Fixed blade in the trunk in NY?

K Williams · May 22, 2006

Does anyone know if it's OK to keep a fixed blade in the trunk of a car in NY? It would go in a "car repair kit" bag. Thanks in advance.

rebeltf · May 22, 2006

As angry as you feeling the need to even ask that question makes me , you should look up specific knife or weapon related laws in NY , I dont see why it wouldnt be okay but God knows some dipshit of a politician has probably passed some obscure law against having a knife over 5 inches in the trunk of your car on sunday and tuesday between the hours of 12pm and 6pm.
Nothing irritates me more than an American citizen having to ask permission to carry his/her tools.

Nimick · May 22, 2006

as far as the state goes, no. as far as the county/town/cop, probably, unfortunetly you probably have no way of knowing.

make sure it looks like it's supposed to be there, and you should be safe. the car repair bag should do fine.

ranger88 · May 22, 2006

rebeltf said:
As angry as you feeling the need to even ask that question makes me , you should look up specific knife or weapon related laws in NY , I dont see why it wouldnt be okay but God knows some dipshit of a politician has probably passed some obscure law against having a knife over 5 inches in the trunk of your car on sunday and tuesday between the hours of 12pm and 6pm.
Nothing irritates me more than an American citizen having to ask permission to carry his/her tools.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ceya one · May 23, 2006

You can in NYC due to it being conceled and make sure it is 4" or under.

S/F,
CEYA!

KySu · May 24, 2006

I'd recomend making a 'car pack' containing the essentials for if you break down somewhere deserted and you have to survive for a couple days: rice/dried fruit, water (and pruification tablets), cooking utensils, rope, warm clothes, fishing pole(retractable)/line/hooks/rubber worms(3" various colors), a 16" Woodsman knife, some smaller knives (fillet is one of them), first aid kit, fire, newspaper, TP, poncho, etc, etc....

If they ever question you about the size of the knife, remind them it's alot easier to cut firewood and build shelter with a machete, rather than a 4" fixed blade...

Also, I live in MA and I had the bag searched and didn't have a problem, so, I think you'd be alright with that...

Kevin the grey · May 24, 2006

Sorry for being ignorant of this . I thought as long as you had a use for it you could carry it on you and there would be nothing wrong with it in the trunk of your car . I guess I was wrong . What the heck is wrong with a knife in your trunk ?

x39 · May 24, 2006

I keep a Camillus Navy pilot's knife in a tool box in the trunk of my wife's car. The tool box also has the usual assortment of emergency/ car maintenance gear in it (jumper cables, mini compressor, wrenches, etc.). I've had the box opened by both Canadian and US Customs several times with not so much as a raised eye brow. I realize your question pertains to New York, but I figured that my experience shows that the context of the equipment with your knife may influence how the authorities view it.

K Williams · May 24, 2006

Thanks for the replies. I was considering throwing one of my Cold Steel SRKs or a Camillus Pilot survival knife in the bag. Nothing too huge or expensive. Just a good, strong, medium sized knife.

KySu · May 24, 2006

Kevin the grey said:
Sorry for being ignorant of this . I thought as long as you had a use for it you could carry it on you and there would be nothing wrong with it in the trunk of your car . I guess I was wrong . What the heck is wrong with a knife in your trunk ?

You are right when you say if you have a use for a knife, you can carry. However, that is a very vague statement. For example, if I'm out fishing or hunting or just meandering through the woods, I have every excuse to have a fixed blade in excess of 5" on my persons. Where it get's tricky is this: Say I went to a bar with my knife on me and got questioned, I could say, based on the above statement, that I am on my way to go fishing and just stopped off for a drink before I went. Now, that may very well be the case, and I really might need that knife when I go fishing, but I am not fishing at that moment, therefore I can't be carrying the knife. You see what I mean by the statement being vague?

The reason I suggested a 'car breakdown survival kit' is because a jerk-off copper could make something out of a fixed blade in a car repair kit, however, not in a sruvival bag.

And the reason the laws are such is because knives are as dangerous as guns, if not more dangerous. For example, most body armor, does not protect against knives, though it will stop a bullet. Knives can be thrown, concealed very easily, are very intimidating and most importantly knives don't make sounds when they kill...

Now, IMO, if any moron without a crinimal record can carry a 9mm pistol concealed, I should be able to walk down the street with a samurai sword on my back.

OH and K Williams, I'd recomend an aluminum baseball bat and ball (in your backseat) for protection rather than a 4" knife...

Buckaroo661 · May 24, 2006

I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice! However, I have been a small town cop in NY for a long time. The following is an excerpt from the NYS Penal Law covering weapons:

(2) He possesses any dagger, dangerous knife, dirk, razor, stiletto,
imitation pistol, or any other dangerous or deadly instrument or weapon
with intent to use the same unlawfully against another

As you can see, it appears that it requires you to have an intent to use the knife against another unlawfully for it to be a crime to possess it. I have never seen anyone arrested for mere possession of a fixed blade knife. That's not to say it couldn't happen in some circumstances. I doubt a fixed blade in your trunk could be construed as a weapon in the above definition, but again, I'm not a lawyer or prosecutor. This is only an excerpt, you should familiarize yourself with the whole section regarding weapons so you can protect yourself effectively. You can access all of NY's laws at: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMMONQUERY=LAWS

Good luck.

x39 · May 24, 2006

KySu said:
And the reason the laws are such is because knives are as dangerous as guns, if not more dangerous.

Knives and guns are inanimate objects, they are not dangerous in and of themsleves. People are dangerous. What is the sword without the hand that wields it?

K Williams · May 24, 2006

KySu said:
OH and K Williams, I'd recomend an aluminum baseball bat and ball (in your backseat) for protection rather than a 4" knife...

The knife would be for utility/survival.

An aluminum bat in a car in NYC wouldn't fool anyone. It's been done a thousand times.

I knew a guy that kept a kid sized aluminum bat in his car. Never heard him talk about playing, or watching, baseball...

KySu · May 24, 2006

x39 - knives and guns ARE dangerous. What if you have a knife laying on your table cleaning it and you accidentally knock it off and it sticks in your foot. You are not dangerous or doing anything devious, it was an accident, an accident that would be a lot worse than say if a book had fallen on your foot...

K Williams, you'll notice that's why i said a baseball too. It's actually illegal in a lot of states (and I'm almost postive that's how it is in NY) to carry a baseball bat without a ball... If you have the ball, you can make the argument you forgot to take the shit outta your car or you're gonna be playing tomorrow or later, etc...

x39 · May 24, 2006

KySu said:
x39 - knives and guns ARE dangerous. What if you have a knife laying on your table cleaning it and you accidentally knock it off and it sticks in your foot. ...

Did the knife jump off the table on it's own? No, the individual who knocked it off the table has his own carelessness to thank for his injury.
People bahaving carelessly are a danger to themselves and others.

KySu · May 24, 2006

x39 said: "No, the individual who knocked it off the table has his own carelessness to thank for his injury.
People bahaving carelessly are a danger to themselves and others."

I have accidentally cut myself before I am far from careless when it comes to knives. Secondly, if you read the second half of my post I already answered this comment (please note that you didn't quote the already available retort to your statement...).

Yes the person has himself to blame for knocking the knife off the table (whether it be due to carelessness or not), but the reason knives (and other weapons) are dangerous is, if it had been a book lying on the table, instead of the knife, the WORST injury (and this assuming War and Peace is the book that falls - ie: an extremely large and heavy book) you'll have is a broken toe, however with the knife falling you can slice veins, cut tendons and ligaments from having a basic accident that could happen to anyone. And that is why I stick to the belief that knives, by themselves, can be and therefore are, dangerous.

x39 · May 24, 2006

KySu, accidents do not just occur on their own. In every instance they are caused by negligence. The human factor is the common denominator in every scenario.

Buckaroo661 · May 24, 2006

KySu said:
K Williams, you'll notice that's why i said a baseball too. It's actually illegal in a lot of states (and I'm almost postive that's how it is in NY) to carry a baseball bat without a ball... If you have the ball, you can make the argument you forgot to take the shit outta your car or you're gonna be playing tomorrow or later, etc...

Where are you getting your information from? I don't believe I have ever seen a mention of a baseball bat at all in the NYS Penal Law!

I am confident that the fact that you're carrying a ball with the bat will have no impact on the case. You can carry a baseball bat legally in your car, if you take it out and threaten someone with it, THEN it becomes possession of a weapon. Just like if you took out an umbrella and poked someone's eye out with it with intent to harm them unlawfully-it's how you use the item that makes it a weapon in NY, unless it is specifically listed in the Penal Law as a deadly weapon or other circumstances apply (i.e. you are an alien, convicted felon, etc.)

Return of the J.D. · May 26, 2006

Buckaroo661 said:
Where are you getting your information from? I don't believe I have ever seen a mention of a baseball bat at all in the NYS Penal Law!

I am confident that the fact that you're carrying a ball with the bat will have no impact on the case. You can carry a baseball bat legally in your car, if you take it out and threaten someone with it, THEN it becomes possession of a weapon. Just like if you took out an umbrella and poked someone's eye out with it with intent to harm them unlawfully-it's how you use the item that makes it a weapon in NY, unless it is specifically listed in the Penal Law as a deadly weapon or other circumstances apply (i.e. you are an alien, convicted felon, etc.)

And if you ever ARE out playing baseball, for Heaven's sake, do NOT hit a home run--or else you may be arrested on your way home from the ballpark!

thatmguy · May 27, 2006

KySu said:
knives and guns ARE dangerous. What if you have a knife laying on your table cleaning it and you accidentally knock it off and it sticks in your foot. You are not dangerous or doing anything devious, it was an accident, an accident that would be a lot worse than say if a book had fallen on your foot...

Um, so, why aren't more people hurt at gun stores and gun shows, knife stores and knife shows, etc?

Your logic eludes me.

But then....

KySu said:
It's actually illegal in a lot of states (and I'm almost postive that's how it is in NY) to carry a baseball bat without a ball...

Really? Again, I too must ask, on what are you basing this utterance? Can you cite specific state laws? You represent that as factual, so, clue us all in.

What if you had a baseball/softball en route to the game, or practice, whatever, and it rolled down the sewer, or a dog ate it, or you lost it?? So now you're a criminal?

Sheesh.....:jerkit: :jerkit: :jerkit: :jerkit: