Australia's done it, no one handed knives

[AS350]

OR, you guys could organize a group like knife rights, pool your money and influence politicians like we do here in the US. While your political system may differ from our in ways, people are still people and politicians are still slimy politicians. That being the case, money talks, internet complaining walks. I've been dealing with "snake in the grass" politicians here in the US for a while know on different issues and have learned one thing; if you put your money where your mouth/cause is, they will lend you an ear. You do this with donations to campaigns, helping out with their elections, having lobbyist or spokespersons in their face, etc. It's a tough pill to swallow when you know they are supposed to be representing you with out re-numeration but that's what politics have DEVOLVED to. "He who pays, gets to play" and unless you're rich, you have to form a group and pool your resources. No amount of complaining on the net is going to make a change. I picture the Aussies as tough individuals who love their back country and who should never be without a good knife. Take your country back boys...

Well Said

 

[AS350]

guys! talking about fighting against shitty laws probably won't happen, no one uses sharp knives in the modern world, only a small minority keep this culture alive. The general population would be frightened if you pulled a typical lets say benchmade folder out of your pocket to cut something. They don't know that you'd never use it in a fight or that you just like to try out some cool supersteel. They typically see you as a psycho, sad but true.
So while being careful what we say on a public forum I'm pretty sure at this time of writing that while some knives will be illegal IMPORTS they are still not illegal to make... So lets all become awesome part time knifemakers on the side and maybe we can still satisfy our need for cool knives with cool steels while keeping our money in Australia,
Not saying to boycott American stuff, it is pretty awesome and all. But lets see what we can bring to the table in terms of custom folders why not?
Also I think whenever we find a knife of ours being admired we should feel obliged to spread the disease if half the population carried a pocket knife every day we'd have a lot more say on legislation like this.

This hobby is becoming less of a hobby and more of some underground culture I think.

Very good solutions to not only the loss of liberty but also the loss of Craftsmanship and Local Production.

 

[AS350]

Mate, I hope you've hired a good attorney and I do wish you the best of luck as you're going to need it.

Australian Customs will have the full resources of the Australian government, highly experienced and motivated lawyers and it looks like expert testimony as well.

Please let us know how it goes.

Will do. He is a good Lawyer. The question is how bad will the magistrate be?

 

[matura]

How did you get on mate?

 

[andurilgc]

without an equivalent or better expert opinion pretty hard to compete with that report - ya can't build bricks without clay

as has been said, licensed Aus traders can still bring in some one hand openers

import and carry laws are two different things though - more importantly perhaps, can you enjoy the pieces already in your collection or imported lawfully ?

for example in Qld:

WEAPONS ACT 1990 - SECT 51
51 Possession of a knife in a public place or a school

(1) A person must not physically possess a knife in a public place or a school, unless the person has a reasonable excuse.

Maximum penalty—40 penalty units or 1 year's imprisonment.

(2) It is a reasonable excuse for subsection (1) to physically possess a knife—

(a) to perform a lawful activity, duty or employment; or

(b) to participate in a lawful entertainment, recreation or sport; or

(c) for lawfully exhibiting the knife; or

(d) for use for a lawful purpose.

Example for subsection (2)(a)—

1 A person may carry a knife on his or her belt for performing work in primary production.

Examples for subsection (2)(b)—

1 A scout may carry a knife on his or her belt as part of the scout uniform.

2 A person may carry a knife as an accessory while playing in a pipe band.

3 A fisher may carry a knife for use while fishing.

Example for subsection (2)(c)—

1 A person who collects knives may exhibit them at a fete or another public gathering.

Examples for subsection (2)(d)—

1 A person may use a knife to prepare or cut food at a restaurant in a public place or when having a picnic in a park.

2 A person may carry a pen knife or swiss army knife for use for its normal utility purposes.

(3) However, it is not a reasonable excuse to physically possess a knife in a public place or a school for self-defence purposes.

(4) Also, it is a reasonable excuse for subsection (1), to the extent the subsection relates to a public place, to physically possess a knife for genuine religious purposes.

Example—

A Sikh may possess, in a public place, a knife known as a kirpan to comply with the person's religious faith.

(5) However, it is not a reasonable excuse to physically possess a knife in a school for genuine religious purposes.

(6) In deciding what is a reasonable excuse for subsection (1), regard may be had, among other things, to whether the way the knife is held in possession, or when and where it is held in possession, would cause a reasonable person concern that he or she, or someone else in the vicinity, may be threatened or harmed.

(7) In this section—

knife includes a thing with a sharpened point or blade that is reasonably capable of—

(a) being held in 1 or both hands; and

(b) being used to wound or threaten to wound anyone when held in 1 or both hands.

 

[JSMcustoms]

so it's down to only traditional slip joints now, basically?

do they at least have a reasonable small fixed blade law?

'Single handed opening knives that have a blade recessed into the handle that can be opened with gravity, inertia or centrifugal force (including parts)'[/B] - (quoted from op on post on spyderco forum)

The wording "blade recessed into the handle" seems to ban traditional slip joints such as Case knives as well due to the fact that their blades are still recessed into the handle. Because of this, it leads me to think that it bans everything except fixed blades due to this wording.

 

[Thomas Linton]

A slip joint does not open with gravity, inertia, or centrifugal force. A Buck 110 does.

 

[speesky]

And a buck 110 wouldn't be classified as a 'single handed opening knife'

 

[morfield]

I never would have suspected that Australia would be so strictly governed in terms of blades. Granted, most of what I think I know about Australia has been from fiction. Here in the South, you can mostly carry what you want as long as you're not in a bar, school, courthouse, etc.