NY & my BK-7

S

SpecialK

Joined
Nov 4, 1999
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91
Since my BOB has been sitting in the corner,rearranged for the 90th time, I think I have to make a re-decision on blade carry. My last post concerned a tin can stove (I have since bought an Esbit stove and spare tablets. Not bad. Yeah, I know I'm unemployed and can't afford it but I'm also an undiagnosed paranoid.:))

Anyway, My BOB-Grab-Go bag's primary blade is a Kershaw blade (I can't for the life of me remember the blades name), with 4" fixed blade and a rubber grip (too old to be Kraton). It's a great and camp proven knife. Here lies the quandary. I have a BK-7 with an SAK Trailmaster and a proper fitting allen wrench for the grip sides (I've always sucked at knife nomenclature) mounted in the sheaths pocket and I love it. If the SHTF, I don't want to leave it, but just how practical is it.

The Kershaw fits just right and is pretty practical. The BK-7 is all I can ask for in a survival knive, but an Urban survival knife?

All opinions appreciated, particularly urban opinions.

Thanks,
Al
 
Wow, that's tough. I thought we had it bad here in CA. As long as it's not concealed, no problem here. (But I still might have some 'splainin to do walking around with my Armageddon strapped to my leg at the local mall)
 
Yeah, you're right, of course. I'll stick with the Kershaw.

I must have been drinking or something.

Thanks,
Al
 
Actually I don't feel that the NYC laws are all that bad. By law you MUST carry any and all knives concealed, and can have a blade lenght o fup to 4". This is only for the city, where I can't truly see a need for a much large blade. If you are more upstate, or on the island you can get away with carrying a bigger blade.
 
But does "public place" or "park" include any of the wilderness areas where a larger knife might be carried? The laws are so ambiguous when it comes to stuff like this.
 
If the SHTF, I don't think police are going to be to concerned about someone running for their life, regardless of what size knife you have hanging on your person. (Of course this depends on the amount of sh!t hitting the fan ;) .)
NY state has no limit on blade length, only NYC (as far as I know, meaning there might be other cities/towns).

Even though we like to carry big blades, some common sense should be applied. If your in a well populated area/trails/camp grounds , there is no need to carry one. If your going to journey off the beaten path, then strap one on.

God, that sounds disgustingly preachy but, it was the point of a conversation with a park Ranger from Saranac Lake.

Sorry to go off track and ramble on, (and now's the time, the time is now, to sing my song) :D .
 
Originally posted by ErikD
Actually I don't feel that the NYC laws are all that bad. By law you MUST carry any and all knives concealed,
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I was in Manhattan last week with a Schrade Old Timer 60T in it's factory sheath on my belt. Given that the actual knife wasn't really visible, was I in violation of the law? It would be good to know for the next time I go. Thanks.
 
Originally posted by x39
I was in Manhattan last week with a Schrade Old Timer 60T in it's factory sheath on my belt. Given that the actual knife wasn't really visible, was I in violation of the law? It would be good to know for the next time I go. Thanks.
Click to expand...

If it is hidden, has a single edge blade under 4", is not a balisong or automatic or gravity knife and you have a utility reason for carrying it. Then it is legal.

If you carry it for "defensive" purposes, it is illegal regardless of any of the other criteria listed.
 
I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but it's such gloomy news I haven't.

Many members of the NYPD, along with the Mahattan DA's office, consider common liner-locks and lock backs to be gravity knives. I worked on three criminal cases (defense) in a period of two months.

One kid was stopped and questioned for no apparent reason. When asked if he had anything on him, he said no, just a pocket knife that was legal because it was under four inches. The cop inspected it, "flicked" it, and put him in cuffs.

The defense firm I was working for launched an agressive defense, which included a comprehensive affadavit from an expert witness.

Neither the ADA nor the judge was impressed with the arguments.

Yeah, I know, hundreds of people walk around NYC everyday with clipits in plain view. I have done it myself. What none of us realized is that we were, as one of my NYPD friends put it, like apples on a tree, waiting to be plucked for a weapons collar.

Not all cops will lock you up for a pocket knife. But you know what? They could . . . and they do, more often than you think.
 
Seems to me the under 4" single edged, concealed fixblade is the answer as it is not a "gravity knife", automatic or balisong.

The "gravity" knife was the "out the front" paratrooper knife where you release the lock and point the knife down to deploy.

I don't know when gravity knife became every knife that you can flick open either holding it by the handle or blade.
 
Flicking a knife isn't gravity either.It is "centrulfusial force",yes I know,I don't know how to spell the word,but you know what I mean.Anyhow,with regards to fixed blades w more tha 4 inches or pocket knives in NYC there I believe is another part to that code which states unless being lawfully engaged in certain activities like camping yada yada yada job requirement etc..
 
We tried the paratrooper knife argument in the affidavit from the expert. Court wasn't impressed.

NY Statute defines gravity knife as a knife that can be opened by the application of gravity or centrifugal force, and that locks into place automatically when opened. Ironically, the courts have found that a bali song is not a gravity knife, because it doesn't automatically lock open.

Look, I like knives as much as anyone (or at least as much as most) on this forum, but NY laws are pretty broad.

NY courts have also found short, single edged fixed blade knives to be "daggers" within the meaning of the statute.

Carry a utility type knife that you use regularly as a tool, in good faith, and your lawyer will have some defense to try in court if your facing a CPW charge, but don't be surprised if you end up in handcuffs, at least for a little while, for carrying the types of knives we knife buffs have assumed were legal.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
 
Since my question was alot more litigious then I thought it was, please be advised, my name is Hymie. Yeah, yeah that's it. Hymie Lipschitz. I live in Seattle. Yeah, that's right, Seattle.

BK-7? What's that? A new airplane? Never heard of it and I never owned one! ;)

Thanks,
Hymie (Al, to my friends)
 
I hear you Slipjoint. I have had conversations with police officers where they decided that it was okay that I walk around with a knife. Those encounters are rare indeed. I have read the statues surrounding this issue and I know how the judges tend to interpret and apply the law.

Be a stand up, contributing citizen and the judge will look in your favor, especially if it is just a weapon possesion charge.

NYC is a land of high law - no weapons or anything that looks like a weapon. The laws are written so the officer can be decide whether or not to take the person in.

Didn't help the situation though. The number one knife carried here is a retractable disposable razor. Number two is a screw driver. So, the knife laws don't really make a difference at all.
 
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