does anyone just carry an illegal knife and get away with it?

[ron_m80]

A walk on the wild side is not advisable for a number of reasons.
The illegality being the big one.

Doug

The long road back being the other

[Tim20637]

Sometimes carry my bali other days ill carry an otf.

[46Alpha]

I go through this all the time. I live in NH (Live Free or Die!) where I can carry what I please. Autos, balis, swords, rpg's....
But I live RIGHT on the border with the Peoples Republic of MA where from what I'm told passing gas carries steep fines and taxes. I can drive less than three minutes down the road and suddenly everything I have in my pockets is illegal. I always try to be mindful of local laws and regs (no matter how damn silly they are).

It's the joy of living in New England. Drive an hour or so in just about any direction and your in a different state with different laws.

YMMV, but be sure to think of the reprecussions of your actions should you get caught. You may loose not only your nice knife, but your privilege to carry it (if not your freedom) Not worth the risk IMHO

[TheAndrew]

I live in CA and carry my autos all the time one of my favorite EDC's is my microtech ultratech. As long as you carry a small legal knife for when your around people you don't know you will be fine.

[MT Knives Buyer]

Mini persidio auto every day
San Diego

[Esav Benyamin]

For a while there i was edcing a hackman Finland bali. As I got a bit older I thought about the hassle that would come with getting caught with it by the police. It wasn't just for the cool factor though, I think that knife has a very useable blade profile and the handles made it light and durable.

I got a couple of the Hackmans recently. The original manufacturer released a few with a slightly thinner blade. Beautiful utility knife, but I keep it in the kitchen.

* ****** **** ****** *

Please keep in mind, this is a very tricky subject. Bladeforums cannot allow any discussion of evading the law. Too many people, even some in this discussion, don't seem to realize how varied the laws can be. Asking if it's OK is meaningless unless we know where you are.

[Esav Benyamin]

I'd love to get some sort of interest going in changing the laws regarding knives in my state but it doesn't seem like enough people are motivated to actually do anything about it or that any politicians would care with all the other topics they are supporting or fighting.

Gentlemen...contact kniferights.Org, they may have some advice on how to initiate action to get the laws changed.

Several states have overturned the laws after grassroots efforts or legal challenges.

There's your answer. Doug Ritter of Kniferights.org has established a record of confronting these laws successfully. Join Kniferights and see what they can do for your state.

[LARRYZ10]

There has to be someone else who does this. The best reason for me to carry an auto open knife is when I am fishing in a boat. I always carry a cheap switchblade to have a knife I can use with one hand when changing tackle on my rod. If I ever saw a patrol boat zooming up I would just deep six the knife and not worry. In my state it is better to have a concealed gun permit than a pocketknife of any kind...California...don't move here for any reason other than a job.

[XiaolongJackson]

There has to be someone else who does this. The best reason for me to carry an auto open knife is when I am fishing in a boat. I always carry a cheap switchblade to have a knife I can use with one hand when changing tackle on my rod. If I ever saw a patrol boat zooming up I would just deep six the knife and not worry. In my state it is better to have a concealed gun permit than a pocketknife of any kind...California...don't move here for any reason other than a job.

The weather's not so bad either.

?

He means he presented his CCW as a red herring so the cop would assume that he has a gun on him and not bother searching for anything else that might be illegal since there isn't much of a point to.


In my case, I carried a cheapie balisong, oversized folder, and push dagger, sometimes all at once, back when I was so paranoid, I'd tense up whenever someone just brushed past me and I didn't feel comfortable unless I looked behind my back at least once every minute or so. Actually, this was just last year. Probably all those silly zombie movies got to me. I didn't get caught by law enforcement, but I decided that I don't want to take that risk anymore, so I just carry a Delica around with my Gerber Crucial multitool, and I might just stop carrying my Delica in favor of a non-locking stockman. I don't regret it though. I got into knives because I was looking for something to defend myself with, but after carrying them around for a while I realized that they're pretty convenient to have around, as tools.

[Critter]

Thanks to all you suggested contacting Knife Rights. Broadly speaking, at a state level our goals are to oppose bad knife legislation, repeal bad knife laws and enact knife law preemption so that the knife laws within each state are the same everywhere. That doesn't happen overnight, but we are aggressively working to accomplish these goals as quickly as funding and political reality allows. Our record of accomplishments continues to grow. We can't do it without your financial support. Every state we go to work in costs tens of thousands of dollars. Our freedom isn't free.

As to carrying illegally, our considered advice is "don't!" The phone calls I get from generally law-abiding citizens who have gotten caught with an illegal knife are often heartbreaking. Legal costs can ruin you, as can incompetent state provided legal representation (Legal Aid, Public Defender, etc), and a record can seriously adversely impact your life. The psychological impact of an arrest and defending yourself can be very detrimental to your health, way beyond just lost sleep. There is no way to ensure you won't get caught. The circumstances where a person ends up arrested for an illegal knife are as varied as can be, but it does happen and usually nobody expects it. Traffic stops, accidents, you name it, situations arise over which you have little or no control and then you are in the deep end. Just DON'T DO IT!

Help us change the law. The more states in which we we change the law without "blood running in the streets," the easier it is to change in the next state. Help us towards a Sharper Future for all Americans™. Please support Knife Rights generously.

[TotinCh1p]

He means he presented his CCW as a red herring so the cop would assume that he has a gun on him and not bother searching for anything else that might be illegal since there isn't much of a point to.

Yes. Thank you.

[TOM1960]

In my city, Myrtle Beach SC. Any locking blade is technically illegal. That means almost everyone in this forum would be carrying something illegal. But the issue of legality really boils down to what you are doing with it. If you just have it clipped in your pocket then no cop is gonna say FREEZE. But if you are waving it around and drawing attention to yourself then it could give them cause to question you. Now they could use it to inquire about you if you are doing other stupid/illegal or suspicious things. But I regularly carry locking folders, bali's, and otf's without so much as a glance. Am I gonna get in trouble for just that? no. If I do other things that draw negative police attention to me then they may become an issue.

You nailed it. What is the meaning of the term "illegal"? Here in Massachusetts, it can mean the difference of one mile or even 100 yards. For example, if you life in Methuen and you walk into Lawrence (they share a common border), you will be carrying illegally if your knife has a blade length of over 2.5". Same with Somerville, if you walk into Boston or Cambridge. Best bet is to keep the knife well concealed, dress well, practice good grooming and good manners. Sure, there is the chance that you could have a heart attack or some other medical emergency, EMTs discover the knife on you and snitch you out to the cops. But in reality, how often does it happen? I have EDC'd knives with blade lengths longer than the legal limit for decades and never had a problem. I always kept a low profile and avoided known trouble spots where police patrols are the heaviest.

[Karda]

Thanks to all you suggested contacting Knife Rights. Broadly speaking, at a state level our goals are to oppose bad knife legislation, repeal bad knife laws and enact knife law preemption so that the knife laws within each state are the same everywhere. That doesn't happen overnight, but we are aggressively working to accomplish these goals as quickly as funding and political reality allows. Our record of accomplishments continues to grow. We can't do it without your financial support. Every state we go to work in costs tens of thousands of dollars. Our freedom isn't free.

As to carrying illegally, our considered advice is "don't!" The phone calls I get from generally law-abiding citizens who have gotten caught with an illegal knife are often heartbreaking. Legal costs can ruin you, as can incompetent state provided legal representation (Legal Aid, Public Defender, etc), and a record can seriously adversely impact your life. The psychological impact of an arrest and defending yourself can be very detrimental to your health, way beyond just lost sleep. There is no way to ensure you won't get caught. The circumstances where a person ends up arrested for an illegal knife are as varied as can be, but it does happen and usually nobody expects it. Traffic stops, accidents, you name it, situations arise over which you have little or no control and then you are in the deep end. Just DON'T DO IT!

Help us change the law. The more states in which we we change the law without "blood running in the streets," the easier it is to change in the next state. Help us towards a Sharper Future for all Americans™. Please support Knife Rights generously.

This is the best advice given here.
Most people don't realise how their actions can hurt this hobby. By breaking laws or the spirit of them, you are doing a disservice to your fellow knife enthusiasts and the hobby itself. Every person caught carrying illegally gives the anti- knife groups ammuntion for their agenda, and they will use it judiciously as justifcation for their concerns.

[Esav Benyamin]

You nailed it. What is the meaning of the term "illegal"? Here in Massachusetts, it can mean the difference of one mile or even 100 yards. For example, if you life in Methuen and you walk into Lawrence (they share a common border), you will be carrying illegally if your knife has a blade length of over 2.5". Same with Somerville, if you walk into Boston or Cambridge. Best bet is to keep the knife well concealed, dress well, practice good grooming and good manners. Sure, there is the chance that you could have a heart attack or some other medical emergency, EMTs discover the knife on you and snitch you out to the cops. But in reality, how often does it happen? I have EDC'd knives with blade lengths longer than the legal limit for decades and never had a problem. I always kept a low profile and avoided known trouble spots where police patrols are the heaviest.

Too true. This is why Doug mentions preemption. At least whatever the state law is, local option won't sneak up on you.

Funny, about a heart attack or some other medical emergency. A couple of months ago, I had an emergency at home. Police and EMTs responded and got me to the hospital. Would you believe I have knives lying around my place? The only notice any of them took, when they left me off in the Emergency Room, the woman, who had carried me downstairs in a chair, acknowledged my hobby by showing me her CRKT M-16 with Veff serrations!

[The Logical One]

Technically you're getting away with it.... until you get caught. Why people would risk having something on their record just so they could carry a particular knife.... I will never understand. Unless you already have a rap sheet then I guess it doesn't matter, hence the reason why the bad guys will always carry something on them. Then again the bad guys carry it because they need protection from rival gangs or do armed robbery with it.

If you're an average guy who works in an office, and the worse run in you've had with the law is getting a speeding ticket, I would just stick with whats legal.

[Silverthorn]

I need to donate to Knife Rights again. The laws in too many places are stupid. I am in a 3 inch or under carry state, that severly limits what I can carry for an EDC, work knife in my pocket. Dont get me wrong, I can do a lot with a 3 inch blade at work, but I would really prefer not to have to make my knife selections based on if its a millimeter over 3 inches.

[TOM1960]

Too true. This is why Doug mentions preemption. At least whatever the state law is, local option won't sneak up on you.

Funny, about a heart attack or some other medical emergency. A couple of months ago, I had an emergency at home. Police and EMTs responded and got me to the hospital. Would you believe I have knives lying around my place? The only notice any of them took, when they left me off in the Emergency Room, the woman, who had carried me downstairs in a chair, acknowledged my hobby by showing me her CRKT M-16 with Veff serrations!

OUCH! Sorry to hear about your medical problem, Esav. Glad that you are OK, though.

[Esav Benyamin]

I will be. My hip replacement was rescheduled for Aug 20. At last!

[KennyB]

I use to all the time out of ignorance to the law. I carried knives that were illegal, but also carried them illegally. Probably from the age of 15-20.

Never had any problems, never "got caught" but I think I finally just decided to look the laws up when someone told me I was carrying illegally.

Given that I had so many years of not being caught, it is often times tempting to just say, "Well I probably won't have any troubles," and bring my 3.5" inch knife to a place where only 3" is legal, but then as others have said I just consider the cost of what would happen on the unlikely chance I did get in trouble for it.

There's a lot of topics I think this can apply to... Speeding, recreational drug use, etc. Bottom line for me though is that you're better safe than sorry.

[Nutty Knife Nut]

I carried switch blades and balisongs when I was in high school, but that was back in the late 90's,I wasn't too worried about the law when I was a juvenile.