knife law

J

johntrout

Joined
May 21, 2004
Messages
232
Hey I have a simple question...

if you state says you can carry a folding pocketknife with a blade of X inches...

Is the length of the blade where the edge starts to the tip or is it from the end of the handle to the tip?

I'm asking because on the company stats for the knife the blade length is where the edge starts to the tip....

hopefully someone knows....
 
Another area where the law is generally as deliberately vague as possible. From the tip to the bolster (the beginning of the handle) is the fairest measure. This would give stabbing depth, in case the law was going to worry about you stabbing anyone.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if some case law somewhere didn't go by the length of the cutting edge, measured on the curve, which would give a recurve a greater length than a regular edge of the same tip-to-bolster measurement.

A good description of a knife should give overall length, from tip of blade to butt of handle, and blade length, from tip to bolster. Given a significant ricasso, the unsharpened area at the handle end of the blade, a length for the cutting edge may also be given. Do not expect police or courts to care much about these niceties.

If you are in court and the knife is a point of contention, it will most likely be because you were found with it in a restricted area, or you were engaged in some other activity where you were seen to threaten someone's well-being. In other words, be cool and the law will not waste its time bothering you.

Unless it's a slow Saturday night. :)
 
Best to be safe and assume the entire chunk of metal (blade) beyond the handle or bolsters is the blade length. Unless you can get it in writing from the DA that says otherwise.
 
That sucks! I got this knife because the blade was supposed to be less that 3 inches, yes 3 stupid inches, and i see from the handle it is a little over, oh well I'll just keep it outside the pocket with its clip (spyderco)...
 
It won't matter how long/short your blade is if you caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just keep your nose clean and don't worry about it.
 
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