butterflys in Illinois

B

Brother Methias

Joined
Aug 16, 2000
Messages
48
Anybody know of any municipal ordinances against these fellas in illinois? chicago city ordinances dont specifically mention them, and i think they would be one of the worst...
 
This site is good. http://www.thehighroad.org/library/blades/knifelaws.html

I of course am no legal expert, and you can take my advice at your own risk. But I think that Illinois might be like Missouri, and Balisongs aren't specifically addressed. It looks like "switchblades" are illegal there. It is possible that gravity knives could fall under "switchblade" although in other state law (like Missouri) they are mentioned separately. Now in some cases balisongs have been ruled to be gravity knives, but in others they have been ruled not to be gravity knives.

So the gist of my opinion is that it would depend on the judge that got your case. And of course what you were doing when you were picked up in the first place.
 
Municipal ordinances vary based on the municipality, so you can have thousands of variations. I'm not aware of any that specifically prohibit balisongs in any Illinois city, town, or village (outside Chicago), but I've probably only read 5 or 6 out of thousands.

Statewide, balisongs are considered knives. Same rules apply with regard to blade length and concealment.

Chicago, of course, has a ban on anything exotic-looking (no kidding), and this gives Chicago police wide discretion as to whether you're carrying a knife or a dangerous weapon.

And no matter how legal it is, it depends on what you intend to do with it. Carrying one in your pocket at 2AM on a weekend night near a place that serves alcohol... well, not as good as carrying one in the back of your truck inside a toolbox.
 
i got busted w/ a butterfly knife on my person at age 17 (concealed in my back pocket) in a suburb 10 min. from chicago... they took my knife, kept it, took me to court and had me pay a $25 fine and serve 8 hours community service... i feel that it all depends on where u are, the cop(s), your criminal backround (or lack of), and what you were doing that put you in this situation all together (in my case... being out after curfew)
 
mm3 said:
If you read this pretty much anything in Illinois can be illegal
Click to expand...
Of course! It depends on your intent. If you're carrying a baseball bat at a playground, you're probably okay. If you carry that same bat into a jewelry store, you're probably not.

This works both ways: if you carry a knife as a tool, you're probably safe nearly anywhere in Illinois...if you carry it as a weapon, you're hosed just about everywhere.

The problem with balisongs, of course, is that it's hard to convince people you're carrying it as a "tool." Even if you are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top