Share your story - Stopped by police with a Survival Knife enroute to a camping site

hoopster said:
It almost makes me sick to my stomach to read all these laws and know that this is happening in the USA. Home of the free? Yeah right. Time to take the power back. Know who your voting for folks.
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Most of them all over the US have been on the books for many years, not like it's some recent anti-knife movement.

- OS
 
OhShoot said:
Most of them all over the US have been on the books for many years, not like it's some recent anti-knife movement.

- OS
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Depends on how you define "recent". Our country is a couple centuries old. If our fore fathers could see what laws we're complying with, what do you think they would say about us? Do you think they would feel like their sacrifices were spent on worthy descendants? Would they feel we deserved everything they did for us? I don't. I think they would curse us for being complacent.

Regardless of how recent or long standing the violation of our rights is, it is wrong and needs to be fought against.
 
People really pay attention to knife carrying laws?

I, for one, do not.

I have two fixed blades in the car, one with roughly a 8-9 inch blade and the other with about a 6 inch blade.
Also tote in that same car, a retractable baton, not the stationary type, the kind with a flex rod, it bends.
Oh, I also have a machete in the back of the SUV. And a mini-shovel, fiberglass handle, about 3, 3 1/2 feet long.
I carry one hundred feet of black climbing rope attached to a grappling hook. In the back.
There are also two first aid kits, a fire extinguisher, and a whole bunch more crap I've obsessively stashed in my ride.

Dunno why I feel the need to carry all that, I just do.

Anyway, point being...I have all that in my SUV...and quite honestly, most of it in plain view if someone were to happen to peer in.
And it's been that way for years and years...no matter what car I've had, I always stock it with knives and odd survival shit.

Been pulled over as many times as anyone in Houston, Texas...been ticketed and sent on my way.

NOT ONCE has a cop ever asked me to step out of my car so he could search it...NOT ONCE!

A) I'm fairly unassuming, clean cut very short hair...no visible tattoos, I dress business to casual, never wear t-shirts with ANYTHING written on them, no advertisements, no designer brand clothing, no flashy, bright colors...no piercings except for one hole in my left ear that I don't wear an earring in anymore...in other words, I'm a grown man, mature...and someone they can feel safe easily forgetting about.

B) I'm polite every possible second with police. Yes, Sir, No, Sir, Yes, Ma'am, No, Ma'am. I apologize to them for screwing up and making them spend their time with me. I thank them for the ticket. When they ask me why I think I was pulled over, I tell them I was speeding, or I tell them I was changing lanes pretty fast. I don't sit there and play dumb. I make the police feel totally secure, hands on the steering wheel. If running my license is taking a bit, I ASK if I can smoke a cig, I don't assume the "freedom" to just light up in their face.

And lastly, C) Wife and daughter. And I make sure I have evidence past my wedding ring. I have pics visible near my dashboard, I have kid crap in the backseat and my wife usually leaves some form of female behind; clearly feminine sunglasses, high heels, etc.
That shows I'm safe and trustworthy around women. Another bonus when you're trying to stay unassuming.

I swear...it's so easy to not get screwed with by the police...
 
BTK -

To answer your question, YES I do pay attention to knife laws. Now, whether or not I comply with them is a whole different issue :-D I agree that it is pretty easy to stay under the radar. Also, as for the searches, there are times when LE doesn't need consent, but on the occasions when they do, people need to remember - it is up to YOU.

Whether or not you choose to abide by the so called "laws", its always a good idea to be familiar with them. Knowledge is power.
 
You're correct about that...

I honestly just don't know them...didn't realize it was illegal to carry a Bowie type knife in your car here in Texas until I read it on the forum. Gun, yeah...but no knife? In a car?

That's just silly.

I see em printed here...lots of links...will check em out.
 
I am also in CT and I also do quite a bit of motorcycle touring and camping. I have never had any hassle or trouble about knives in or out of CT, nor do I ever give it a second thought. Just keep your fixed blade in your luggage with the rest of your gear. As long as you are not brandishing the knife or doing other suspicious stuff, I can't see it being a problem.
 
I was stopped from getting on a train in England by police doing random stop & search. I don't know why they picked on me, as it was obvious I was going backpacking & camping, as I had my giant pack on my back. Maybe they thought there was a good chance of finding a knife on me???
Anyway, the two policemen were jumping up & down when they found my Rajah 2 wrapped in my sleeping bag. Pity they didn't know the law.
I was arrested for it, but I soon got a very big apology & a lift back to the train station.
If you stick to the law, there's no problem.
 
Get a fishing license for the 15 bucks or whatever they are now and throw a pocket fisherman in your bag and you'll be 100% legal. Not that any CT cops I know would give a damn that you have a big knife packed with your camping stuff, most are not confident enough in the knife laws and only care that someone doing something aggressive or stupid with a knife is bad, and autos are illegal (not technically right since you can collect them here, but close enough for gooberment work)

Keep in mind that most of the knife laws in CT were written when getting a concealed carry permit allowed you get carry whatever knife you wanted, so there was originally a way around the 4" law. When we nixed that part of the CCW coverage we got rid of what kept the CT knife laws fairly reasonable, very irritating move by the government.

For a fun little story, I work on the river in hartford and constantly bump into cops, usually with my ESEE/RC3 on my belt, pocket, hand, whatever. So far I've gotten one young guy who wanted to check it out (like the handle) and a whole bunch of cops who gave it one look, and that was all. In my experience CT is a fairly knife friendly state, aside from some of the towns were all things fun are frowned upon...funny thing is I will not take anything more than an SAK into Mass, no way no how, all the cops I've met up there sure do care and sure do know their knife law.
 
From reading the Statute what is the deal with a fixed bladed knife in CT? Under 4" blade fixed blade legal?

I have some larger between 6 and 6 1/2" fixed blades that I planned to use and take camping for wood cutting, camping chores, etc. Planned to keep one in my backpack while doing day hikes and stuff.

Got to love that I can cary a .45, but a knife with a blade over 4" is too dangerous. This country is going to hell.
 
under 4" of edged length So the best way to measure is take a string, run it along the edge marking the start and end of the edge. I think this is nice as it doesn't count finger choils or anything towards blade length. But yeah, in CT fixed or folding knives that meet that requirement, open or concealed carry, is legal as it was explained to me.

Yeah, I love that I can get a tax stamp and silence my .22, or go through paperwork and own a machine gun, go through paperwork and get a short barrel suppressed rifle, and carry my pistol all day long, but a knife over 4" is illegal no matter what, and autos may as well be atom bombs.
 
hoopster said:
It almost makes me sick to my stomach to read all these laws and know that this is happening in the USA. Home of the free? Yeah right. Time to take the power back. Know who your voting for folks.
Click to expand...

We need to vote from the rooftops.
 
Colorado specifically allows an affirmative defense for carrying a blade longer than 3.5" if you are hunting, fishing, or doing other outdoors stuff (I'm positive about the hunting/fishing part, but soft on the other activities, just FYI).

However, I've never had a problem carrying blades in CO when I'm camping or doing anything in the wilderness for that matter.
 
Just put it in the bottom of your bag with some dirty skid marked underwear on top the whole pile. Worked for me when we toured Mexico on motorcycles.Of course that was 25 yrs ago.--KV
 
Not camping but a good story anyhow. I do quite a bit of backwoods fishing here in NY and generally carry a short machete or hatchet strapped to the outside of my pack as well as a little bird and trout knife on my belt. The hatchet or machete is nice for cutting away branches and scrub at the edge of the water or opening up a bit of room to cast. I've been stopped numerous times by both the local police and D.E.C./game wardens to check my license and make sure my catch was all legal and have only been hassled about the knives once. The one time it did happen was a young state trooper couldn't have been more than 23-24years old, and was visibly nervous through our entire interaction, even pulled his sidearm out of the holster when he saw my concealed carry permit in my wallet. He wanted to confiscate my machete and knife, I stayed super friendly, let him have them, told him that I was pretty sure that it was legal for me to have them, and asked that he call in a second officer/ supervisor in to help us out. Another trooper showed up (older guy, clearly a seasoned officer) and set the younger guy straight. They gave me back my blades and I went back to fishing no worse for the wear except losing maybe 30-40 minutes of my time. Point of the story is if you know the laws, keep a level head and aren't doing anything wrong you haven't got a thing to worry about.
 
So far I have no police related stories to tell. Every officer that's seen my knife hasn't said a word about it. I might have to start asking them for their business cards to keep in my wallet.
 
I carry knives daily in my automobile and have been pulled over randomly once, I have 12" blades but all are chef knives.

Police didnt think much of them, as I dont look like a criminal and knives are kn a knife bag in trunk.

I think in most states cops are only allowed to open your trunk if they have probably cause, which means you must be on the officers suspicion radar...

I live jn california by the way.

when I camp/hike I keep my large fixed blades in my back pack.
 
So the obvious simple solution is to carry a sub 4 inch blade. It'll work fine for camping. If you need more carry a hatchet or saw.
 
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