Going to New York City

I use a neck carry fixed blade knife. You can use fingernail open knives, concealed. But they are useless for self-defense. (BTW, never admit to carrying a knife for self-defense in NYC.)
 
KalkiKrosah said:
I live in New York as well, on Long Island. My job takes me into Queens frequently. I have carried my knife clipped to my pocket a couple times. I've spoken to cops with it visible but they never addressed it. I think I have just been lucky with the cops I have met so far. Everything that has been said is good advice. If you're visiting the city and don't live nearby its best to leave the knife at home. New York is not a knife friendly state and NYC is especially strict about their knife laws. If you must, bring a slip joint or a tiny swiss army knife. Because of the lack of a locking mechanism and the "tool" oriented look those knives would be a harder sell in court. Its still wiser to not bring one at all, but that is your best option if you feel you must bring a knife with you.
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Yes, for years I carried with clip visible in NYC. Was very lucky. Didn't know the law. Beside clip, it was spring assisted.
 
jp9mm said:
No clip showing, I think i clipped mine but had a cargo pocket that hid the clip.
Went to a garden with metal detectors and they held on to it and gave it back.
Was a cheap 50$ gerber i got from walmart and could be 'flicked out' with some wrist action. (at the time i was ignorant of how dumb the laws are)
I'd imagine you could get unlucky, buy a basic knife in the city and have a cop spend 5 minutes trying to get it to 'gravity' open,fail at it then loosen the pivot ' A HA!' then arrest you.
Wonderful laws made by competent legislatures.
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$$ making laws.

Friend got a ticket for no life vest on a lake. They reduced fine to $25, but court fees were $175.

Yes, to them working overtime to get it to open one-handed. A few minutes work = $$$ for NYC and job security for the cop.
 
David Richardson said:
Technically it's not true - there's nothing I've seen in the statutes about locking. However, the first paragraph in the Knife Rights link above addresses why it could be risky.
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That is right. You may prevail in the end, but at what cost?

Only 2 knives are safe. Non locking grandpa fingernail open & fixed blade. Both deep concealed. And within blade length limits.
 
im in NYC constantly
safe carry :
sak
spyderco ukpen knife
no pocket clips
please be safe
 
Went last week. Didn't carry anything. Was going to take UK PK, but it will Spydye drop open (hold it by the blade). No longer own a SAK so that wasn't an option.

Appreciate the input. Had a great time there. They need to outlaw gum there like Singapore does. Sidewalks are covered with it.
 
Things have got a bit better in NYC. With the change of the STATE law, gravity knives are generally no longer illegal ( only in the subway system). There is still the CITY code against blades longer than a 4" length and open carry. ANY knife carried as a weapon ( your reason for carrying told to the officer) or a knife designed for use as a weapon can still be an issue as a "dangerous" knife. Keep it concealed as required by the City code as your Fourth Amendment rights come into play as to how a knife was discovered and the courts in NYC often drop guns charges on "bad" searches. As always better not to carry a knife in NYC....
 
stevejams said:
Hey guys, I live in ny and go to the city quite often so let me share what I’ve learned from my experiences...DONT BRING ANYTHING. This might be way over cautious, but what I’ve learned from experiences with the law in a few states/counties: it always depends on the cop. I have a very great deal of respect for our law enforcement, but they are human beings, and if they are having a bad day, they can land you in the clink for just about anything. Even if things are cleared up in court, it’s still not worth the hassle in the meantime. I am in construction and know some guys who have brought “legal” knives to the city for work, and at least half have been stopped and hassled at some time or another, because of knives that they had FOUND (not shown) on their person. Again, this may be seen as over cautious, and maybe i am missing details and facts about particular laws, but there is a time and place for everything, and I know that NYC is almost NEVER the time or place for anything sharp, pointy, or fun in the eyes of the law. Just my opinion, have fun in the city! Get a nice pretzel or something :p
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+1 used to live there and visit occasionally. As stated above, not worth the risk ruining your vacation over a folding knife. The police will get it to open if they want to and viola arrested. There is 0 chance of talking yourself out of a weapons violation in NYC, bring nothing.
 
ndmiller said:
The police will get it to open if they want to and viola arrested.
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Not directed particularly at you or anyone, just to the continuing statements and tone. It is annoying to see this repeated over and over given our hard-fought victory over NYC. As Tom19176 noted, things have changed. With exception of an assisted-opener or true switchblade, or true OTF gravity knife on the MTA subways and buses, I feel comfortable carrying any folding knife I want, or even a true gravity knife, as long as it is completely concealed with a blade under 4 inches. The "wrist flick test" is gone according to NYPD. As briefed to the Supreme Court of the United States:

"Counsel for respondents have been informed by the NYPD, and have been authorized to inform the Court, that the NYPD determined after repeal of the gravity-knife statute that New York City police officers will no longer be trained on, or authorized to use, the wrist-flick test to identify an illegal gravity knife."

In a couple weeks I will be visiting NYC. I'll be carrying a true gravity knife in the City, because I now can, as well as one of my RSK Mk1-G2 ABLE Lock folders, beacase I now can. I will remove the clips to forestall my clipping the knife to my pocket from force of habit. That's a good suggestion until we fix that part of the Administrative Code. We are not done in NYC!

Folks can live in unwarranted fear or enjoy new-found added freedom to carry most folding knives in NYC, the choice is yours. But, I and all those who busted their butts for nine long years to fix the common folding knife arrest problem in NYC, would appreciate it if Folks would at least not spread misstatements about the law and enforcement as it currently stands.

Thanks!
 
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I will be spending much more time in NYC moving forward and certainly appreciate the efforts of Doug, KnifeRights, and others. One still needs to be cautious and I'll be mostly sticking to SAKs. Although from time to time I will also be carrying (concealed) my traditional locking folders (e.g., Opinel, MAM, etc.), which perhaps overzealously I wouldn't dare before.
 
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