Ohio Law - This seems messed up...

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Fisher of Men

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After doing some searching around here I find this thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-162445.html

And upon further inspection I see that it says "Akron and Cuyahoga Falls" have blade length limits of 2.5". Well I live in Cuyahoga Falls. I called the police station and confirmed it with one of the officers on duty.

This kind of stinks considering the Spyderco Scorpius I just bought has a 3" blade on it, and the Benchmade 880BT I own has a 3.75" blade on it.

So I guess I can't carry any of my EDC's anymore. I will now begin looking for a good knife with a 2.5" blade. I have a Swiss Army Knife that seems to have a 2.75" blade. It seems almost useless now.

Maybe I'm getting carried away, but this seems crazy. If I can walk into Lowes and buy the SAK I should be able to carry it. And what kind of stinks is that how can I not conceal a Swiss Army Knife...wear it as a necklace?

I'm sorry if this sounds more like a "rant" I just feel a little let down. I guess that's what I get for not researching before I buy. I just figured that you see tons of people with 3" + blades and they carry them and use them for camping or whatever.

Am I right on about all this? Do I need to get a tiny little knife just to have a good EDC? What the heck.

Oh well :D

Do you think it would do me any good to stop at my local police station and talk to an officer in person and let him/her know that I have a few knives in my trunk and I just had a few questions about them and how can I carry them? I mean I'm not going to ever use the stuff for self-defense. I have no confidence that I would actually be able to do anything with the knives in self-defence. I just carry my knives as a tool.

Thanks in advance for your reply and the time it took you to read this :)

Cheers,
Fisher of Men
 
Hey there fisher...if you are really worried about it, there are plenty of great knives with under 3" blades, or under 2.5" if you are worried about it. I have as my EDC an emerson mini cqc-7b and jsut recently won an emerson bullnose karambit, with a small blade.
 
This certainly doesn't count as legal advice, nor should it be construed as advocating ignoring the law...

But I wouldn't be too worried--the average LEO is not about to pull out a tape measure to field verify the length of your blade wherever your go. If you're using your knife as a utility tool, and not waving it around, you'll do just fine. The 2.5" limit is often (but not always!) an easy for legislators to wipe out a class of larger, scarier knives like bowies.

Now again, if you're uncomfortable with the idea of continuing with a 2.75" - 3" blade, don't take this as advice. I'm certainly not reputable enough to cite as an authority! But if all you're doing is carrying a knife for general work purposes, it'd have to be a really crabby police officer on a really bad day to even ask to see your blade.
 
Laws like this, on the enforcement side, are primarily used to 'nab' people who are already in trouble, or people disliked by the cops. Want to hold a hobo for a few hours while doing a background check? Bust him for blade length. When background check shows no outstanding warrants, throw knife in dumpster, pocket it, or return it to hobo, and send him on his way.

Personally, I wouldn't be too worried about the length of a SAK blade. I would be consevative about the length of an aggressive/high-tech/combat/tactical/weapon knife.

Good Luck,
Bob
 
Check your Courts, bet you wont find many cases. I'd bet the cases you do find have additional charges stacked on. My advice to anyone who doesn't like the law that governs them is simple, CHANGE IT! If your municpality has more restrictive laws, change them by filing a petition. Most cities require a simple majority vote to change/amend their charter. Do the research! If not, carry a 2 inch knife! VOTE!
 
That's more of an Akron-CF law than an Ohio law, you had me scared for a minute. .

I'm no legal wiz, but what Bob said seems like a good point. I'd think that if you were being busted for something, the blade length would be more of an addon charge to keep things open as far as charges; basically, if something goes down you'd probably have a heck of a lot more to worry about than a measly knife charge. .

How does the law read specifically? I mean, my kitchen knives are like 3'', are they illegal there? If so, I should call my buddy who moved to Akron, because his steak knives are over the limit ;) I'm guessing there's something about "conceal", maybe. .
 
Well I have some good news....sort of :)

I called about 4 police stations tonight. All the local areas around me. I asked and everyone one of the officers I talked to said that the limit was 3" - 3.5". Only Cuyahoga Falls had a 2.5" limit.

All of the officers were real nice and I even told them that I had a Spyderco with a 3" blade. I asked them how it should be carried, and/or if it would be considered a "conceiled weapon" if it was not showing and was simply in my pocket. All of them answered no, you can have it in your pocket. One of the officers went so far as to say that the Ohio law is so vagure that it's really up to the officer. He said that if you're just behaving yourself and you get pulled over or something or you're walking downtown or something it will be no big deal. He said however that you're in real trouble if you whip it out and are at a bar fight or something. I laughed and said that would not be me :).

So, I guess unless I'm really looking for trouble most cops will probably leave me alone because I'm not doing anything wrong. If I would get pulled over for speeding or something the officer said it would be a good idea however to say that you have a pocket knife if you're asked if you have any weapons.

So, I guess if you are not being a total moron and you have some good sense, that you'll be OK.

Sounds good to me. So I'll probably just EDC my Scorpius and not worry about it. Everywhere I go during a given day has a 3"-3.5" limit except for the town I live in. I think I'll be fine. Not gonna be causing trouble anyway :)

Thanks for all your posts and suggestions.

Cheers,
Fisher of Men
 
Fisher of Men said:
If I would get pulled over for speeding or something the officer said it would be a good idea however to say that you have a pocket knife if you're asked if you have any weapons.
Click to expand...

I think the appropriate answer there is "No, sir, but I do have a pocketknife."

Make it clear that you are NOT carrying a "weapon" -- you are simply carrying a pocketknife. :)

Of course, we are all aware that any useful tool (or most anything else, for that matter) can become a weapon at need, but the last thing you want in that situation is some officer deciding that YOU think you are armed.

Good luck,
Paul
 
prn said:
I think the appropriate answer there is "No, sir, but I do have a pocketknife."

Make it clear that you are NOT carrying a "weapon" -- you are simply carrying a pocketknife. :)

Of course, we are all aware that any useful tool (or most anything else, for that matter) can become a weapon at need, but the last thing you want in that situation is some officer deciding that YOU think you are armed.

Good luck,
Paul
Click to expand...

:D

Good point. I think that's a great answer.
 
Fisher- Stop in at Pro Gun on Front St and talk to Jeremy or his Dad. They carry a decent selection, and told me roughly the same thing as the officer told you, that if you aren't doing anything wrong, they aren't out to hassle you.
 
jackthelad said:
Fisher- Stop in at Pro Gun on Front St and talk to Jeremy or his Dad. They carry a decent selection, and told me roughly the same thing as the officer told you, that if you aren't doing anything wrong, they aren't out to hassle you.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks !

I've actually only been in there once. I was going to buy a Mini-Grip there but they wanted $75 and I could get one for like $55 online. Not sure if that's normal or not.

I'll have to check them out again :)

Fisher of Men
 
prn said:
I think the appropriate answer there is "No, sir, but I do have a pocketknife."

Make it clear that you are NOT carrying a "weapon" -- you are simply carrying a pocketknife. :)

Of course, we are all aware that any useful tool (or most anything else, for that matter) can become a weapon at need, but the last thing you want in that situation is some officer deciding that YOU think you are armed.

Good luck,
Paul
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. In Illinois you can carry any size blade as they don't become illegal until you use it as a weapon. If you told a cop you had it as a weapon you would immediately be breaking the law, wouldn't you? It's the legal version of the Jedi Mind Trick. :D

oily
 
OilMan said:
...In Illinois you can carry any size blade as they don't become illegal until you use it as a weapon....
Click to expand...
720 ILCS 5/33A-1: 3" limit in Illinois. Anything bigger, and it's instantly a "dangerous weapon."

That said, I've yet to have an issue.
 
Watchful said:
720 ILCS 5/33A-1: 3" limit in Illinois. Anything bigger, and it's instantly a "dangerous weapon."

That said, I've yet to have an issue.
Click to expand...


That is incorrect. There might be a city law in Chicago but for the state in general it is NOT considered a weapon until it is used as such. This has been confirmed by a couple of State Troopers and the law site I was on. I'll try to find a link.

oily

Im at work and can't find anymore but you may want to check out this thread also as far as IL:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=321834

edited to add link
 
That was the reference I provided. Here's the text (emphasis mine):

720 ILCS 5/33A-1... A person is considered armed with a
dangerous weapon... when he carries on or about his person
or is otherwise armed with a category I or category II
weapon. (b) A category I weapon is a [firearm or] a knife
with a blade at least 3 inches in length, dagger, dirk,
switchblade knife, stiletto, or any other deadly or
dangerous weapon of like character.

Illinois Case Law:

- "Weapon not listed in statute can become "dangerous weapon"
when it is used in a manner dangerous to well being of
individual threatened, and knife with blade less than 3
inches in length can be dangerous weapon if used in such
manner." (1991)
 
Ya, I just reread that first reference link and it looks like it's changed since I last saw it. :footinmou The other links seem to say that knives aren't weapons until they are used as such though. I'll find a State Trooper tonight and ask again.

Either way the cops I've talked to say that knives don't matter unless you are being an idiot with one. So, just keep your head and you shouldn't have any problems.

oily
 
OilMan said:
Ya, I just reread that first reference link and it looks like it's changed since I last saw it. :footinmou The other links seem to say that knives aren't weapons until they are used as such though. I'll find a State Trooper tonight and ask again.

Either way the cops I've talked to say that knives don't matter unless you are being an idiot with one. So, just keep your head and you shouldn't have any problems.

oily
Click to expand...
Agreed, Oily. If you read down the thread in the link you posted, you'll find this same message from me! I've never had a problem (to date), although I'm a little more judicious about what to carry and when.

On behalf of Oily and myself, I hope our discussion of Illinois law helps all you folks in Ohio. :D
 
In Ohio, it's basically this- don't do anything stupid, and you'll be fine. Down SE Ohio, I can walk into a carryout with a shotgun during hunting season without a sideways glance- you can't tell me they care about the knife I have!
 
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