Can you not fly with it? In Europe, you can, the limit is 5 or 6 cm of blade. I regularly fly with mine.

I've done the same with my Gerber quite a few times

See, in america every holiday and social event is an opportunity to express your individualism and lack of empathy. Usually there's a competitive game people assault each other over, like Uno, Spades, or cornhole. A common phrase here is "I just don't like other people".