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Swiss Laws
- Thread starter Armadew
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2006
- Messages
- 39
why will you be in switzerland soon?
. I'll be studying language and independent medieval studies.
- Joined
- May 1, 2000
- Messages
- 2,259
I just got back from Zürich (which is now my favorite city) and I went into a few stores selling SAKs & Multi-tools (including Leatherman), but I didn't see any one hand opening knives (or multi-tools with one hand opening blades), fixed blades, or regular pocket knives. I can't say what this means about what's legal there, but most other stores I've seen with knives have more selection than that. I didn't have occasion to get searched, so I can't even say whether my knives were legal there. (In contrast, I saw a lot of one hand opening folding knives and fixed blades, and some balisongs in Barcelona, and saw all that in addition to autos, nunchukas, and spiked brass knuckles in Paris)
Since it is Schweiz / Switzerland the most logical thing would be that the Swiss army knife is OK 
I guess it might be up to the local police as well. Like the Swedish laws. A nice person using a decent knife in a decent manor will not be bothered. It is also up to the situation. If you are sitting at a nice "hütte" in the alps it is not politically correct and probably considered odd to bring out your black tanto serrated ceramic super knife with a swish-swosh just because you can. The more polite way would be to place your nice 3-4" swiss handmade type knife or SAK on the table like you would do with your other utensils. You dont have an assisted opening fork or auto spoon do you?
In Europe a knife is only used as a tool, hence there is no normal need for daggers, autos and other knifes that are more weapon than tool. Since food normally is dead when you get it there is always time to open a folder the old fashion way too.
I guess that the regular Heidi (or was she austrian?) or Hans like most uneducated europeans see a black knife with serrations as something the military or bad guys use so in order to avoid unnecessary trouble go and get yourself a regular looking knife. Why dont you go to a regular Swiss hardware store or a hunting store to check out what they have. A SAK Hunter or like will suffice in most situations. Then when you are flying home you just mail it to yourself
Gute reise und auf wienerschnitzel.
I guess it might be up to the local police as well. Like the Swedish laws. A nice person using a decent knife in a decent manor will not be bothered. It is also up to the situation. If you are sitting at a nice "hütte" in the alps it is not politically correct and probably considered odd to bring out your black tanto serrated ceramic super knife with a swish-swosh just because you can. The more polite way would be to place your nice 3-4" swiss handmade type knife or SAK on the table like you would do with your other utensils. You dont have an assisted opening fork or auto spoon do you?
In Europe a knife is only used as a tool, hence there is no normal need for daggers, autos and other knifes that are more weapon than tool. Since food normally is dead when you get it there is always time to open a folder the old fashion way too.
I guess that the regular Heidi (or was she austrian?) or Hans like most uneducated europeans see a black knife with serrations as something the military or bad guys use so in order to avoid unnecessary trouble go and get yourself a regular looking knife. Why dont you go to a regular Swiss hardware store or a hunting store to check out what they have. A SAK Hunter or like will suffice in most situations. Then when you are flying home you just mail it to yourself
Gute reise und auf wienerschnitzel.