Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a knife when used as a weapon.

1907		G. Siler Inside Facts on Pugilism 88: He reminded me of his carver by pricking my back and saying, ‘I’ll shove this through you if Bob don’t win.’.
1930		R. Whitfield Green Ice (1988) 83: He figures he’s got the carver.
1999		J. Cameron Brown Bread in Wengen [ebook] Ramez [...] wanted in there getting his carver out doing a bit of the old artwork.