Anybody else carry an illegal knife?

grownstar said:
SA's a good city, but I hear where you're coming from.

Crazy how you can pretty much carry a huge fixed blade but locking folders are a no-no.
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And assuming it's a public safety issue, you'd think they'd realize it's often easier and quicker to draw and use a fixed blade (to say nothing of most likely, a few extra inches of steel and a wider blade). I just don't get it.

Perhaps it's precisely because they can "see fixed blades coming" as opposed to a concealed folding knife, and thus feel more prepared?
 
emjay said:
Damn that's unfortunate :mad:

I make sure my knife is well hidden between my clothes if I'm checking in baggage. Haven't had a problem yet (touch wood)
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Sorry to hear that simioh. Same here emjay... actually, if I go overseas I like to take 4-6 of my favorites with me if I'll be gone a few weeks. I sometimes but them inside socks, but usually I just put the whole lot in a small storage bag that houses my morning toiletries like shampoo, facial wash and shaving equipment. So far they've left them alone. Although I am still cautious. I think the most expensive I've taken is a CS Medium Voyager.
 
I definitely do not carry an illegal knife.

But I also live in NH so you can carry anny kind of blade you want.

\m/(>_<)\m/
 
"I think you'll find that most knowledgeable people here discourage illegal carry"

Maybe in the subforums you go to, but there are many "knowledgeable people" on the forums who carry illegally on a regular basis even every day. Remember, the "dirk/dagger" laws affect anyone with a knife with an intent to use it for self-defense.

"The way to get the laws overturned is not thru civil disobedience, but by following the law in a responsible manner to show that only true criminal's do so and the rest of us should be allowed our freedom legally."

To me that is a very naive statement...are you a LEO? Unjust laws can only be challenged in the courts through an act of civil disobedience. Some of the US's greatest accomplishments in the late 20th century, e.g. racial freedom, are due to civil disobedience.

You sure are not a student of US history. We were founded upon civil disobedience. Without civil disobedience this country would be Great Britain :). Civil disobedience set free most of the other former colonies of European countries.

I carry what I want but is appropriate for the situation. I've carried my switchblades and balisongs even though they are not legal. I carry them in situations where police contact is minimal.
 
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I carry anything from a izula, to a cs master tanto horizontal on my belt depending what I'm doing.
 
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RedLynx said:
Sorry to hear that simioh. Same here emjay... actually, if I go overseas I like to take 4-6 of my favorites with me if I'll be gone a few weeks. I sometimes but them inside socks, but usually I just put the whole lot in a small storage bag that houses my morning toiletries like shampoo, facial wash and shaving equipment. So far they've left them alone. Although I am still cautious. I think the most expensive I've taken is a CS Medium Voyager.
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Yeah I tend to take two or three along, none particularly expensive or overly sentimental in case I lose them

On a side note, I finally looked up the laws for my country. They say I can't carry anything over 4 inches long. I prefer carrying a folder with a 2.5 - 3 inch blade anyway, so no big deal. Your intent on carrying something is also important. I was walking on the road with a 15 inch and 20 inch machete to do some trail cleaning at our local mountain bike trail. The law states machetes are dangerous weapons, and I could've gotten into trouble with them. A cop car drove right past me without a second glance. I was prepared to explain to them why I was carrying two machetes, but they didn't seem to care. Lots of locals carry their machetes around to collect firewood. They don't seem to be hassled. I guess your intent or where you are exactly is more important than what size blade you have. It would probably be a bad idea to carry a machete to a mall
 
A carry a bowie knife. Not precisely illegal, but I'm still confused by the blitzkrieg the Kansas legislature did last month when they secretly modified our state's knife laws.
 
What I am worried most about is being forced to use a knife with an illegal carry length (+. 25 inches only) in a defensive situation. Would I still be hit with a misdemeanor? Who knows
 
Well, I was reading the exact wording of the San Antonio knife ordinance, and it prohibits "... a blade less than five and one-half (5½) inches in length, which knife is equipped with a lock mechanism so that upon opening, it becomes a fixed blade knife."

So... Espada XL would be strictly legal.
 
mk.ultra said:
What I am worried most about is being forced to use a knife with an illegal carry length (+. 25 inches only) in a defensive situation. Would I still be hit with a misdemeanor? Who knows
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Hate to break it to you, but you'll probably be hit with more than that. Probably get tagged with carrying a weapon with intent, which is gonna be more than a misdemeanor.
 
Yalius said:
Well, I was reading the exact wording of the San Antonio knife ordinance, and it prohibits "... a blade less than five and one-half (5½) inches in length, which knife is equipped with a lock mechanism so that upon opening, it becomes a fixed blade knife."

So... Espada XL would be strictly legal.
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State law prohibits carrying a blade larger that 5.5", so yes, theoretically, a knife exactly 5.5" would be legal in San Antonio.

There are only two cities in Texas with a knife length law, San Antonio and Corpus Cristi...I suggest avoiding both, and not for the knife laws.
 
John_0917 said:
State law prohibits carrying a blade larger that 5.5", so yes, theoretically, a knife exactly 5.5" would be legal in San Antonio.

There are only two cities in Texas with a knife length law, San Antonio and Corpus Cristi...I suggest avoiding both, and not for the knife laws.
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I don't want to derail the thread or anything but serious question, why avoid these places?

My cousin just moved to Austin last year, so far so good, got a great job as a concierge.
 
RedLynx said:
And assuming it's a public safety issue, you'd think they'd realize it's often easier and quicker to draw and use a fixed blade (to say nothing of most likely, a few extra inches of steel and a wider blade). I just don't get it.
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Shhh....... Don't give them any ideas.
 
I can relate to this thread because I am taking a long weekend trip to Chicago in a few months. I have been torn whether to leave my Emerson at home or not. I am probably 1000 times more likely to actually need it in Chicago than I am at home, but of course anything over 2" is illegal. Stupid Chicago weapons laws....:grumpy:
 
marcinek said:
Hate to break it to you, but you'll probably be hit with more than that. Probably get tagged with carrying a weapon with intent, which is gonna be more than a misdemeanor.
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Agreed. If you're gonna break the law, might as well break the law. If you're gonna get arrested while carrying an illegal knife, might as well use the biggest knife you can conceal. No cop, judge, jury or cell mate is gonna care that the blade was "only" .25" over the limit. You're gonna get screwed by each and every one of them.
 
johansson D said:
All knives are illegal to carry here in Sweden :(
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This is from 2007, but law is from 1998: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/500454-Knife-laws-in-Sweden

also

1. I know that carrying knives in public places is banned [in Sweden]. Does this apply even to small pocket knives? Are there length/style limitations?

There are no length/style limitations. The limitations are in intent of the user.
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Sounds like Ohio, where I have carried at least a SAK in my pocket every time I went out in public, except when entering government buildings where they are prohibited. Not carried "as a weapon."

By the way, the Cleveland 2.5" "knife" ordinance has not been enforced on the record since 1931. Similar ordinances have been found unconstitutional by every Ohio court considering the question, on the grounds that they are overly broad to effectuate any legitimate governmental purpose. ("knife" = McDonald's plastic knives and the knife that is part of every restaurant place setting).
 
brownshoe said:
"I think you'll find that most knowledgeable people here discourage illegal carry"

Maybe in the subforums you go to, but there are many "knowledgeable people" on the forums who carry illegally on a regular basis even every day. Remember, the "dirk/dagger" laws affect anyone with a knife with an intent to use it for self-defense.

"The way to get the laws overturned is not thru civil disobedience, but by following the law in a responsible manner to show that only true criminal's do so and the rest of us should be allowed our freedom legally."

To me that is a very naive statement...are you a LEO? Unjust laws can only be challenged in the courts through an act of civil disobedience. Some of the US's greatest accomplishments in the late 20th century, e.g. racial freedom, are due to civil disobedience.

You sure are not a student of US history. We were founded upon civil disobedience. Without civil disobedience this country would be Great Britain :). Civil disobedience set free most of the other former colonies of European countries.

I carry what I want but is appropriate for the situation. I've carried my switchblades and balisongs even though they are not legal. I carry them in situations where police contact is minimal.
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Great post.
I live and work in the birthplace of this great nation, Phila, and IMO it has the strictest laws on knives in the country.
Most of the time I fall exempt from the law being a tradesman there is language in the law for work considerations.
During off work hours I still carry a knife and don't worry about it one bit.
I am a decent citizen who does not engage in activities that attract the attention of the police.
So technically I could be hit with a violation but I have talked to many city cops about this and the average person is not the target of this law, it is aimed at real criminals not the knife enthusiast.
 
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