I waited quite some time to post this analysis, and debated whether or not to do it. I've had the accompanying photo since the report in which it was contained was made public. The link to the .jpg file above will open a new window containing an evidence photo of the knives said to belong to the Columbine High School murderers.

I will not mention the murderers by name, even though they are well known to most Americans. I deliberately withhold the names because I do not wish to grant them, even in a small way, the publicity and infamy after which they lusted. My reasons for posting the photo and this analysis are purely personal: it is my duty as a reasonably objective human being to comment on these blades, because I have long opposed the criminalization of privately-possessed knives. To take the stand which I have and ignore the knives of the Columbine killers would be hypocritical.

Let us examine the knives from left to right:

Linerlock Folder: This is a folding knife, which locks open because a springy, bent piece of metal prevents the blade from closing. It's hard to tell from the ruler in the photo, but the blade is between three and four inches long. It appears to be a Dragon Forge model, or possibly a copy. Either way, it was manufactured in China or Taiwan, and is extremely inexpensive -- certainly not worth more than $10 to $15 US.

While this knife could be used as a weapon (as with any knife, of course), it wouldn't make a very good one. To be blunt, it's a junk knife -- a cheaply made folder that can't be trusted to stay locked open under pressure. It was probably chosen because it was cheap.

Mark 1 Dagger (Copy): This double-edged blade is a copy of the Gerber Mark 1, which was designed as a small fighting knife. The example pictured appears to be a United Cutlery model, which could have cost maybe $20 US or less. A crude rune -- Rad, which stands for power and the rays of the sun, and probably had some sort of neo-Nazi significance to the owner -- has been scratched into the metal handle. The nylon belt sheath has some sort of snap pouch, possibly for throwing spikes. Since the spikes -- which are metal cylinders like nails without heads -- aren't pictured, I would assume they were not in the sheath when it was found.

To be blunt, this is a weapon. The relatively thick double-edged blade doesn't lend itself to ease of sharpening, but the symmetrical design and sharp point make it an effective stabbing implement.

Khyber Bowie: This extremely large knife is about the size of a machete, and reminds me of a giant kitchen knife. I believe it was manufactured in Pakistan. Like the other knives, it is inexpensive -- probably around $20 US, despite its size.

While the knife could be used in the field as a machete would, the blade shape is unsuitable for chopping brush or branches. It would make a particularly lethal weapon, because the long, narrow blade could be wielded like a short sword.

"Cobra" Fantasy Knife: Versions of this knife have been manufactured by many sources. I have seen one identical to this knife from Edge Company, and there are Pakistani-produced copies. Another, similar version has been imported and marketed under the Fury brand name. In any case, the knife is a smaller version of the knife wielded by a psychotic killer (played by actor Brian Thompson) in the movie Cobra.

The appeal of this blade to a disturbed teenager should be obvious. Its spiked guard and curved blade practically scream "homicide," and it is was no doubt designed as a maiming weapon. It is classified as a "fantasy knife" because it is completely impractical and would probably be difficult to wield without poking yourself with one of the spikes.

To my knowledge, none of the knives pictured were used during the Columbine killings. The two murderers, dressed in paramilitary garb and carrying a total of two sawed-off shotguns, a carbine, and a handgun, perpetrated their cowardice with firearms and bombs. I don't know when and how the knives were found. I assume they were recovered from the bodies after the killers committed suicide.

From the perspective of a knife hobbyist, these blades are unremarkable. In fact, they're "low-end" knives, cheaply manufactured to mediocre standards of quality. This is only conjecture, but I assume the folding knife was purchased because it was cheap, the Mark I copy because it was seen as an expedient stabbing tool, the khyber bowie because if its size, and the "Cobra" fantasy knife because of its wicked appearance.

How does the existence of these blades in connection to the Columbine murders affect my position on private ownership of knives? It doesn't. I could dismiss the whole matter by saying, "the knives weren't used, so it doesn't matter." That would be an intellectual evasion, however. That these monstrous individuals bothered to bring the knives at all indicates they were willing, at least theoretically, to use them to kill people.

Ultimately, I must restate the core of my philosophy of knife and gun ownership. A weapon is a tool for self-defense, and it must be owned and handled in a responsible manner. There will always be societal predators, criminals, and madmen willing to misuse tools -- be they dedicated weapons or mundane items adapted to unlawful purposes -- and this is tragic. But the mere existence of knives, or the ownership of knives such as those pictured, does not make a criminal. In a world where any ordinary object can be a weapon, little is accomplished by blaming inanimate tools for violent crime. When I look at that picture, I think I can see, in some small way, the minds of the murderers. Theirs was a petty, delusional, vicious little world, and the knives they carried and forgot did not make them that way.

Citizens look on the murderers with horror. Knife People look on them with disdain. Gun owners look on them with contempt. Parents look on them with dread. But all of us should look on them as individuals. Individuals, alone, are responsible for individual acts of horror.

The knife hobbyist in me was appalled to see this photo in the Columbine report. The intellectual in me was curious to see what these knives might reveal about the killers.