Legality of folders in Canada?

Know what I find incredibly stupid?. Let's say you go to Canadian Tire, like most big box stores they have a kitchen accessories isle with a bunch of knives for the kitchen. They aren't locked up and you can put them into your basket or cart without issue, and take them over to the casher yourself. But if it's folders or fixed blade hunting knives, you need to ask somebody to unlock the cabinet. The store employee allows you handle the knife to see how it feels and to make sure there isn't any issues with it upon examination. If you like the knife and want to purchase it, the employee tells you he's going to bring it to a certain cash, and you need to ask for it when you get there. Your not allowed to take it to the cash yourself. Are they afraid your going to just start attacking people once it's in your possession?. They also have an isle for tools, the isle contains crowbars, hammers, screwdrivers, etc. and they aren't locked up behind glass. You can do a good amount of damage with those tools. There's also a sports isle where you can pick up baseball bats and hockey sticks and no one questions you motives. I just don't get the reasoning behind it.

Edit: I also forgot the camping isle where you can grab yourself a machete or hatchet. The garden section where you can grab a long handled Axe or flat blade shovel.
 
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Dry-cell said:
Know what I find incredibly stupid?. Let's say you go to Canadian Tire, like most big box stores they have a kitchen accessories isle with a bunch of knives for the kitchen. They aren't locked up and you can put them into your basket or cart without issue, and take them over to the casher yourself. But if it's folders or fixed blade hunting knives, you need to ask somebody to unlock the cabinet. The store employee allows you handle the knife to see how it feels and to make sure there isn't any issues with it upon examination. If you like the knife and want to purchase it, the employee tells you he's going to bring it to a certain cash, and you need to ask for it when you get there. Your not allowed to take it to the cash yourself. Are they afraid your going to just start attacking people once it's in your possession?. They also have an isle for tools, the isle contains crowbars, hammers, screwdrivers, etc. and they aren't locked up behind glass. You can do a good amount of damage with those tools. There's also a sports isle where you can pick up baseball bats and hockey sticks and no one questions you motives. I just don't get the reasoning behind it.

Edit: I also forgot the camping isle where you can grab yourself a machete or hatchet. The garden section where you can grab a long handled Axe or flat blade shovel.
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I was going to be snarky but I can't. I agree with you, but you also have to keep in mind that there are a hundred factors that come into any corporate decision, and they are then implemented without always looking at how each location differs. I'm sure someone ran the loss prevention numbers and it was then decided that we lock up this or that. Does it always make sense, not from our view, but from the 10,000 foot view, sometimes there are patters that emerge. The human brain is also very good at finding patterns where none exist. Make of it what you will.
 
Dry-cell said:
Know what I find incredibly stupid?. Let's say you go to Canadian Tire, like most big box stores they have a kitchen accessories isle with a bunch of knives for the kitchen. They aren't locked up and you can put them into your basket or cart without issue, and take them over to the casher yourself. But if it's folders or fixed blade hunting knives, you need to ask somebody to unlock the cabinet. The store employee allows you handle the knife to see how it feels and to make sure there isn't any issues with it upon examination. If you like the knife and want to purchase it, the employee tells you he's going to bring it to a certain cash, and you need to ask for it when you get there. Your not allowed to take it to the cash yourself. Are they afraid your going to just start attacking people once it's in your possession?. They also have an isle for tools, the isle contains crowbars, hammers, screwdrivers, etc. and they aren't locked up behind glass. You can do a good amount of damage with those tools. There's also a sports isle where you can pick up baseball bats and hockey sticks and no one questions you motives. I just don't get the reasoning behind it.

Edit: I also forgot the camping isle where you can grab yourself a machete or hatchet. The garden section where you can grab a long handled Axe or flat blade shovel.
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I believe its to prevent theft. Pretty easy to slip a folder into your pocket.
 
stabman said:
Throwing knives and machetes are not even close to being prohibited.
They are totally, absolutely legal and will cross the Border with zero issues. :thumbsup:

People in the States (including retailers) have long had no idea at all of what is allowed in Canada...now they are even more uncertain and wrong about our laws.

If you simply Google "Canadian knife retailers", the list will come up including the one in Vancouver that used to be a supporting retailer here.
They have all the machetes and throwing knives you could ever want.
Plus tons of Hinderer knives, Benchmade knives, Spyderco knives, Cold Steel products, some Zero Tolerance ones, a bunch of Kershaws, TOPS Knives, etc.

You could win a lottery and spend all your winnings there, and they would still have knives, swords, axes and machetes for you to buy when you got more cash. ;)

Buy it in Canada.
Quick shipping, plus you don't roll the dice with unpredictable Border agents. :)

(They even have those deadly Leatherman products you were erroneously told might be a problem :D)
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Don't forget about swords! Perfectly legal here and actually easier to get into Canada than it is to get them from Canada into the States! (Must be shipped as "dangerous goods").
Sword canes are legal here too, as long as the blade is over 18 inches long.
 
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Stabman: I know Machetes are legal but this website can't send them over the border. It's their laws.

Okay, I will do that search. I tried searching "buy folding knives Canada" and a site came up. But it didn't have what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a brous reloader. Not the import one.
I know Leathermans are legal but they said they're not aloud to send them across the border. I don't know why.

Thanks,

Bo
 
Dry-cell: is that in Canada? We have the stupidest knife laws. I do know it all comes down to the knife's use. If it's a tactical knife or anything thats MEANT to be a weapon, there could be a problem. Like you cant carry it. I don't know why those folders and such are locked away. Maybe because they're easier to pocket. Probably not.

Bo
 
I forgot to mention that any knife can be confiscated by the cops if you tell them its for a weapon or self defense.

Bo
 
Bo-dacious said:
Dry-cell: is that in Canada? We have the stupidest knife laws. I do know it all comes down to the knife's use. If it's a tactical knife or anything thats MEANT to be a weapon, there could be a problem. Like you cant carry it. I don't know why those folders and such are locked away. Maybe because they're easier to pocket. Probably not.

Bo
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Yes this is Canada I'm talking about, I don't know about the USA or elsewhere.


If a folder or fixed blade is inside a box, then yes, they should be locked up, but only if they don't contain a metal strip under a sticker. The metal strip which sets off the metal detector on your way out of the store. Behind the cabinet they also have knives, multi-tools and saws in clam packaging, they are not something that you can just slip inside your pocket.
 
Dry-cell said:
Yes this is Canada I'm talking about, I don't know about the USA or elsewhere.


If a folder or fixed blade is inside a box, then yes, they should be locked up, but only if they don't contain a metal strip under a sticker. The metal strip which sets off the metal detector on your way out of the store. Behind the cabinet they also have knives, multi-tools and saws in clam packaging, they are not something that you can just slip inside your pocket.
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You underestimate the proficiency of thieves.
People are great at stealing all sorts of things.
A machete or large fixed blade knife would be child's play for most any thief.

Clam packs are easy to open with a utility knife, which savvy thieves carry with them.
 
Stabman pretty well nails it. Same reason as pharmacies keep Prep H and razor blades under lock and key. Not because they're weapons of mass destruction but because they're shoplifted. The razor blades get sold at flea markets for way under the retail price but since they're stolen it's 100% profit. The Prep H gets stolen because people with hemorrhoids are embarrassed to take it to the girl at the till.

It is very simple for a large retail concern to track their receivables vs. sales and when stuff vanishes consistently they take action. It's just business.
 
stabman said:
You underestimate the proficiency of thieves.
People are great at stealing all sorts of things.
A machete or large fixed blade knife would be child's play for most any thief.

Clam packs are easy to open with a utility knife, which savvy thieves carry with them.
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Like I said in post #21, the majority of the stuff isn't locked up. Yes it easy for anyone to carry a Leatherman multi-tool or knife on their person for the sole purpose of opening up the packaging, or for cutting zip ties which holds in the items in place within the items packaging. Like gadgetgeek mentioned in post #22, there are many factors.
 
Dry-cell said:
Like I said in post #21, the majority of the stuff isn't locked up. Yes it easy for anyone to carry a Leatherman multi-tool or knife on their person for the sole purpose of opening up the packaging, or for cutting zip ties which holds in the items in place within the items packaging. Like gadgetgeek mentioned in post #22, there are many factors.
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But a Leatherman costs more than their kitchen knives.
Also, those knives in the cabinet are easier to trade for drugs than a kitchen knife.
Whether they sell them at a sketchy pawn shop or trade them direct to the dealer, those knives behind the glass are more desirable.

An addict can totally trade a Swisschamp to a dealer for a $5-$10 crack rock (or an Oxycodone pill)
And there are a LOT of addicts out there stealing everything they can from everywhere they can.

And you know their ability to take a loss on the kitchen knives is more when they can put a $40 knife on sale for $10. They can afford to lose certain items more than others due to mark-up.
 
Very smart thinking guys. I love the prep h explanation. I've always wondered about that.

Thanks guys,

Bo
 
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