Is it the cutting area?

redhawk44p

redhawk44p

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Jan 10, 2004
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When they saw a 3 inch blade is legal do they mean the cutting edge or the entire blade from the hinge? Thanks
 
Good question. I have yet to find a definitive answer. I am a LEO and I measure the cuting area, but I'm knife friendly. I would say this varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction depending on the local customs.
 
Shootist16 do your fellow officers arrest many people for carrying knives? I wish they made a piece of cardboard or somethng a guy could hold to the blade to see if it was legal in each State.
 
I work for the Knoxville, Tennessee police department. We arrest very few people for knives.
 
Interesting. The only time that I have ever had a blade measured was at the Holocaust Museum in DC and that was prior to 9/11/01. I would not even try to carry a blade there, now. At the time, I had a knife witha 3" blade and the fellow laid it across the palm of his hand and said that, since it was less that the palm-width long, it would pass. He said that his palm was 3 1/2" wide and that the law was 3". Kinda horseback, but it worked back then. At the Archives Building, the guy just looked at my Delica in the basket, said "Nice knife," and waved me on through. Again, though, that was pre-9/11/01. Everything is a Hell of a lot tighter around DC now, especially when the threat level goes from Yellow to Orange.
 
Also, most measurements that I have ever heard about were from the tip of the blade to the beginning of the hilt, no matter whether there is a choil or whatever. I read somewhere that some jurisdictions try to take the measurement from the pivot to the tip!?!
 
I think this is going to vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. I would say that going by the manyfacturers measurement would be the safest thing to do. That would be a great defense if you ever were charged.
 
Some jurisdictions specify that the blade is measured along the sharpened edge only, but most simply are silent on the issue. A friend and fellow Texas peace officer visited D.C. AFTER 9-11, and carried a pair of tiny knives, one a Meerkat, the other I do not recall. He received so much grief, particularly at the Reagan Federal building, that next time I think he will not carry any blades.
 
What state are you in? In TX, there's an appeals court decision (Rainer vs State, 763 S.W.2d 615, 1989) that indicates measurement of the sharpened and unsharpened portions of the blade (down to the handle/guard). (Also McMurrough v. State, 995 S.W.2d 944, 1999)

It really depends on your state. There are all sorts of weird decisions. A CA court decision I recently found held that short push knives aren't dirks or daggers. Figure that one out. I mean, I agree with the decision, but only because dirks/daggers shouldn't be illegal to begin with. (In re Conrad V. (juv.), 176 Cal. App. 3d 775, 1986)
 
I am in Indiana. I think they try to leave it vague so Police can arrest anyone they think is a problem.
 
If there's an IN State blade length limit, I can't find it. State law only bans autos, throwing knives, and "propelled" knives (I wonder if that includes Kershaw's assisted opening mechanism). I can't find any state-level appeals on lexis-nexis regarding blade length disputes or even convictions based on any local blade length ordinance.

Since there's no State crime based on blade length, it's understandable that there's no case law on the point of how to measure blade length. Which is both good for you and bad for you, since there would not be any controlling authority if you were arrested and charged under some ordinance.

If someone is on parole, though, a 4" knife can be considered a dangerous weapon or destructive device (not the same meaning as the federal term "DD" which relates to explosives/largebore firearms) and their parole can be revoked if a condition of parole was not possessing any dangerous weapons. (Kuhfahl v State, 710 N.E.2d 200)
 
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