Anyone from Chicago here?

J

jasonkw62

Joined
Nov 1, 2001
Messages
40
I am wondering what the laws are around here. I tried to look them up, but am confused...

Chicago laws & Illinois laws...


It seems that Chicago is limiting you to a two and a half inches concealed, and Illinois is limiting to 3 inches overall? Am I reading this right? I would like to know what is legal in greater Illinois and Chicago. Balis, semi-autos, etc...

Thanks much
Jason
 
yup. Chicago, being crime free, believes it is unecessary for people to have more than two and a half inches. this means outside of chicago, unless the local ordinance says otherwise, u can only have a 3" blade. in chicago, a 2.5"er. i deal with this allll the time, so have resigned myself to a Camillus mini talon, a TOPS street scalpel, and a CRK Mnandi. be careful, police are very zealous and WILL use whatever excuse they can to get another 'weapon' off the streets, and that DOES include knives.
 
And I had previously thought Illinois was a bit of a conservative state regarding weapons, but 3 inches for the whole state?!?! You can carry a 4 inch anything (almost) in NYC, but we get stuck with this crap?

How about bali's? I dont see any specific mention. Are they considered switchblades here?

Edit: and how about Kershaw's speedsafe? Anyone have experience with this in Chi-town?
 
If my interpretation of IL law is correct, you can carry any length of knife you want as long as you don't plan to commit a felony or use it against someone. It can't be automatic or ballistic either. I'm not a lawyer, just an ordinary college student, so my interpretation isn't legal advice, but here is what I think about it.

720 ILCS 5/33A-1... A person is considered armed with a
dangerous weapon... when he carries on or about his person
or is otherwise armed with a category I or category II
weapon. (b) A category I weapon is a [firearm or] a knife
with a blade at least 3 inches in length, dagger, dirk,
switchblade knife, stiletto, or any other deadly or
dangerous weapon of like character.
Click to expand...


720 ILCS 5/24-1. Unlawful Use of
Weapons. (a) A person commits the offense of unlawful use
of weapons when he knowingly... (2) Carries or possesses
with intent to use the same unlawfully against another, a
dagger, dirk, billy, dangerous knife, razor, stiletto,
broken bottle or other piece of glass... or any other
dangerous or deadly weapon of like character
Click to expand...

If you read it carefully, you'll see that it doesn't say that being armed with a dangerous weapon is a crime. In the case of a knife, its only an offense if you carry with intent to use the same (the knife) unlawfully against another person.

Notice
- "Possession of hunting knife is not a crime; however,
knowingly carrying or possessing dangerous weapon with
intent to use same unlawfully against another constitutes
offense..." (1982)

Bernard Levine's website, under case law for IL
Click to expand...

So unless you have some other local regulations, you can carry any length of knife you want, as long as you dont carry it for the intent of using it against someone. If you carry your knives only as utilities, you shouldn't have a problem.

I think the only reason why they list these things as making you "armed with a dangerous weapon" is so they can put armed violence charges against someone who commits a felony while carrying an item under that list.

(720 ILCS 5/33A-2)
Sec. 33A-2. Armed violence-Elements of the offense.
(a) A person commits armed violence when, while armed with a
dangerous weapon, he commits any felony defined by Illinois Law, except
first degree murder, attempted first degree murder, intentional homicide
of an unborn child, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child,
aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnaping, aggravated
battery of a child, home invasion, armed robbery, or aggravated
vehicular hijacking.

-From Criminal Code of 1961
Click to expand...

You Chicago people are out of luck though. Local restrictions still apply even if state law allows them.
 
Originally posted by Chang

You Chicago people are out of luck though.
Click to expand...

You can say that again. How the city of broad shoulders ended up with such restrictive laws I cant imagine. Must be the over abundance of corruption and ignorant liberals we have around here...


Well moving on, anyone know what the situation regarding Speed safes, and bali's (providing I can find such a microscopic bali). Any recomendations on a <2.5" knife for SD? I think I'm goin to have to carry a bunch now!
 
I work in Chicago, I carry a Kershaw Chive in my pocket. I haven't flicked it out in front of a police officer yet, though. :)
I also own a Spyderco Dragonfly and CRKT small Urban Shark which comply with the 2.5" limit. I wear an Emerson LaGriffe under my shirt. I'll probably go 'naked' if I need to go in a building that uses metal detectors.
 
i give a hearty CHICAGO style recommendation to the Mnandi, Umfaan, TOPS Street scalpel (which i think is a GREAT piece for SD), the Camillus Cuda Mini Talon. these are all at or just under 2.5" measured blade length and should be no problem with any LEO. i like the Mnandi / TOPS Street Scalpel combo myself. now if only we could get Daley to allo CCW ... LOL
 
Originally posted by vactor
now if only we could get Daley to allow CCW ... LOL
Click to expand...

That'll be the day. I would settle for allowing 4 inchers like the NYers get :)

The CRKs are a little pricey, and the Mnandi says 2.75" on 1sks. I'm not risking losing a $300 knife. The Mini talon looks cool, and the Scalpel is quite interesting.
 
the blade length is listed as the length of the blade metal, if it were removed from the handle, so it includes a good .25" or more of non sharpened material, such as the part of the blade that has the pivot hole. as a chicagoan, i can tell you that the Mnandi has a 2.5" sharpened edge that will count as blade length. as such, it meets the chicago municipal code requirements.
 
From what i've read, posession of a <3" knife in illinois counts as posession of a "dangerous weapon", however, it does not count as illegal posession, this is my interpretation anyway.

Also, i'd like to think if this wasn't so, the knife shop near Joliet would've mentioned that the 4" Magna I was buying was in some way illicit.
 
YoungCutter and Chang are more or less correct. Blade length over 3" qualifies as a dangerous weapon, as does, by the statute, anything that can cause death or serious bodily harm. It is a matter of intent whether or not the person carrying the item is guilty of the crime "illegal use of a dangerous weapon". If it is not your intent to use the item in an illegal manner, you are not guilty of any crime simply by carrying it.

It should also be noted that in the state of IL, it is also illegal to board an aircraft with a > 3" knife. This was before the new FAA regs went into effect.
 
Cool, thanks for the help guys.

Just to make sure, according to Chicago municipal code, is a knife measured in a straight line from the tip to the end of the edge in a straight line? You dont follow curves, correct?

And also while I got your ear, are there any gun/knife shows in and around Chicago? I've been looking for some, but havent had much luck.

thanks again
 
i have not encountered any black and white rule on measuring length. but, at the courts i go to, they have a piece of paper on the wall with two lines. if the blade is longer than that distace, you cannot bring it in. my Mnandi, street scalpel, and mini talon have all been passed through that test many times. bascally, you are at the mercy of the person checking the length.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top