UK knife laws

[Buffalohump]

Hey all,

Please will UK members advise me here....

Got a chap in the UK who wants to buy a fixed blade from me. Its a 5 incher.

What is the situation there? Can he own this knife legally?

Many thanks

 

[Dave_H]

Yup. You can own a Samurai sword if you want. Or a cannon perhaps. He can't carry it in public places unless he can provide good reason for doing so, eg for work or he's out in the woods etc, but it's perfectly legal to import and own. We still allow tools in the UK, despite fat men in suits with no practical bone in their body trying to make themselves look useful.

I would declare it as 'cutting tool' or 'camping tool' for the purposes of customs though.

Here's an over view of UK knife laws http://www.goxplore.net/guides/Knife_law_(UK)

I really think a lot of the fuss has more to do with media hype and politicians trying to score points than it does with real life violent crime. There's a guy campaigning for mandatory jail sentencing for knife carriers. The daily mail's portrail of life in Britain is so bizarre, i think people like to feel outraged and imagine that britain is a dangerous place. By contrast my neighbour walks around with a shotgun over his arm and noone says a thing. A large contrast between the media (and government) portrail of violent crime and the real world over here.

 

[Buffalohump]

OK great, thanks.....

Although I am a champion of free speech, I think the media in the UK is way out of control. They report everything with a strident note of hysteria that is calculated to whip up the masses. Its tabloid, gutter-raking journalism at its worst.

It makes me want to weep when I consider this great nation reduced to such utter bollocks, where people can get arrested and charged with a criminal offence because they are carrying a Swiss army knife or some such innocuous implement.

Its nothing short of a travesty when common sense is trampled on by slavish politicians trying to curry favour with their electorate when the root cause of this 'street violence' where knives are used is clearly completely beyond their control or even understanding.

 

[Haze]

Yup. You can own a Samurai sword if you want. Or a cannon perhaps. He can't carry it in public places unless he can provide good reason for doing so, eg for work or he's out in the woods etc, but it's perfectly legal to import and own. We still allow tools in the UK, despite fat men in suits with no practical bone in their body trying to make themselves look useful.

I would declare it as 'cutting tool' or 'camping tool' for the purposes of customs though.

Here's an over view of UK knife laws http://www.goxplore.net/guides/Knife_law_(UK)

I really think a lot of the fuss has more to do with media hype and politicians trying to score points than it does with real life violent crime. There's a guy campaigning for mandatory jail sentencing for knife carriers. The daily mail's portrail of life in Britain is so bizarre, i think people like to feel outraged and imagine that britain is a dangerous place. By contrast my neighbour walks around with a shotgun over his arm and noone says a thing. A large contrast between the media (and government) portrail of violent crime and the real world over here.

This pretty much covers it. The only knives you point blank can't import are autos/balistic knives and balisongs.