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Carrying an AO knife in NYC
- Thread starter davide
- Start date
My Leatherman Wave has a locking knife blade but it cannot be swung open at all. It's also pretty clearly a tool. The only reason I don't carry that around everyday is it's too bulky and heavy. When I'm working on a film set I have it clipped to my belt and have never had any problems with cops.
Are there any slipjoints or swiss army knive's you guys recommend in the 3" to 3.5" range? I found this: http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=103. The knives I had been thinking of getting (Griptilian, Nagara, Benchmade 940, Spderco Endura) were all in this range roughly but now it looks like I will probably not be able to carry those. Also, would an Opinel be street legal?
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Get a Skeletool then. It's far lighter than the Wave yet it has a locking blade.
Everyone has it pretty well covered. No gravity knife and must be concealled. The AOs are legal, but it has been directed by the NYPD to view them as a gravity knife if the can be flicked open ( Blurs, Flash, Camillus Heats, and many more) or as a dangerous knife if they can not be flicked open as the NYPD feels the only reason you would want a fast opening knife is for use as a weapon. Remember any knife carried for the intent of using it as a weapon makes the knife illegal....I am a former NYC LEO, and I now manage retail real estate and have several off duty officers working for me. I explain all this as two detectives from the Brooklyn North warrants division that work off duty for me, told me how they had five warrants for persons arrested for the sole charge of CPW and that weapon was a knife. They could not believe that other oficers would go after a knife only charge, but they did, and the defendants missed their court date so they got that 2 am wake up knock on the door.....
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Thanks for this very valuable information. Based on your description, a locking folder is fine as long as the opening mechanism is fully manual. That makes Victorinox lockbacks, Fallkniven U2, or any knife opened by nail groove legally safe to carry. Please let me know if I interpret this wrong.
Bear in mind that the knife can't be flickable when held by the handle , or held by the blade . If their is enuff blade exposed to grip by the thumb and first finger ( ie a Buck 110 ) , you could get drilled . The Vic one handed openers can most certainly be " Spyder dropped " .The nail nick Vics would not be readily be flicked .
Chris
Chris
Well...
There have been instances of NYC LEO's "flicking" knives open by holding the blade.
(Ridiculous as it may be.)
And just about any locking knife can be flicked open if you hold the blade.
So to be safe, it's best to carry a non locking slipjoint in NYC.
Even if it could be flicked open by holding the blade - which is very difficult if not impossible to do with a slipjoint - it doesn't lock, so it wouldn't be considered a gravity knife.
I tho[ught that your comment was in reference to the Western New York poster, in which case, the NYS Penal Law would still be applicable. My appologies if I misinterpreted your comment.
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Gimmicky law enforcement deserves a gimmicky knife. Enter Cold Steel Black Rock Hunter.
http://www.coldsteel.com/blackrockhunter.html
Now flick THAT.:jerkit:
On a more serious note: yeah, just carry a slipjoint.
Does it exceed the limit? I thought that the limit was 4". Although I don't think it would be wise to carry a four inch blade as that could be pushing it, especially if it ends up actually being 4.1". Besides I have a feeling that the police would be likely to classify a 4" blade as dangerous even if it doesn't exceed the length requirement.
While it looks like a butterfly knife it doesn't function like one at all. So I think one would be safe from having that called a gravity knife.
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Seriously, if one of your purpose is self defense, that Black Rock Hunter is terrible. I brought it up because it's an interesting design that lampoons stupid laws and their even stupider interpretations.
In my scenario, I would only pull a knife when it's clear the aggressor intends to cut me (or already does). By that time, I have to present the knife really quick with one hand (the other hand is parrying the attack). You can't open the BRH with one hand, period. Spyderco UK Pen Knife or Urban would be perfect, because they're both slipjoints. However, they're not your grandpa's slipjoints. They open with one hand, and although they're slipjoints they have a choil preventing the knife to cut you if it folds unintentionally. The choil will pinch, but not cut you.
They also come in bright orange, giving them that "tool" look and dispels any notion that it's "stealth" or "tactical".
Oh, in case you're travelling to Chicago or visiting any federal facility, you want the 2.5" Spyderco Urban.
In my scenario, I would only pull a knife when it's clear the aggressor intends to cut me (or already does). By that time, I have to present the knife really quick with one hand (the other hand is parrying the attack). You can't open the BRH with one hand, period. Spyderco UK Pen Knife or Urban would be perfect, because they're both slipjoints. However, they're not your grandpa's slipjoints. They open with one hand, and although they're slipjoints they have a choil preventing the knife to cut you if it folds unintentionally. The choil will pinch, but not cut you.
They also come in bright orange, giving them that "tool" look and dispels any notion that it's "stealth" or "tactical".
Oh, in case you're travelling to Chicago or visiting any federal facility, you want the 2.5" Spyderco Urban.
NYC law says the blade must be less than 4 inches.
So 4" blades are out.
And once you start getting close to 4", you've got to start thinking of how the blade length is measured.
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You're welcome. I'm not sure if the choil was intentionally designed as added safety, but in my experience the on-blade choil (on any folder) does act as one. It's not the most robust safety feature, but it beats having the cutting edge falling on your finger.
I promise this thread won't become an unending beast where every couple days I ask, "Would xxx blade be considered legal for carry in NYC" but I've got one more about which I was wondering: the Mercator K55. Can this be flipped open? I had read that it was very hard to open, but I saw this video where I go is opening one one-handed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgHcoKG0NBc
I'm not sure whether he modified it in anyway or if that's something that one can do with all Mercator's in which case I'll have to remember not to have one on my person whenever I'm walking the streets.
davide
I'm not sure whether he modified it in anyway or if that's something that one can do with all Mercator's in which case I'll have to remember not to have one on my person whenever I'm walking the streets.
davide