Knife laws in NY

I play it risky with my Umnumzaan inside my pocket. :eek: Then again, I don't wave it around on the street. I walk from Penn station a couple blocks to work and that's it. Honestly I don't know how you would get pinched unless you were already doing something to draw attention to yourself.

I have to find a better city knife. :(
 
Scott3670 said:
I'll be in Brooklyn for a couple of days. I'll probably play it safe and tuck my ZT inside my pocket and leave the HEST at home.
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Wrap a hankie or a small bi-fold wallet around it to break up the outline and carry it pivot-down in your strong-side front trouser pocket. This way, you will have excellent concealment without impeding the draw in an emergency.
 
I live in NYC and carry a Mini-Grip daily on my commute to/from work in Midtown Manhattan. I just make sure it's deep in my pocket. If you are minding your own business you really don't have anything to worry about as long as you don't pull it out in public. Even if the police decide to search your bag in a subway station, they don't search your body or make you empty your pockets. I wouldn't carry anything large or fixed in the City, but use some discretion and you'll be fine with something small and unobtrusive.
 
A slipjoint would be your safest bet. You can carry other types and probably not have any issues but its just not worth taking the risk. Remember, the knife you are carrying in NYC is a tool and not for self-defense.
 
When I go into the City I carry my leatherman Wave on my belt in a horizontal sheath.
The horizontal carry gives it a low profile and with the top of the sheath facing forward I can still slide it out and have quick access to the blade.
 
arem1460 said:
I live in NYC and carry a Mini-Grip daily on my commute to/from work in Midtown Manhattan. I just make sure it's deep in my pocket. If you are minding your own business you really don't have anything to worry about as long as you don't pull it out in public. Even if the police decide to search your bag in a subway station, they don't search your body or make you empty your pockets. I wouldn't carry anything large or fixed in the City, but use some discretion and you'll be fine with something small and unobtrusive.
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Last I looked the law was a knife blade can't be over 4" and lock. Has it changed?
 
As has been covered here before,NYC is not knife-friendly at all. If you must carry one,make it small and non-locking. Small SAK's and Leatherman's seem to be the most acceptable,just remember non-locking! And keep them concealed in a pocket. Something like a SAK classic or Leatherman Squirt is perfect. Anything bigger and your story better convince the police that you are not carrying it as weapon.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
It's a function of the current mayor's control-freak policies.
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Ain't that the truth.

I carry a Vic Bantam Alox mostly -- sometimes a GEC Scout.

Stick with a sub-three-inch non-locking folder, would be my recommendation.

Oh, and NEVER say a knife is for "self defense" in the City -- that translates to "intent to cause bodily harm."
 
I carry a Gerber 400. Less than 3 inches, locks, does not look threatening. Very thin profile will not attract attention. So inexpensive that you will not care in the unlikely event it is confiscated.
Realistically, in NYC if you go into the wrong neighborhood no knife will help against 5 or more armed gang members. If you are accosted by someone who came looking for trouble, they have artillery. You only need a knife as a tool. I am 56, I hung on the streets as a youth, worked with the NYC Marshal seizing vehicles with delinquent traffic violations. That meant the worst neighborhoods in the middle of the night taking peoples rides. I have never been without a blade, but I have never pulled one out as a weapon.
Carry a 4 D cell Mag-Light. You don't have to hide it, it will not get you in trouble, you can keep it where you can deploy it faster than a knife, it has the reach of a bayonet and if defending against someone who is armed with a "weapon" they are clearly the villain, you are clearly the victim. And Damn, they hit like a Louisville slugger!
 
Good point about carrying the Mag Lite. I used to keep a 3 C (or was it 4 C) cell version in my car but took it out once I started EDCing better and smaller CR123 LED lights. It's sitting in my garage because the beam on it is total crap. I should look into getting a 4 D, or if not, throw the one I have back in the car.
 
I'd be wary about carrying a big Maglite, at least in New York City. I doubt there's a cop in the country who doesn't know those things are really clubs thinly disguised as flashlights, and they're too big to conceal. The lack of any laws against carrying "flashlights" won't stop them for arresting you--after all, if cops only enforced the laws that actually exist, this thread wouldn't be here...
 
So carrying a 3" blade that locks, with thumb studs, without assist should not cause a problem. Sounds like you may want to print out the actual law to give to the police. Also depends on how far you wish to do this. Personally I would carry my Buck Dorato or CSAR and a copy of the law but I tend to be more of a rebel. Obviously NY is more interested in criminals being properly armed and citizens are to be their sheep. That is one of the reasons why I moved out of NY.
 
Grey_Lens said:
I carry a Gerber 400. Less than 3 inches, locks, does not look threatening. Very thin profile will not attract attention. So inexpensive that you will not care in the unlikely event it is confiscated.
Realistically, in NYC if you go into the wrong neighborhood no knife will help against 5 or more armed gang members. If you are accosted by someone who came looking for trouble, they have artillery. You only need a knife as a tool. I am 56, I hung on the streets as a youth, worked with the NYC Marshal seizing vehicles with delinquent traffic violations. That meant the worst neighborhoods in the middle of the night taking peoples rides. I have never been without a blade, but I have never pulled one out as a weapon.
Carry a 4 D cell Mag-Light. You don't have to hide it, it will not get you in trouble, you can keep it where you can deploy it faster than a knife, it has the reach of a bayonet and if defending against someone who is armed with a "weapon" they are clearly the villain, you are clearly the victim. And Damn, they hit like a Louisville slugger!
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Good way to go..
 
EnduringEagle said:
So carrying a 3" blade that locks, with thumb studs, without assist should not cause a problem. Sounds like you may want to print out the actual law to give to the police. Also depends on how far you wish to do this. Personally I would carry my Buck Dorato or CSAR and a copy of the law but I tend to be more of a rebel. Obviously NY is more interested in criminals being properly armed and citizens are to be their sheep. That is one of the reasons why I moved out of NY.
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Actually there is no thumb stud and the synthetic handle is lighter than the blade, no gravity knife bullshit is possible. These are no longer marketed, but can be picked up cheap on EBay.
If your knife looks like a tool and you don't have an attitude you should have no trouble. If you look like a gang banger or act like it is automatically a confrontation if a police officer talks to you or your blade looks like you want to be Rambo, expect trouble.
A "GENUINE" smile and nod of hello will go a long way to taking you off their radar, but you will have to learn to be truly at peace with their presence. If you can't, just be neutral, so unconcerned by their presence that your attention is not drawn to them, then theirs will not be drawn to you.
 
NaturalMystic said:
Good point about carrying the Mag Lite. I used to keep a 3 C (or was it 4 C) cell version in my car but took it out once I started EDCing better and smaller CR123 LED lights. It's sitting in my garage because the beam on it is total crap. I should look into getting a 4 D, or if not, throw the one I have back in the car.
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If yours has a bad reflector, replacement reflectors are cheap (http://www.maglite.com/spareparts.asp). LED conversions are also available, but I recommend stick to genuine MagLite, I have been disappointed with the cheaper third party merchandise.
 
khagler said:
I'd be wary about carrying a big Maglite, at least in New York City. I doubt there's a cop in the country who doesn't know those things are really clubs thinly disguised as flashlights, and they're too big to conceal. The lack of any laws against carrying "flashlights" won't stop them for arresting you--after all, if cops only enforced the laws that actually exist, this thread wouldn't be here...
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I certainly do not know for sure that no one was ever arrested solely for carrying a flashlight, but I never heard of it happening. Maglites are on sale in every Loews, Home Depot, Target etc., and there is no age restriction. An eight year old is allowed to purchase a flashlight.
If all you are guilty of is carrying it, I would have no qualms about it.
 
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