New Mexico Knife Laws

yikes. I would think if one were to go to trial for a switchblade and it's under 2.5 inches that they might throw the case out, or last ditch effort bring up the federal law regarding blade length. You can even bring a knife under 2.5 inches into a post office where you wouldn't regularly be able to bring in a knife.
 
The 2.5" thing is only in federal facilities (I work in one). It doesn't have any effect to any other area within the 50 states. There's more to how that federal law works but if you don't work in one or plan to visit one it's not worth worrying about.
 
I found this thread while searching for NM knife laws. I was wondering if my Finnish Puukko knives (all unler 4 inch blade length) would be legal for carry...either open or concealed? I see a LOT of people in my area (Silver City) with large Bowie and hunter knives carried on their belts. They are mainly ranchers who use that style knife on a daily basis. But when they put a jacket on, the knife is hardly visible. I've been carrying a Swiss Army knife in my pocket and I'm not in the least worried about it. But I can tell you right now, police enforcement in most of the state varies greatly. There are police in my town that make up the laws as they go along. :(

Dep
 
What about assisted knives in nm? I talked to a cop a while back about this and he thought that it was somewhat against the law.
 
jimmeh7 said:
What about assisted knives in nm? I talked to a cop a while back about this and he thought that it was somewhat against the law.
Click to expand...
"somewhat against the law" = "I don't know what I'm talking about" Cops mean well, but they are a poor resource for knife laws. Knife carry laws are examples of superfluous, politically motivated laws that ultimately serve no purpose (since harming other people with knives has always been illegal) so a cop's brain has more important things to do than memorize them.

New Mexico's laws are notoriously vague and hard to follow. This article sums it up nicely:
http://www.knifeup.com/new-mexico-knife-laws/
 
glistam said:
"somewhat against the law" = "I don't know what I'm talking about" Cops mean well, but they are a poor resource for knife laws. Knife carry laws are examples of superfluous, politically motivated laws that ultimately serve no purpose (since harming other people with knives has always been illegal) so a cop's brain has more important things to do than memorize them.

New Mexico's laws are notoriously vague and hard to follow. This article sums it up nicely:
http://www.knifeup.com/new-mexico-knife-laws/
Click to expand...

Good grief. What a freaking mess! You can't clarify anything with those idiotic laws. They are ALL contradictory and confusing. Again...New Mexico laws on knives = "it depends on the mood of the cop you are talking to". And since the vast majority of cops don't know the law AT ALL, you can be safe or screwed depending on their mood at the time.
 
I was a cop in New Mexico for 25 years and from personal experience I can tell you that unless a pocket knife ( including assisted opening) is actually used as a weapon, you will not be charged with any crime. Yes the laws are vague but unless you are carrying one that is specifically prohibited you will not have a problem.
 
NMpops said:
I was a cop in New Mexico for 25 years and from personal experience I can tell you that unless a pocket knife ( including assisted opening) is actually used as a weapon, you will not be charged with any crime. Yes the laws are vague but unless you are carrying one that is specifically prohibited you will not have a problem.
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I have a "Survival Bug-Out" knife with a flint striker. It's fixed, and about 10-ish inches long. If I kept it in its sheath, would I be able to carry it around on my belt?
 
Just to let people know, and I know this thread is old. But people might be reading it for the first time like me. You CAN own an otf/auto you just can't carry it outside of your property ie: house, car. So if you want to own one you can.
 
I'm sorry to say that your statement is inaccurate under NM state law. You cannot legally possess such within the state.
 
I just moved to NM and am trying to figure out what's legal to carry and what's not re: fixed blade knives and blade lengths. It's a shame that the law is so muddled that I can't figure it out; and I just graduated law school. The following are the first lines of my Criminal Law outline from law school:

I. PRINCIPLE OF LEGALITY
1. Illegality by Statute Only - No person may be convicted and punished unless his conduct was defined as criminal (today in the US, by statute, not by judges)
3 COROLLARIES TO THE ABOVE PRINCIPLE OF LEGALITY:
A. Criminal statutes should be understandable to reasonable law-abiding citizens.
B. Criminal statutes should be crafted so that they do not “delegate basic policy matters to policemen, judges, and juries for resolution on an ad hoc and subjective basis.
C. Judicial interpretation of ambiguous statutes should “be biased in favor of the accused” (LENITY DOCTRINE).
 
jdheadrick21 said:
I. PRINCIPLE OF LEGALITY
1. Illegality by Statute Only - No person may be convicted and punished unless his conduct was defined as criminal (today in the US, by statute, not by judges)
3 COROLLARIES TO THE ABOVE PRINCIPLE OF LEGALITY:
A. Criminal statutes should be understandable to reasonable law-abiding citizens.
B. Criminal statutes should be crafted so that they do not “delegate basic policy matters to policemen, judges, and juries for resolution on an ad hoc and subjective basis.
C. Judicial interpretation of ambiguous statutes should “be biased in favor of the accused” (LENITY DOCTRINE).
Click to expand...

I don't know what the source is that for that or if it actually has any force behind it, but I can tell you that these doctrines are routinely violated when it comes to knife laws. New York, I'm looking at you...¬_¬
 
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