blade lengths..

Joined
Apr 29, 2006
Messages
417
what makes a knife illegal? can i carry my 4 inch gerber around or would that be illegal? just wanted to know. thanks
 
it is governed by the law of the place you happen to be

pretty much each state has its own law.
Also, certain cities/towns have their own laws

and certain types of places > courthouses, airports - they have their own laws

for example, in new york state - generally - your four inch gerber is OK
But in new york city, it's illegal - nyc law says no knife four inches or more

also in general almost everywhere automatics are illegal and gravity knives are illegal

if you're in tennessee, i'd start right there - look at tennessee law regarding knife length.

then see if there are any cities or towns in tennessee that have different laws
 
Good general rule most of my cop buddies would agree with is the "width of the palm" rule. If the blade is longer than the width of the palm it's questionable. In Illinois this applies to folding knives only, and you can carry them "concealed" in your pocket since they are tools, but I was told any fixed blade would be viewed by a police officer as a weapon not a tool
 
"but I was told any fixed blade would be viewed by a police officer as a weapon not a tool.."


interesting.... hmmm
 
lchen20 said:
Good general rule most of my cop buddies would agree with is the "width of the palm" rule. If the blade is longer than the width of the palm it's questionable.

Most people since 1960+ have come to understand this absurd belief as bogus.

Can you imagine the heyday in court that would be had using that test?

Officer 1 is 6'5, and bear paw hands. Officer 2, 5'9, and far smaller hands.

One takes you to jail, the other lets you walk???

Length is length is length, stated in inches, or maybe even metric units.

Comparing it to something like an officers palm is leftover Broderick Crawford-era urban legends...
 
Here's a question:

I'm in NC, I've gone over the GS, could not find a blade length for a fold out.

Cold Steel Ti-Lite http://www.coldsteel.com Yes, Deadly.

Basically, the blade is 6 inches, no-no for civilians but I'm Army NG.

The cops are confused, their not used to people having legitmate arguements for carrying such things, so whenever I ask I get a "Idunno"

Any help would be nice.
 
thatmguy
Length is length is length, stated in inches, or maybe even metric units.
You're right, but this story I'm relating was not about how cops question you and I, but more of an informal personal way to measure your knife blade. I'm about 70 inches tall and palms in my height range vary between about 3 to 4 inches. Since I move around the country a lot I try to stay on the safe side of the various state and municipal laws like Benchmade and keep my blades under 4 inches - which is why the palm rule works for me. It made me ditch my Spyderco Civilian though...
 
I live in upstate ny and I was wondering if there was a length limit that anybody would know of. I looked at the laws for NYS and I couldn't find a limitation on the blade length there. I just don't want a cop to arrest me or take my knife.
 
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