Over here it's a combination of having a tradition of historical reconstruction and fairly strict gun laws, that don't extend to other weapons.
Case in point: you can open-carry a sword, unless you're displaying violent intent. Concealed carry of any obviously dangerous blade is prohibited, which spurred speculation on what to do with, e.g. a bread knife.
Consensus in the community is that you need to hold a loaf of bread in the other hand.
I wonder if it's some combination of people wanting a more tactile hobby plus some vague apocalyptic undercurrents in society today.