Knives in Brazil

lazerboy2000

lazerboy2000

Joined
Mar 3, 2008
Messages
1,341
Anybody got an idea of what knives and type of carry is allowed in Sao Paulo, Brazil?? I might be heading there for a few weeks this summer and would prefer to have an EDC but don't wanna get stuck in a foreign country with a weapons violation.

Also, is there anything special I would need to do while going through customs as long as the knife is in my stored baggage?
 
i can't tell you a thing about Brazil's laws, i've never been. i have, however, been through US customs recently and had a folder in my checked baggage.

i recently travelled to South East Asia. prior to going, i was told different things about the knife laws there. i weighed the pro's an con's and opted to buy a less expensive folder (than my BM 710) and take my chances with the local heat.

i simply put the knife in my luggage (and a can of pepper, too), neither of which are forbidden by TSA (check their website). no customs going into country i visited, but when i came back, the US simply asked if i had fruits, meats, or merchandise. i replied no and went about my business. of course, it really didn't matter on the way back in. the knife is OK by TSA standards and legal in the state i reside.

NOTE- even while in the country, i received differing versions on the legality of my folder. so, when my shirt was short, i would just move it from my pocket to my waistband.
 
well now its a definie that I'm going for about a month from mid-July to mid-august. Any further info would be greatly appreciated. Also can somebody please recommend a good knife for defense.

Off the knife subject, but what are the regulations of bringing alcohol back to the us? I'm only 19 and the drinking age in brazil is 18 but obviously 21 in the us so am I able to bring something back? What are my chances of getting caught and what are the penalties?
 
I don't know if the laws have changed in Brazil, but about 8 years ago, I watched a series about an Australian adventurer named Albie Mangels. He was exploring some areas in Brazil and he carried a Gerber FS II, a folder which has a 4" blade. I immediately recognized the knife because I carried one myself in the late 1970s. I remember knife expert David E. Steele recommending it for low-profile concealed carry in his "Steele On Knives" column in Soldier of Fortune magazine. If Mangels was using it on TV in Brazil, I would assume that it was legal in that time and place.
 
When in doubt... carry a Victorinox SAK, the non-locking 3.5" model. They are legal almost everywhere.

However on SOSAK.com there's a member from Brazil who owns and carries the OH-Trekker. So a locking knife with a blade under 3" is probably ok.
 
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Don't take this as gospel, but several years ago the company I was working for was building two power plants in Brazil around the Sao Paulo area. Some of the Brazilian staff came up here to train. They really admired my Spyderco Military and Leatherman Wave. They said that it was against the law for them to carry a locking knife with a sharp point, but that a sheepsfoot or other non-pointy style was ok.
 
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