Carry knife for defense, length not an issue

arnoldglee

arnoldglee

Joined
Mar 6, 2003
Messages
201
I just got off the phone with a police officer in Boston MA where I live and was told in no uncertain terms that I can carry a knife of any blade length (as long as it is not double edged or a "spike").

Of course he was duty bound to tell me if I should pull such a knife (or even a pencil for that matter) on the street I could be arrested and charged with a felony.
I then asked him point blank again and was told that the ever popular 4" blade length "law" was in fact an urban legend here in Boston.

Oh Happy Day!

The reason behind my exclamation is that if I were fighting for my life or the lives of my loved ones I would want the best fighting knife I could wrap my fingers around and not be hobbled by a law that limited the blade length.

Could someone recommend an ideal carry knife for strictly defense purposes? I'd prefer something with a blade length around 6.75" (the choice comes from talking to some Filipino knife fighters that told me the ideal fighting knife should be the length of your hand from the palm to the fingertips.) I was considering a Rob Simonich Raven, but am open to all suggestions.

Thanks
-Arnold
 
Welcome to the forums. Here is what the Boston City Code says about knives:

16-45 PROHIBITING THE CARRYING OF KNIVES OR SIMILAR WEAPONS.


16-45.1 Carrying of Weapons Prohibited.

No person, except as provided by law, shall carry on his person, or carry under his control in a vehicle, any knife having any type of blade in excess of two and one-half (2½ ) inches, ice picks, dirks or similar weapons that are likely to penetrate through police officer's ballistic vests, or other object or tool so redesigned, fashioned, prepared or treated that the same may be used to inflict bodily harm or injury to another, except:

a. When actually engaged in hunting or fishing or any employment, trade or lawful recreational or culinary activity which customarily involves the carrying or use of any type of knife, or

b. In going directly to and/or returning directly from such activities, or

c. If the knife is being transported directly to or from a place of purchase, sharpening, or repair, and if packaged in such a manner as not to allow easy access to the knife while it is being transported.

(Ord. 2001 c. 10) Penalty, see subsection 16-45.4

16-45.2 Distribution Exception.

This section shall not apply to persons who, through entities or establishments engaged in a recognized retail or wholesale business, are involved in the sale, purchase or repair of knives for trade, sport, hobby or recreation, including without limitation persons engaged in the transportation to or from such entities or establishments.

(Ord. 2001 c. 10)

16-45.3 Applicability.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to enhance or diminish any duties of persons described in subsection 16-45.2, and this section shall not be introduced or cited in any proceeding as evidence of negligence, recklessness, or similar state of mind of such persons.

(Ord. 2001 c. 10)

16-45.4 Penalty.

Violators of any provision of this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than three hundred ($300.00) dollars for each offense.

(Ord. 2001 c. 10)
 
A few months ago, Blade Magazine had an article about a new law passing in the city of Boston. This law prohibits the carrying of any knife with a blade of more than 2 1/2" in length.

This corresponds to what shootist16 posted. My understanding is that this law pertains only to the city of Boston and not to MA in general.
 
Arnold, what these guys are trying to tell you is - don't take the word of some cop on the phone! It is YOUR responsibility to know the law, and if you get nailed on a weapons violation "a cop told me it was OK" is not an acceptable defense.
 
Thanks to everyone who replied.
I'm glad I put the reason behind why I wanted a larger knife instead of just a "which knife is better" post. I just went from very happy to depressed real quick. :(

Again thanks for sharing your knowledge and the common sense, everyone that replied might just have saved me a huge headache from the Boston legal system.

Well I guess my search is on for some good neck knives!
-Arnold
 
I really hated to be the bearer of bad news. Boston's law in regards to knives sux. A 2.5" limit really hurts. But there are some great self defense options for you. Take a look at the new Tarani designed karambit for example. Blade length of less than 2.5" It would make an awesome self defense tool. Here is a pic:

SP-004.jpg


And there are countless neck knives that are under 2.5". You can still find a decent self defense knife, you just have to limit your options a little. Good luck in your hunt.
 
If length was really not an issue, I'd say carry around a dirty, blood-encrusted 16" matchete. That would scare off most folks.

Be careful with carrying a knife for SD.
 
Originally posted by arnoldglee
I just got off the phone with a police officer in Boston MA where I live and was told in no uncertain terms that I can carry a knife of any blade length (as long as it is not double edged or a "spike").

Of course he was duty bound to tell me if I should pull such a knife (or even a pencil for that matter) on the street I could be arrested and charged with a felony.
I then asked him point blank again and was told that the ever popular 4" blade length "law" was in fact an urban legend here in Boston.

Oh Happy Day!

The reason behind my exclamation is that if I were fighting for my life or the lives of my loved ones I would want the best fighting knife I could wrap my fingers around and not be hobbled by a law that limited the blade length.

Could someone recommend an ideal carry knife for strictly defense purposes? I'd prefer something with a blade length around 6.75" (the choice comes from talking to some Filipino knife fighters that told me the ideal fighting knife should be the length of your hand from the palm to the fingertips.) I was considering a Rob Simonich Raven, but am open to all suggestions.

Thanks
-Arnold
Click to expand...

Arnold- Never, ever believe a cop when it comes to the law. I've asked these same kinds of questions to many cops in the past, and every one had a different answer. Once in a while, one might be right, but it's rare.

You will notice there is an exemption in the law for people involved in knife sales or professions that require a knife. Are you a knife maker? You could carry one of your own knives or even several so you'll always have some of your wares to show potential customers. You'd probably still get arrested, but at least you'd have a solid defense. Does your job require a knife? For example, I suppose if you were a butcher or professional meat cutter, you could carry a well made butcher knife, claiming you take it home every night for sharpening. Perhaps you should seek work as an actor, working on a film about knights in the middle ages. Then you could carry this beauty:
War's lady
:D
...still drooling over that one.
 
Man! dat dare Karambit is right purty!!! that oughta take some of the sting outta otherwise bad news.

Also, ya' might wanna consider some of the underlying points of Fred Perrins Philosophies:

*The best knife in a fight is the one you have with you
*Small blades have advantages- they are better able to incapacitate with less chance of lethality. They also give a huge advantage of surprise in that they are harder to spot.
* Smaller blades are much easier to defend in court (an unfortunate factor)

there's a little bit of insight on Fred Perrin here:

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/2292/reviews.htm (The review on the Cold Steel Shovel was paticularly humorous BTW)

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/2292/FREDSTORY.htm

http://www.donrearic.com/perrin.html

http://www.realfighting.com/1102/FredPerrinART.html

(BTW, I stumbled across this stuff at Self Defense Forums, and was so intrigued I spent hours clicking around and reading)

In any case I just kinda thought that anyone stuck carryin' a smaller blade oughta take a looksee at some of that stuff.
 
I'm familiar with Fred Perrin and really like his Sypderco fixed blade. And that review of the Cold Steel shovel is a classic!!! :)
When I threw mine had trouble making it stick (speaks more for my lousy technique) but was jaw droppingly impressed with how it made coleslaw out of my cardboard targets. Gotta admit, haven't tried that trick where he chops a tree down yet (don't intend to either.)
Ooohh man, as an aside could you imagine me trying to explain carrying that?

"Ummm... Dis here just my shovel officer, the dirt around here real hard, I NEED this razor edge on it."
:D

I guess I'll have to change my attitude and come to appreciate little knives more.

Thanks for the info.

Oh yeah, I may need to take up knifemaking just to curb my addiction if not for a reason to carry.:D
-Arnold
 
Originally posted by shootist16
Take a look at the new Tarani designed karambit for example. Blade length of less than 2.5" It would make an awesome self defense tool. Here is a pic:

SP-004.jpg

Click to expand...

Holy CRAP! I gotta have one of those! Someone please email me with some sites where I can get one! :eek:

EDIT: Never mind. I found the site.
 
a SAK? Don't laugh just yet. They're light, handy, inexpensive, totally non threatening, readily available and you can push the corkscrew out with one hand and have it jutting out between your fingers. Ouch.

Frank
 
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