Knife carry in Europe

D

Dadao

Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Messages
32
A question for those of you who are familiar with travelling overseas...

Given Europe's stricter laws with regards to weapons, does anyone have any suggestions on what I could carry on me while travelling in Europe? I'm touring some of the Mediterranean countries starting next week, and would like to carry some protection. I know, the chances of me needing to use a weapon to defend myself are extremely slim, but recently a friend of mine was mugged and roughed up by two punks in Paris. She's a tiny, middle-aged Japanese woman, so unfortunately she was a prime target. But they didn't stop with taking her purse... they broke her arm for kicks, too. I think an 18" Sirupati would have made a nice impression on them :mad:,but of course that would be out of the question. I'd like to be on the safe side. What else could one use? Or is it just too impractical to try?

An unrelated question... why is it tourists get stopped by law enforcement in foreign countries for carrying nail files, while terrorists seem to be able to cart around AK-47s with impunity? Just asking.:confused:
 
I was there in '96 and people were randomly stopped on the streets of Glasgow and patted down for weapons(knives specificly). There was a whole 'public service' campaign to make the streets safer. I carried a buck 110 in a front pocket and kept a very watchful eye out for bobbies coming my way. I Never had a problem, but could've ended up in lots of trouble had I been caught.
 
Been a while since I was in Europe. (1989) And things have probably changed. Anyway, I used to carry a Gerber boot knife on my belt. Traveled all over mainland Europe with it. Put it in my backpack while in the UK. Never had any problems. Just like anyplace in the US, if you blend in with the locals, or at least don't stand out, you will probably be overlooked by both criminals and LEO's. As far as what the laws are, I didn't know, and didn't care. I was not going anywhere defenseless.

Bill
 
I'm sure you could allot some money to buying something over there that would be innocuous and mundane. A trip to the indigenous equivalent of a hardware store and-or garden supply store would provide you with some defensive weapons you could carry without suspicion, such as:

Garden spade
Trowel
bike chain, dog chain
10 penny nail
cricket bat
walking stick
X-acto knife
Straight razor and shaving kit
heavy belt
pruning knife
carpet cutting knife
Utility blade
Heavy hardbound book
Sturdy metal fountain pen, or other nice drafting/art pen or tools
Metal ruler, or wood one with the metal line insert


If i were you, I would carry an improvised weapon like these, as it would seem less like you intended to hurt or maim someone than if you had a sleek weaponized toy like a good blade or collapsible baton.

Also, buying on location means no hassle with customs, and disposing of the cheap improvised weapon is not a big deal if you paid less than 10 USD fer it.

Might throw this one over to the Practical Tactical forum here on BF (under "Tactics&Training". I'm sure they could fill in the list nicely.

I heard recently from a friend who went to Crete that she got jumped and robbed and beat up there, so remember folks there are dangerous folks out there. (Except in Iceland. those people are model human beings there.)

Keith
 
Forgot, I also carried a walking cane. It had a metal tip, and was very stout. Thanks FW for reminding me. Bought it in Germany, and added city emblems to it as I traveled. Seemed to me that many people had something similar, especially in the hiking community that I frequented.

Bill
 
I can tell for Germany:

No balisongs, no knives with a T-grip (fist-knives), No knives where the blade jumps out of the grip (except if it comes out from the side of the grip and is not longer than 8.5 cm)
No Ninja-stars or nun-chako.
No weapons (that includes Knives bigger than pocket-knives) that can be used for cutting or thrusting at all if you attend public festivities, fairs etc.
And I heard (but am not sure) one must not carry a knife thats longer than 30 cm overall in public.
some things I do not know the english names of are forbidden too:
see pictures below:
schlagring.jpg

d_strut.jpg


If you tend to use a knife I can recommend the Boker Speedlock series - they are made to match the rules (blade jumps out from the side of the grip and is exactly 8.5cm), small enough to fit into a pocket and a sturdy knife if you choose the ATS34 version of the blade. It looks like this:
SpeedLock_neu.jpg


If you do not want a knife use a walking-stick or something of ambivalent nature.

Have a nice trip!
Andreas
 
I once used a car antenna as a weapon of opportunity in Palma. Strictly defensive, mind you.
 
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