Chi-town laws?

Maqua

Maqua

Joined
Jan 21, 2005
Messages
2,396
I just bought my brother a Native III for Festivus but am now thinking he will be a felon if he carries it through the mean streets of Chicago. Anybody know if he should just leave it in his sock drawer until he can go camping/rafting/hiking? Should he move back to Texas? :confused: I may have to keep it for myself!
 
it's 3", so I think you should be OK

Maquahuitl said:
I just bought my brother a Native III for Festivus but am now thinking he will be a felon if he carries it through the mean streets of Chicago. Anybody know if he should just leave it in his sock drawer until he can go camping/rafting/hiking? Should he move back to Texas? :confused: I may have to keep it for myself!
Click to expand...
 
If he is 18 or younger, Chicago ordinance 8-24-020 indicates a 2 inch maximum legal blade length.

IL state law mentions types of illegal knives, but I could find no reference to a specific maximum legal blade length. I welcome correction, if anyone can find a blade length limit in IL state laws.
 
Tuco Ramirez said:
If he is 18 or younger, Chicago ordinance 8-24-020 indicates a 2 inch maximum legal blade length.

IL state law mentions types of illegal knives, but I could find no reference to a specific maximum legal blade length. I welcome correction, if anyone can find a blade length limit in IL state laws.
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From Bernie Levine's "Knife Laws of the 50 States" with emphasis added...

720 ILCS 5/33A-1 said:
... A person is considered armed with a dangerous weapon... when he carries on or about his person or is otherwise armed with a category I or category II weapon. A category I weapon is a firearm or a knife with a blade at least 3 inches in length, dagger, dirk, switchblade knife, stiletto, or any other deadly or dangerous weapon of like character.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that in Chicago, as in most places, age, dress, and deportment all influence the probability of being stopped, frisked, and of the 1/8" of extra blade being considered grounds for arrest. But it does appear that, at least technically, carrying the Native III would violate the law.
 
I regularly go to the County Court House in downtown Chicago and have to check whatever blade I am carrying.

The deputy at the gear-check has on several occassions chastised me for having a large Classic Sebenza which has a blade of 3.5 inches, which is half an inch over the legal limit.

This has been confirmed by several LEO in Chicago, both city and county.

FWIW, the knife I carry with me on courthouse days is a Native with a 440V blade, and the cute little deputy behind the desk offers me no grief about this whatsoever.

If your brother is not a dirtball, he's FINE. Chicago cops are, as a rule, very down-to-earth folks and have a LOT more shit on their plate than your brother's pocketknife.

IL law refers to Daggers, Dirks, Bowies, Switchblades or other Automatic Knives, Gravity Knife or any other Dangerous Knife. Dangerous knife, last time I read the code, is not mentioned by length. I don't know where Levine got his text, unless it's been updated recently. I had a friend who was an assistant State's Atty and he read me the code over the phone, told me to stay away from Bowies, daggers and automatics. He also found nothing about blade length.

In other words, it's a HUNTING knife, not a Bowie, don't carry a pointy double-edged blade, and if you insert it in someone, shut up and have your lawyer do the talking.
 
I had my brother, who is an attorney, look at the laws and his opinion was that there is no limit to blade length in Illinois. The mention of 3 inches only comes into play in 720 ILCS 5/33A-1 where "armed with a dangerous weapon" is defined.

Being "armed with a dangerous wepon" is not a crime.

It becomes a crime in Illinois Criminal Code 720 ILCS 5/24-1 when it says that you commit the offense of "unlawful use of weapons" when you are "armed with a dangerous weapon" with the intent to use the same unlawfully against another.

So, In Illinois you can carry as long a knife as you want as long as you aren't planning on sticking anyone with it.
 
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