On another forum the subject of whether a knife is better edge in or edge out when held in a reverse grip. A reverse grip is the classic stabbing grip with the point below your hand. Since this was on a primarily gun board, the response was mostly, "Why would I care? I'm going to use my gun anyway!"
I believe that Handgun Owners, more than almost any other group, need to become familiar with knives, knife fighting and the limitations and special advantages of each type. Sounds Crazy, doesn't it.
There's a pretty good reason behind this crazy idea and that is, our mind set is GUN oriented and there are times when relying on a gun can get you killed.
Because a gun is our tool of choice we are like the carpenter with only a hammer. We hammer screws. We see, think and practice self-defense with our gun. We think about self-defense and how we would use our gun. We carry our gun so that we will be prepared to defend others and ourselves.
And then, walking down the street, this guy yells and rushes at us with a knife, or a bat, or a pipe or just his fists and size. And he's on us before we can even get our gun out of the holster.
Don't believe me? Well, there is a drill called the Tueller Drill. Basically it demonstrates that almost anyone can rush you and cover twenty feet or more before you can get your gun drawn. Twenty feet. Further than most rooms are wide. Almost three normal store windows away. Over halfway across most streets.
But because we are gun oriented our first reaction is to draw our gun. If we even tie, odds are we will lose. If the person is willing to jump, dive or lunge, then the safety margin is even shorter and if we give the attacker any response time advantage by starting for the gun and then changing our minds... Well, I think you get the idea.
So how does this tie into edge-in, edge-out, normal or reverse grip? Well these are all things most gun owners don't think about and don't practice. Oh, we do a great job with our gun and can stand up against any gang banger out there with confidence. We can double tap and Mozambique. We can speed load, tactical load, clear jams, use cover, think strategically, and tragically, lose fights.
If you are serious about self defense, then you need to think about that area twenty feet in front, behind and beside you, because that is where the greatest threat that you'll likely see will be. And that is also where the advantages of your gun can rapidly disappear.