Jim Bowie is spinning in his grave!

What are yall crying about? I'm from Texas, but am going to college in Arkansas. The legal limit on a knife in AR is 3 & 1/2 INCHES!!!! I lost 2 inches! It's ridiculous.
 
Bob, yoiu are thinking of Jack, the Englishman
Click to expand...

No. :) As early as the 1830s knife laws were written that specifically name "Jim Bowie" and "Bowie Knife."

In the 1830s, several states passed laws establishing sanctions against the use of the bowie knife and the Arkansas toothpick. The state’s reputation suffered because of its association with violence and the “toothpick,” and some people called Arkansas the “toothpick state.”
Click to expand...

Were there restrictive laws directly resulting from Jack the Ripper's crimes in England? I don't doubt the possibility, but evidence indicates that Jack the Ripper used surgical instruments, which have never been outlawed. And there are few if any knife laws that list "Jack the Ripper knives" as a subject.
 
I found this at Bernard Levine's website:

Arkansas - 5-73-121. (a) A person who carries a knife as a
weapon, except when upon a journey or upon his own
premises, shall be punished as provided by section 5-73-
123(b).
(b) If a person carries a knife with a blade 3-1/2 inches
long or longer, this fact shall be prima facie proof that
the knife is carried as a weapon.
Click to expand...

Only it doesn't mention the consequences of carrying a knife as a weapon. Those consequences, it would seem, are listed in Section 5-73-123(b) that is not quoted at Mr Levine's site.
 
Violation of  5-73-121 is punishable by a fine of not less
than $50 nor more than $200 or by imprisonment in the county jail
for not less than thirty days nor more than three months, or by
both a fine and imprisonment. Ark. Code Ann.  5-73-123(b) (Repl.
1993).
Click to expand...
Does that mean the punishment section of the law was repealed in 1993? So it's still illegal to carry a knife over 3-1/2", but there is no legal punishment? These things are so confusing...
 
Bob W said:
I found this at Bernard Levine's website:

Quote:
Arkansas - 5-73-121. (a) A person who carries a knife as a
weapon, except when upon a journey or upon his own
premises, shall be punished as provided by section 5-73-
123(b).
(b) If a person carries a knife with a blade 3-1/2 inches
long or longer, this fact shall be prima facie proof that
the knife is carried as a weapon.
Click to expand...
Only it doesn't mention the consequences of carrying a knife as a weapon. Those consequences, it would seem, are listed in Section 5-73-123(b) that is not quoted at Mr Levine's site.
Click to expand...


Seems BRL is out of date.
A search of current Ark. code shows:
"5-73-121. [Repealed.]"

Code 5-73-120 does make provision that to carry a knife 'as a weapon' is an offense. And, "knife" is defined much like the Texas code..."bladed instrument", etc.

So, Ark. knife fans: all those knives you tote are TOOLS, OK?...not weapons! :)

Search Arkansas code at:
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/NXT/gateway.dll?f=templates&fn=default.htm&vid=blr:code
 
Bob W said:
I found this at Bernard Levine's website:



Only it doesn't mention the consequences of carrying a knife as a weapon. Those consequences, it would seem, are listed in Section 5-73-123(b) that is not quoted at Mr Levine's site.
Click to expand...

As I said, all that changed Just last year the AKTI, American Knife and Tool Institute got the Arkansas Legislature to throw out the law aginst knives

this year they did the same for the SC law on 2 inch limit.

A. G.
 
Shave 2.5 inches off of that knife and Texas is now part of the UK. Welcome back to the motherland, just hand over the guns at immigration.
 
JOHN COCKRUM v. THE STATE.
Austin, 1859


It is contended that article 610 of the penal code, is an
attempt, indirectly, to prohibit the keeping, bearing, or use of a
bowie-knife, or dagger, and is, therefore, unconstitutional. What
other object could the law have in view, but to prohibit this
weapon? Upon what other principle can its enactment be justified,
than that the use of a bowie-knife is in itself wrong, and that it
is a weapon to be prohibited? What is it, in effect, but an
effort, indirectly, to prohibit the keeping, bearing, or use of
such knives? It is believed, that there is no difference in
principle, between a law, making the use of a bowie-knife criminal,
and a law discriminating against the use of a bowie-knife, by
affixing a higher penalty to its use, than to the same act
committed with any other deadly weapon. Substantially, this is to
affix a penalty to the use of that weapon. This discrimination is
but a form of prohibition. The right to discriminate against,
implies the right to prohibit. Both rights are based on the
unconstitutional ground, that the legislature can control the
keeping, bearing, and use of this weapon. But the legislature
cannot do indirectly, that which it has no power to do directly.
See Thomas v, State, 9 Tex. 324.
Click to expand...

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/wbardwel/public/nfalist/cockrum_v_state.txt

The right to carry a bowie-knife for lawful defense is secured, and must be admitted. It is an exceeding destructive weapon. It is difficult to defend against it, by any degree of bravery, or any amount of skill. The gun or pistol may miss its aim, and when discharged, its dangerous character is lost, or diminished at least. The sword may be parried. With these weapons men fight for the sake of the combat, to satisfy the laws of honor, not necessarily with the intention to kill, or with a certainty of killing when the (p.648)intention exists. The bowie-knife differs from these in its device and design; it is the instrument of almost certain death. He who carries such a weapon, for lawful defense, as he may, makes himself more dangerous to the rights of others, considering the frailties of human nature, than if he carried a less dangerous weapon .... May the state not say, through its law, to the citizen, 'this right which you exercise, is very liable to be dangerous to the rights of others, you must school your mind to forbear the abuse of your right, by yielding to sudden passion; to secure this necessary schooling of your mind, an increased penalty must be affixed to the abuse of this right, so dangerous to others
Click to expand...

This is a question of power, not
of policy. The legislature has the power to put all cases of
manslaughter, committed with deadly weapons, on the same footing
with murder, in the punishment, leaving it to the jury to affix the
degree of punishment, according to their opinion of the degree of
its atrocity. If so, it is difficult to see the reason why they
may not do this, in the case of a bowie-knife, the most deadly of
all weapons in common use.
Click to expand...
 
I heard about this a while back... couldn't believe it myself.

But now is it not true that you can buy and carry all manner of firearms there?

I'm thinking of the stereotypical image of the Southern Redneck with his shotgun permanently mounted in his truck...

So you can carry a 12 gauge around no problemo, but not a bowie knife? I don't understand the logic...

:confused:
 
Not that I like or even agree with the law (any law that restricts knife carry sucks), but is there any real reason for somebody to carry around a 7, 8, 10, 12 or whatever inch bladed Bowie knife?

I doubt your going to get into trouble for having one out at your campsite or in your backyard, or any other place that it would actually be of practical use.

What's the big deal?

5.5" limit is still a damn big knife IMO. Carry your Cuda Maxx 5.5 around town, you'll still have a bigger knife on you than 99.999% of the people out there, and you'll be leagal. Save you Bowie for chopping up kindling for the campfire.
 
Ginshun, You're probably right that wagging around a 5 pound bowie as your edc is not the most useful thing to carry. But...

Texans ( and lots of Americans) get really upset when some do-gooder tells us we don't NEED a knife that big...nor a gun that fires that much, or one that LOOKS so evil. The constitution is not about NEED, it's about the individual's RIGHT to decide for himself...and not be dictated to by the gov't nor some self-appointed expert that knows what's "best" for us.

Edit: Ginshun, I am not calling you a do-gooder. :) It's just that we often hear the "need" rationale from the PC crowd.
 
Last edited:
ginshun said:
Not that I like or even agree with the law (any law that restricts knife carry sucks), but is there any real reason for somebody to carry around a 7, 8, 10, 12 or whatever inch bladed Bowie knife?
Click to expand...

It isn't about the need to carry one or not. A Bowie or even a sword is legal to carry in AZ, though it might get a lot of stares, but I've never carried either EDC. It is about the right to do so if one chooses.


ginshun said:
I doubt your going to get into trouble for having one out at your campsite or in your backyard, or any other place that it would actually be of practical use.
Click to expand...


This is relying on the common sense and the honesty of the cop, who is working for a dishonest government that lacks common sense. Sure, most Texas cops would have common sense and be honest, I mean, it is not like they are in Chicago, but to bet the freedoms of a citizen on whether the cop has common sense or not, or is dishonest or not, is a bad idea. Sure, those problems would come up anyway from time to time, but it is best to not give them a reason to arrest someone who is otherwise not doing anything wrong.

If someone commits a crime against someone else, arrest them for that. All this added charges nonsense is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind. If someone murders someone, charge them with murder. If someone commits armed robbery, charge them with armed robbery. Whether they are carying a Bowie at the time makes no difference. Banning a Bowie or other knife just takes rights away from honest citizens. It is not like someone planning to commit murder would worry about having an illegal knife.


ginshun said:
What's the big deal?
Click to expand...

Aside from what I discussed above, it is ironic that a knife named for one of the founders of Texas, and a knife that itself is a Texas icon, is banned in Texas.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top