A surgical fastener applying apparatus, comprising: a cartridge-receiving assembly; a cartridge assembly releasably engagable with the cartridge-receiving assembly, the cartridge assembly including: a cartridge housing configured to house a plurality of surgical fasteners; and a knife assembly, the knife assembly including: a knife member configured to translate through the cartridge housing from an initial position to a deployed position; and a knife guard pivotably coupled to the cartridge housing and movable between a storage position, wherein the knife guard substantially encloses the knife member, and a use position, wherein the knife member is exposed for translation through the cartridge housing, characterised in that the knife guard is configured to engage the knife member such that translation of the knife member away from the initial position urges the knife guard to rotate from the storage position to the use position and such that translation of the knife member back to the storage position urges the knife guard to rotate from the use position back to the storage position. a cartridge-receiving assembly; a cartridge assembly releasably engagable with the cartridge-receiving assembly, the cartridge assembly including: a cartridge housing configured to house a plurality of surgical fasteners; and a knife assembly, the knife assembly including: a knife member configured to translate through the cartridge housing from an initial position to a deployed position; and a knife guard pivotably coupled to the cartridge housing and movable between a storage position, wherein the knife guard substantially encloses the knife member, and a use position, wherein the knife member is exposed for translation through the cartridge housing, characterised in that the knife guard is configured to engage the knife member such that translation of the knife member away from the initial position urges the knife guard to rotate from the storage position to the use position and such that translation of the knife member back to the storage position urges the knife guard to rotate from the use position back to the storage position. a cartridge housing configured to house a plurality of surgical fasteners; and a knife assembly, the knife assembly including: a knife member configured to translate through the cartridge housing from an initial position to a deployed position; and a knife guard pivotably coupled to the cartridge housing and movable between a storage position, wherein the knife guard substantially encloses the knife member, and a use position, wherein the knife member is exposed for translation through the cartridge housing, characterised in that the knife guard is configured to engage the knife member such that translation of the knife member away from the initial position urges the knife guard to rotate from the storage position to the use position and such that translation of the knife member back to the storage position urges the knife guard to rotate from the use position back to the storage position. a knife member configured to translate through the cartridge housing from an initial position to a deployed position; and a knife guard pivotably coupled to the cartridge housing and movable between a storage position, wherein the knife guard substantially encloses the knife member, and a use position, wherein the knife member is exposed for translation through the cartridge housing, characterised in that the knife guard is configured to engage the knife member such that translation of the knife member away from the initial position urges the knife guard to rotate from the storage position to the use position and such that translation of the knife member back to the storage position urges the knife guard to rotate from the use position back to the storage position.