Carrying a folding knife in AZ

E

EBonizzoni

Joined
Dec 11, 2007
Messages
3
Good afternoon gentlemen,

I looked around on the web and in your (excellent) forum but I wasn't able to find a documented answer to a question of mine, so I hope I could use your time and knowledge to find clues -
I just bought myself this:
http://www.amazon.com/Buck-271-Alph...=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1197494551&sr=1-14
the blade is less then 3" long, so in my understanding I should be able to drive my car and walk around (e.g. in a mall) carrying it in its sheath to my belt - am I right? A related question: I'm here under a working visa, so I'm not a permanent resident or a citizen (yet - my Green Card paperwork has been already filled by the company I work for :)) - could my immigration status make any difference about the matter above?
Last question, sorry if it's a silly one - would you recommend me to just walk into a police station (without the knife!) and politely ask for an answer?

Thanks for using some of your time to read this, best regards
Erminio
 
Erminio, congratulations on your command of the English language. :thumbup:

In my opinion, when circumstances are such that one would rather not draw the attention of police or other authorities, it's best to just carry a small knife in your pocket instead of openly on your belt. I hope someone here can give you a better answer to your question about its legality, but you might want to just carry only the empty sheath (without your knife) and go into the office of your local sheriff or city police station and ask them about it. Good luck.
 
Google "Arizona Knife Law", and you will come up with lots of stuff. Looks like concealed carry is out, but whether it is concealed when in a sheath on your belt...that's the question.

I wear my shirt out, and if it covered the sheathed knife is that concealment????
 
The law applies the same whether you are a citizen or not. In AZ you can carry about any pocket knife you like under 4 inches. I carry an automatic daily. Getting answers on the law at the police station is not a good idea. Cops are not lawyers. Best to contact the county attornys office.
I carry my auto on a military installation and asked the local security forces about the legal issues. They were all just guessing but it was generally agreed what ever the law was in the local municipality was probably the case on base.
 
A knife covered by a shirt in a sheath technically is concealed. Asking the local police is never a bad idea, after all they are the ones that will arrest you/confiscate the knife. Technically a military base is not governed by any municipality, they are government and are only under federal authority...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top