Are knife laws enforced?

[Blues]

I had a friend who was a cop. He offered me a switchblade he had taken off someone he had searched. I didn't take it. We had an interesting conversation. I was surprised it wasn't officially recorded as evidence or something. He said they never charged the guy and typically didn't. They would just take the knife and keep it themselves. He justified it by saying he was doing the guy he took it from a favor by not charging him.
This was in Lowell Massachusetts.

Your friend is an idiot and unethical to boot.

Seizing property and then keeping it personally is theft...plain and simple. Nice way to tarnish the badge.

As a retired LEO, stories like this make me cringe.

 

[Smithhammer]

I live in the rural West. No one blinks around here if you're carrying a knife - folding, fixed blade, whatever. I suppose there are some knife laws on the books, but I've never heard of them being enforced....unless you're calling attention to yourself and your knife, and/or doing something stupid with it. You're probably more likely to have someone ask you what you're carrying out of genuine curiosity, because they're a knife nut too.

Edited to add: I'm not suggesting not being familiar with applicable knife laws. You should. I've looked over the laws that are applicable to me years ago, it's just never been practically applicable where I live.

 

[mitchnola]

From what I’ve gathered thus far, it seems in most places with arbitrary knife laws that as long as you’re a law abiding citizen minding your own business that cops aren’t going to come randomly ck your pockets to measure the blade of your knife, except in NYC.

I’m happy to hear that for all the knife nuts living under restrictive knife laws. I started this thread because of my curiosity of what it would be like living with these laws and how much it may or may not suck being a knife nut. I can’t imagine not being able to carry some of my favorite knives because of some bs knife law. Sounds like many of you still get to enjoy that freedom regardless of the law and I’m happy for yall. Just don’t admit it on the internet or big brother might come knocking on your door

 

[Blues]

I think we've taken this as far as we need to go before forum policing is required.