Knife Laws in NYC

M

markx

Joined
May 9, 2004
Messages
1
Poking back, the consensus seems to be that any folder under 4", concealed, is ok. I've heard some additional stuff lately, does any of this sound like it makes sense?

I was not allowed to purchase folders at Iceberg Army Navy, they politely told me they aren't allowed to sell them to individuals under the age of 21. Is there a different definition of minor in NYC?

I was stopped by a man at the deli the other day, who spotted my folder clipped to my pocket and notified me that it was illegal to carry a folder in a pocket and that I needed a holster(???), otherwise it would be considered concealed carry and would be illegal. Eh? A few pages back a post indicated that concealed carry was ok. I didn't take him seriously but made a note to be a bit more discreet. With slash pockets clipping my BM710 makes it ride about an inch out - i always clip my folders as I have a bad habit of losing things that aren't secured - I didn't think it was terribly noticeable but apparently he did.
 
I carry sub-4 inch folders in NYC, but never using the clip.

My understanding is that whether any folder is legal or not is basically subject to the judgement of the cop, and, later the jury if you are arrested. 4 inches is just the maximum (or just below 4, to be precise.) I am told that intention of using the knife for self-defense magically turns it into a "dangerous knife" according to NYC law, making it illegal. If the perception is that you are carrying it with self-defense in mind, you can be arrested and convicted.

There is also the question of how to measure the blade. It's not so difficult for a knife-unfriendly cop / jury to turn a 3.9 inch knife into a 4 inch knife. (Not to say that I haven't carried my 710 in NYC.)

On top of that there's the infamous "4 finger rule" that NYC cops are known to use when judging blade length. On my fingers, that makes any knife above 3.1 inches something that can get you arrested. (Too bad cops don't carry rulers. Maybe I should carry a tape measure along with my knife.)

Oh yeah - I almost forgot that pretty much any knife that can be "flicked" open can get you arrested for carrying a "gravity knife". That would include nearly every liner lock, axis lock, and arc lock that I own, as well as my Chinook II lockbacks. (There is an interesting thread about this in the AKTI section of this forum.)

Are you sure you want that clip sticking out of your pocket?

Good luck and stay out of jail,
cds1
 
Well now, that solves the dilemma I was having about what to bring to the city in mid July this year during a training venue.

I'll just bring the Spyder Persian as it is 3 1/2" total to the bolster and 3 inch of cutting edge. I can not get this knife to inertial open under any type of techniques I've used in the past but it can be accessed and deployed using the thumb hole pretty quickly [ if I need it ]. ;)

That should keep me out of trouble while visiting there for the weekend. :yawn:

Brownie
 
That's funny, Brownie. I'll be at the same training seminar that you are referring to (I assume you're talking about your July 11th seminar), most probably with a Chinook II in my pocket.

It's true that the Chinook II is very "flickable" with practice, but I think that it would be much more defensible as a non-gravity knife that any linerlock, framelock, or axis lock. In fact, I'll bet that the average unpracticed cop would have trouble opening it consistently using inertia. That, combined with the fact that nobody will know it is there unless it has to come out (since I don't use the clip), is good enough for me.

I may still have to buy a Persian one of these days, though.

Regards,
cds1
 
What training is this? I hope to be in the city for the 4th.

I will check what the new laws are with my friend .

S/F,
CEYA!
CEya Knife DesignZ
 
cds1 said:
That's funny, Brownie. I'll be at the same training seminar that you are referring to (I assume you're talking about your July 11th seminar), most probably with a Chinook II in my pocket.

It's true that the Chinook II is very "flickable" with practice, but I think that it would be much more defensible as a non-gravity knife that any linerlock, framelock, or axis lock. In fact, I'll bet that the average unpracticed cop would have trouble opening it consistently using inertia. That, combined with the fact that nobody will know it is there unless it has to come out (since I don't use the clip), is good enough for me.

I may still have to buy a Persian one of these days, though.

Regards,
cds1
Click to expand...

I retract my earlier comment about the Chinook II. I have since read that cops have gone as far as taking hold of the blade and swinging the knife to see if they could get the handle to swing open via inertia. (This practice is an obvious and regrettable abuse of our legal system.)

Now I won't carry anything that can be flicked open in any way, without first tightening the pivot screw to an obscene degree, and making sure that it passes the "grab the blade and swing" test.

Regards,
cds1
 
personally, if i was going to NYC, which has similar practices as the southern part of this state, example--officers deciding what's legal and what's not so take however many LEO's are in the city, and that's the number of different knife laws you have to conform to--i would take a Spyderco Cricket...mine can't be flicked open with the pivot tightened, not by the Spyder-hole or by holding the blade...plus it's small and discrete...
 
Garageboy - I don't know anything about what the status is of fixed blades in NYC. Is it legal to carry a fixed-blade?

Regards,
cds1
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top