Knife Law in England?

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Oct 26, 1999
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Anyone know what the blade restrictions in England are?

My dad is going to be living in England for awhile, and he carries a 2" stainless steel SOG lockback. I think I remember hearing that any locking blades are illegal in England. Anyone know for sure? I don't want him to get in trouble, but he'd like to take the knife with him. Are there any blade restrictions on slipjoints like a non-locking multi-tool or SAK? Thanks.
 
Hi,

I've heard in an German Knife Forum that in GreatBritain every knife , espacily if carried as weapon is illegal. This should be in Ireland the same.

This information is 100% inofficial !!

I would phone an official embassy.
Maybe a collector from England can make a better and/or corrected statement !

Greetings
Olli
 
you can carry a knife as long as the blade is less than 3 inches and there is NO LOCKING MECHANISM. a swiss army knife is OK and Spyderco produce a model called UK pride which complies exactly with UK knife legislation.
Feel free to email me with any queries!

Ross
 
Bowser
That used to be the case, and in fact the law is still valid, except there is a newer law that states that it is prohibited to carry anything with a sharpened edge or a sharp point unless you have a good reason to be doing so.
Two points to note, as to whether the reason is "good" or not is NOT up to you, and "I might need it later" is although a practical reason is not seen as a "good" reason.

I'm pretty sure this came about because football hooligans were favouring Stanley knives with their 1" blade.

The upshot is that I can carry my 4" Spyderco Military for clearing light scrub at work with no problem, but I can't carry my sub 2" Spyderco Jester just because "I might need it later" when I go to the shops.

Practically I have not had any problem carrying any 3" locking knife, especially when used sensibly in public. But I'm also fully aware that if I got charged for any public order offence (not likely), they would undoubtedly throw the book at me harder for carrying ANY knife.
 
Folding pocket knife, cutting edge 3" or less, can be carried without any good reason. This is the statute law.

Case law has defined 'folding' as having no lock. Hence a slipjoint or non locking SAK will be fine as long as there is no 'intent' (see below).

You can carry a lock blade (or fixed blade) with a longer blade if you have 'good reason' (not defined in law). Self defence is not good reason and is considered 'intent'.

'Intent', redefines any implement as a weapon, including 'a folding pocket knife with cutting edge less than 3".'

I doubt that he would be prosecuted, and may just lose the knife if its a 2" lockback, unlesss there was some aggravating circumstance. Especially as a tourist.

On top of which I've been carrying a lock knife for most of the last 16 years without being stopped and searched once.

I wouldn't buy a new knife for this reason (unless I wanted it). I would take a safe bet that I would never be searched (if I kept my head straight).

It is not my intention to encourage you to break the law here. The law is open to interpretation. However, it is usually interpreted as "lock = bad".

I am not a lawyer.

I am not an LEO.

Hope this helps - I welcome any further questions you have, openly or by email.
 
Originally posted by yog
Bowser
That used to be the case, and in fact the law is still valid, except there is a newer law that states that it is prohibited to carry anything with a sharpened edge or a sharp point unless you have a good reason to be doing so.
Click to expand...

I posted same time as you. I am not aware of any new law, but I'm anxious to know.

Last law re: carry (not including case law) 1988

Last knife law regarding sale to under 16's and marketing as 'combat' more recently (post Philip Lawrence) but still a good few years ago.

"I might need it later was" the reason for an exemption (3" folder), ie. you could carry these for "no good reason". "Folder" here was intended to exclude sliding blades such as Stanley knives.

Case law can't supersede statute law but can only interpret it (and fill in any gaps), and where the definition of "folder" has been open to interpretation, "article with blade or point" is not (at least as far as a knife is concerned), so to prohibit carry of "anything with a sharpened edge or a sharp point" would require revision of the 1988 statute, which revision I am unaware of.

Dom
 
Thanks for the information everyone! I will let him know so he can make a decision as to which knife to take with him.

Let me just take a minute to say that I love this forum and I appreciate having a place where I can ask questions and get such timely and knowledgeable responses. Thanks again everyone and especially Bladeforums!
 
Dom, you are correct in what you say. It is an offence to have a bladed or sharply pointed article in a public place - period. As with most laws, there are exemptions. The exemptions in this case are if the knife is a folding pocket knife with a blade of less than 3 inches. Also exempt is any knife which is part of national costume, carried for work purposes and for religious reasons.
It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence to prove that he had good reason or lawful authority for having the article with him in the public place.
The Knives Act 1997 was the governments last effort to control knife advertising and sales.

Hope this makes sense.

Ross
 
Originally posted by Bowser
Also exempt is any knife which is part of national costume, carried for work purposes and for religious reasons.
Click to expand...
If I lived in GB I'd start wearing a costume in public, or I'd change to whatever religion is permitted to carry blades in public :confused: . Seriously, it sounds like it is time for our friends in GB to have their own Samuel Adams start the rallying cry for freedom. Aren't there lobby groups with any voice to stop this? I'm not not knocking the people of GB, I just don't like to see such a ridiculous level of subjugation. Makes me appreciate what I have, though.
 
Originally posted by knifedaddy84
I'm not not knocking the people of GB, I just don't like to see such a ridiculous level of subjugation. Makes me appreciate what I have, though.
Click to expand...

I second that.
 
I third that. Along those lines,

A man with a gun is a citizen

A man without a gun is a subject.

Period.
 
Originally posted by knifedaddy84
BTW, Quiet Storm, is Germany blade-friendly?
Click to expand...

Gernerally speaking, yes.

Originally posted by knifedaddy84
What are the general rules over there?
Click to expand...

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, but I consider myself pretty informed on the subject of German weapon laws (I sometimes even lecture law students whom I work with on Germany's weapon legislation).

As long as you keep your weapons away from public events like the demonstrations and such, you don't have to worry about regular fixed blades and manual folders, regardless of blade length.

Exceptions are balisongs, pushdaggers, automatic knives with a blade length of 8.5 cm or longer (3 1/4" is fine, but don't own or carry any autos with a longer blade) and gravity knives. You're not even allowed to own these items (let alone carry them) in Germany and punishment may be severe. I personally stay away from automatic knives in general, because there are other complicated and blurry laws defining which ones are legal and which ain't.
Sword canes are a big no-no, weapons that are disguised as household items or anything else are completely banned over here.

These laws apply to Germany as a whole, they're all federal regulations. There are no state or city laws pertaining the possession or carry of weapons in Germany.

In case you're interested: in Austria there are no knife laws whatsoever, except for a ban on sword canes and the like.
Ballistic knives are banned in both countries (like almost everywhere in the world).
 
Ah just checked, a sub 3" non-locking folder only becomes an offensive weapon if used in a manner to cause offense (natch), in the same way that a stick can become an offensive weapon.
 
Originally posted by yog
Ah just checked, a sub 3" non-locking folder only becomes an offensive weapon if used in a manner to cause offense (natch), in the same way that a stick can become an offensive weapon.
Click to expand...
Yes, but in most places it's not against the law to have a stick an inch too long!
 
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