Current New York knife laws?

K

KBar666

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Jul 1, 2011
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Ok the google machine only seems to have a bunch of stuff from 2005 or so, so whats the current laws for carrying a knife(not an auto) in NY? Its been awhile since I've been and I'm planning on giving some sort of quality knife to my dad who lives on long island.

Thanks guys.
 
Strong detent (no gravity, assisted open, or full auto), under four inch blade, dont carry it in public view (no pocket clips). Thats all to my knowledge.
 
ok so I guess a slip it from spyderco is out, I was gonna get the UK penknife but it has a pocket clip
 
SavageSmurf said:
Strong detent (no gravity, assisted open, or full auto), under four inch blade, dont carry it in public view. Thats all to my knowledge.
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^ to the best of my knowledge, this is correct.

p.s. you can leave the pocket clip on, just don't clip it to your pocket. all my knives have their pocket clips attached, i just carry in my pants pocket. out of sight, out of mind.
 
I haven't been hassled on Long Island, with having the clipped knife visible. I usually carry a good-sized folder too, like a Military or ZT0400. When I'm in NYC though, I carry a smaller knife unclipped, in-pocket.
 
There are two issues with Long Island and knives: one many Nassau and Suffolk officers are former NYC officers and can and do sometimes enforce the law the way the NYPD does. The second issue is that if you enter NYC with a clipped ( exposed) or gravity knife, you maybe in trouble. People in Nassau enter Queens at times near the borders with out knowing it. Look at the liner lock sod busters as I have yet to see one that can be flicked open or a non locking folder. The laws have not changed since 2005 ( or years before that) the way certain police agenices enforce the long standing laws has changed.....
 
How bout a knife like the Buck 110? locks are legal there right? Also I know he'll be using it in the city much as he works in the city often.

Thanks again guys. I left new york in 2004 and haven't been there much since and while I do miss it, I'd hate to have these laws as I love my knives.
 
while the Buck 110 is a great knife, the NYC DA had them pictured in his photo of gravity knives. If he is going to use it in NYC then stick to a non locking under 4" folder or look at the Rough Rider liner lock work knives. They are cheap but don't flick open....perhaps a few of them in different handles would be a nice gift? They run arounf $12 each....
 
Ok I fianlly went with a Folding Coleman "Gripp" knife, lockback, 3.5 inch blade has no pocketclip at all but a nylon sheath, seems fairly sturdy and easy to maintain, should in no way be a "gravity" knife. Hopefully this fits the mold or well I guess it'll end up in his drawer with sevral others he has.

Also it defenitly requires two handed opening so it should be good to go, I hope.
 
Tell him not to carry it in NYC in the sheath as they don't allow that either. It does look like a copy of a Gerber Gator, and as I posted here a few months back, in Brooklyn a Gerber Gator was deemed a gravity knife by a judge in a hearing on wheter or not it was one.....NYC is very bad for the last few years.....

watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oe-C-9MYVc
 
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It's always been terrible in New York, even worse for guns. Some neat stuff there but you couldn't pay me enough to live there.

tom19176 said:
Tell him not to carry it in NYC in the sheath as they don't allow that either. It does look like a copy of a Gerber Gator, and as I posted here a few months back, in Brooklyn a Gerber Gator was deemed a gravity knife by a judge in a hearing on wheter or not it was one.....NYC is very bad for the last few years.....

watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oe-C-9MYVc
Click to expand...
 
t1mpani said:
It's always been terrible in New York, ...
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I moved out of Manhattan in 1997. Until then, I routinely carried tactical folders clipped to a pocket, used knives in public, saw people with small sheath knives in some industrial areas (garment district, post office, flower district). This brouhaha is the current Manhattan DA making a name for himself. Unfortunately, it is bleeding over into neighboring jurisdictions, as tom19176 says. Beating it, losing the DA, getting specific cases thrown out, won't make the bad attitudes go away.
 
I watched the video. Its hard to tell whether the officer first opened the knife partially before flicking. One thing that is clear though, is that the uploader admittedly had the knife clipped to his pocket, which you can not do within NYC. I do not agree with the laws being imposed, I'm simply aware of them. I carried my sebenza clipped to my pocket tons of times in manhatten, but once I realized (by advisement of another BF member) that the law did not allow it, I began carrying in-pocket. It's a shame that these restrictions are being placed on law-abiding citizens, but I'm glad knife rights has a pending suit against DA Vance.
 
In New York City those laws are the case, but here in Upstate New York we have it nowhere near as bad. Basically everything but a switchblade or gravity knife is legal with a blade length limit of 6 inches. Even balisongs are legal due to the 2003 case of People vs. Zuniga determining them not to meet the legal definition of a gravity knife. There's also no problem with having it clipped to a pocket as the officers up here take that to be concealed enough. That's just locally though in the suburban/rural area between Rochester and Buffalo. I guess I live in the right part of NY!
 
I'll probally order 2 of those Rough Rider liner lock work knives that Tom suggested as well to go with.
 
EBHM4 said:
In New York City those laws are the case, but here in Upstate New York we have it nowhere near as bad. Basically everything but a switchblade or gravity knife is legal with a blade length limit of 6 inches. Even balisongs are legal due to the 2003 case of People vs. Zuniga determining them not to meet the legal definition of a gravity knife. There's also no problem with having it clipped to a pocket as the officers up here take that to be concealed enough. That's just locally though in the suburban/rural area between Rochester and Buffalo. I guess I live in the right part of NY!
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I believe only NYC has a limit and its 4". There isn't a length limit in the state laws. Also, by reading the exceptions to the law, switchblades/gravity knives/daggers are legal while fishing/hunting with a valid license. I already got my 2012 license.
 
As for a carrying knife, I prefer a smaller slipjoint. You could get something like this GEC. Its got a liner lock but also a strong backspring/half stop and there isn't enough blade sticking out to do a spydie drop. Its a 2 hand opener and closer
IMG_1817.jpg
 
2Dead, that is another good looking knife that seems to fit the bill for NYC carry. You are right that the NYC limit is 4" and there is no offical NYS blade lenght limit.
 
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