Knife carrying laws - differences that exist

damib said:
What if they found out at the entrance that you have a knife?
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Depending on the location is could be a simple, "please go put this in your car," to them holding it until you leave, to having it confiscated, to an arrest in extreme cases.
 
Another thing to remember when choosing an EDC knife is the fact that words, especially names, can have consequences in both criminal court and civil court (lawsuits). Cold Steel, for example, has knife models named "Mayhem", "Marauder", "Warcraft", etc. I avoided those models and chose the "Master Hunter" and "Voyager" series for my fixed blades and folders, respectively. Much more innocuous in court if I ever was forced to use one in self-defense.
 
BootKnifeFan said:
Another thing to remember when choosing an EDC knife is the fact that words, especially names, can have consequences in both criminal court and civil court (lawsuits). Cold Steel, for example, has knife models named "Mayhem", "Marauder", "Warcraft", etc. I avoided those models and chose the "Master Hunter" and "Voyager" series for my fixed blades and folders, respectively. Much more innocuous in court if I ever was forced to use one in self-defense.
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So, I should probably not carry my RJ Martin Devastator? The Trailmaster then.
 
vjb.knife said:
So, I should probably not carry my RJ Martin Devastator? The Trailmaster then.
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You just have to figure out what level of risk you are comfortable with and make your choices accordingly. My CS "Voyager" folders have 4" blades and my CS "Master Hunter" fixed blades are 4.5". These are the largest knives that I will ever carry in public, regardless of reason.
 
ferider said:
Not so. Depends where the big US cities are. There is a correlation (not 100%) between knife laws and open carry laws. 31 states allow open carry now. And for knives, for example in Dallas, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Salt Lake, New Orleans, etc., you can openly carry fixed blades of reasonable size.

There will always be federal restrictions of course, and some special laws for schools, government buildings, TSA, etc.
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The Texas legislature overhauled the Penal Code in 2013 in relation to knives. Now, instead of "prohibited knives" we have "location restricted knives". This means that Texans can own and carry pretty much any cutting tool in public except for specific areas such as a courthouse, school, secure area of an airport, Federal buildings (whose rules supersede state law), etc. Private businesses can also set restrictions, such as sporting arenas - most of which now have metal detectors.

Importantly, state law pre-empts county and city level ordinances, meaning that individual counties, cities, municipalities, et al, cannot enact or enforce restrictions that are more strict than state law. That way someone travelling from Fort Worth to Dallas with a bowie knife won't suddenly commit a misdemeanor simply by crossing the city limits.

damib said:
What if they found out at the entrance that you have a knife? I am not from US, but I am from european country with relatively loose knife/gun laws and the police/security has metal detectors at the entrance to any high level government building, but you just have to hand it to them and they keep it at the entrance (or in a safe). I remember that one of my friends left big Bowie knife in his backpack once, so the police was a little bit suspicious of him when the metal detector found it out, but he had to hand it to them to get into the building, so they let him go. He told them that he cuts apples with it, but who knows. Maybe he wanted to stage a coup d'état that day!

(The open carry is totally different thing. I think that there is no strict law against open carry of knives, even machetes, but the security or police would certainly be interested in you if you went with open carry machete or combat knife where it is kot reasonable - like hospital, schools etc...)
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That depends on the situation and the guards you're dealing with. A buddy of mine walked into a Federal building to fill out some forms with a cheap switchblade in his pocket (pre 2013, so still not legal to carry in Texas and definitely illegal to carry on Federal soil). The guard at the metal detector saw it and suggested he leave the building and return after storing his knife in his car. If you're just an average citizen who is obviously not looking for trouble, most security guards will just tell you to leave and come back without the knife. I think they can discern an honest mistake from a deliberate attempt to sneak in a weapon. I have never encountered one who offered to store a knife for me - they just don't want to deal with it. Some locations like football/baseball stadiums even have a locked "donation box" where you basically surrender your knife with no chance to retrieve it.

This is my experience as a Texan, where our knife laws are comparably lax, thanks in no small part to Critter Critter . The culture here generally accepts carrying knives and tools (for now). People in other states may not be so fortunate.
 
BootKnifeFan said:
You just have to figure out what level of risk you are comfortable with and make your choices accordingly. My CS "Voyager" folders have 4" blades and my CS "Master Hunter" fixed blades are 4.5". These are the largest knives that I will ever carry in public, regardless of reason.
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I know what you are saying, I was just joking about the name of the Devastator. I normally carry a folder like a Sebenza and/ or a Hinderer XM-24. And if I am carrying a fixed blade which is pretty often it is usually a Cold Steel Master Tanto that I have been working on perfecting the edge for a long time and I have added thumb jimping to the rear of the spine. I Also made the IWB Kydex sheath for it.

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Master Tanto 1.jpg
 
BootKnifeFan said:
Another thing to remember when choosing an EDC knife is the fact that words, especially names, can have consequences in both criminal court and civil court (lawsuits). Cold Steel, for example, has knife models named "Mayhem", "Marauder", "Warcraft", etc. I avoided those models and chose the "Master Hunter" and "Voyager" series for my fixed blades and folders, respectively. Much more innocuous in court if I ever was forced to use one in self-defense.
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That's one of the reasons that I'm such a big fan of Buck's iconic 110. Everybody and their father has one or knows somebody that does. These same people are potential jurors and will look at that Buck 110 in the same way that they would look at a Marlin Lever gun as opposed to an AR 15 with a high capacity magazine!
 
Frisco Felon said:
That's one of the reasons that I'm such a big fan of Buck's iconic 110. Everybody and their father has one or knows somebody that does. These same people are potential jurors and will look at that Buck 110 in the same way that they would look at a Marlin Lever gun as opposed to an AR 15 with a high capacity magazine!
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I came really close to owning a Buck 110 back in the mid 1970s. The only full sized folders worth considering back then were the Buck 110, the Puma 265 and the Gerber FS II. The Barry Wood Model 2 was also an excellent choice, but the main drawbacks were its outrageous price and long wait time for delivery because it was semi-custom. When all was said and done, I chose the Gerber FS II for its ease of carry and concealment in a trouser pocket. I carried it through my senior year in high school, all four years of college and five years on the job before selling it to a friend. Ten solid years of EDC and that Gerber was still razor-sharp and looking good.
 
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