open carry laws in Oregon

B

Bailey Gleason

Joined
Oct 30, 2012
Messages
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i'm 15 and live in Oregon , as far as i can tell there is no age requirements for how old you have to be to openly carry a knife, but just to be sure would it be legal for me to openly carry via belt sheath a hunting knife with gut-hook blade length 4.25 inches, overall length 9.06 inches?

thanks for the help

-Bailey
 
The state law of Oregon only places restrictions on the concealed carry of certain knives (See ORS 166.240 "Carrying of concealed weapons"). The state places no other restrictions on knives, and as such does not restrict open carry or age of the person carrying.

However, it's possible in certain large cities for there to be ordinances against open carry of knives and/or restrictions on the age of people allowed to carry certain types. You will need to look up your local laws, or if you post your city I can find them.

In additional, open carry of a large fixed blade by a minor carries some measure of risks that are not necessarily based on the written laws, including social stigma and the occasional cop who doesn't know the law. Please read this short essay for an overview of this: http://weaponlaws.wikidot.com
 
Carrying a large knife around on your belt is probably going to scare people and being young won't help the situation. I think you'll probably get some unwanted attention my advice would be to find a nice pocket knife.
 
well i highly doubt anyone would think i'm 15 i have a full beard and am 6 foot 1. most people think i look 19 so age is pretty much irreverent as long as it's legal i see no problem
 
I was just trying to give you some friendly advice and whether we like it or not most people are afraid of big knives. Carrying a large knife on your belt openly just like carrying a gun openly is asking to get stopped by a cop in my opinion.
 
yeah i get what you are saying. it's a shame so many people get uncomfortable at the sight of a knife. you can trust a cop with a gun but not a citizen with a knife.
 
Deschutes County doesn't have any knife laws. http://www.deschutes.org/county-code.aspx
Neither does Bend. http://www.ci.bend.or.us/index.aspx?page=540

This doesn't surprise me, as only the largest urban centers and capital cities tend to have knife ordinances.

So, you're legal, but know the sort of people you will encounter before you open carry. It's all about appearance and context. If your camping or doing something outdoors, nobody is going to even notice. If you loitering in the main part of town or going into a bank, expect to get weird looks, and if you dress/act like a hooligan, expect to get stopped and questioned.
 
I don't think there is a state in the US that says you have to be a certain age to carry a knife, but there may be some city laws that say you do.
 
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