self-defense.“It’s kind of a cultural thing, and it goes back to 18th, 19th century,” Ayoob told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Historically, the pistol was seen as the weapon that would be chosen by the lady or the gentleman and the knife and the club were seen as the w