Weapon Or Tool ?????

Kennieyk

Kennieyk

Joined
Feb 5, 2003
Messages
959
I watch cops alot and see the police always ask if they have any wepons on them and some will say yeah I have a pocket knife. Then bam they are busted . Whats the right answer ???? should i say no but i have a knive i use as a tool at work ? I mean if they say do you have a weapon and i say yeah i have a icepick or screwdriver i know i'm getting busted :) So how would you answer this question if a policeman asked or policwoman ? Or if you are memeber of the fine police department what is you opinion ?
 
First and foremost, knives are cutting tools.

Weapons? Only if they need to be...
 
Originally posted by Kennieyk
no but i have a knive i use as a tool at work ?
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The only thing I would add is I have a "pocket" knife that I use as a tool at work. Calling your EDC a "pocket knife" gives a mental vision of something more along the line of acceptable blade to be carrying. "Pocket knife" doesn't sound too threatening.
 
How many times have you used your pocket knife as a weapon? Most people will say ZERO.

How many times have you used it as a practical tool? Most people will say thousands.

The practical evidence seems to indicate that for most people, a pocket knife is a tool.






What then, about a lawfully-carried gun? Well, how many times have you used it as a weapon? Most people will say ZERO. And as a practical tool? Most people will also have to say ZERO. So, the practical evidence is not clear. Why are you carrying it? What is your intent? Most people will have to admit that it is for self-defense as a weapon.
 
Originally posted by KBR
First and foremost, knives are cutting tools.
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I agree completely. Granted, in an extreme situation, the tool might be cutting open something other than a box or envelope, but it is still a cutting tool...
 
Under CO State law, for example, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon. Knives with blades over 3.5 inches long are considered to be weapons per se. Knives with blades under 3.5 inches may or may not be weapons.

It's difficult for a prosecutor to prove that a particular knife is a weapon unless it's actually used as a weapon, or the person in possession of it freely admits that the knife is a weapon.

So, in my state at least, if an officer asks you if you have a weapon and you respond in the affirmative, you may have just confessed to committing a crime.

If a LEO asked me if I had any weapons on me, and I was only carrying a knife, I would just say "No, but I do have a pocket knife in x pocket." I'd then nod towards where the knife is located and let the officer remove it himself.
 
Since the beginning of knives, a knife was designed to be a cutting tool. It is a tool, but people sometime perceive it as a weapon.
 
>"So how would you answer this question if a policeman asked or policwoman ?"

=====================================

It's happened to me. Back when I was young and dumb (in college) I was riding leaving a bar with a friend, when the sheriff pulled us over. Sure enough, my pal who was driving got arrested for DUI and I ended up going along for the ride to the jailhouse because they were towing the car. At any rate, the deputy asked my friend if he had any weapons on him. My buddy replied: "Weaponth!? Whyinthehell would I haf a weaponth, offither? I love everyone! Hick." Then the officer asked me. "No," I told him, "but I do have this pocketknife." He took the 3.5" lockblade and thanked me. Later, after they were done booking my pal, the deputy handed me back my knife and turned me loose.






[Editor's Note: The author of this post was every bit as stinky drunk as the driver of the car. For dramatic purposes, however, he took the liberty of making himself seem the more sober and rational of the two. Also, no people or animals were harmed in the making of this anecdote - unless you count hangovers and a lawyer's bill. Finally, the author wishes to convey his strong support for today's strict DUI laws and enforcement. He is a bit less young and a lot less dumb now.]
 
I was over at the local sheriff's office yesterday, and went into the jail to fix a computer. The guard at the counter asked, "Do you have anything that could be used by an inmate as a weapon?" I thought that his question was very reasonable.

He had to find a box to put all of my possible weapons in. :D
 
I urge everyone to impress on their children and children's friends that common pocket knives are tools. Also that any object can be used as a weapon. Our public school system is brainwashing an entire generation of children that pocket knives are dangerous weapons.
 
several times over the years. One LEO said nothing about my Gerber EZ-Out but got bent out of shape because of the kubotan I was carrying. I no longer carry the kubotan. Years later a LEO asked if I had any weapons. I answered "I have a pocket knife". He said "I don't care about that, do you have any guns?". I didn't. And this is in CA. Go figure. But I don't look like a gangsta and I look somewhat more respectable than I did when I was 19.

Frank
 
an automatic for a non-leo civilian will land you in jail. A locking device with any long blade (3"+) will at least raise questions. General carry is one thing. Entering a courthouse or public building is another. Some knives are best left at home if their purpose (or potentially their alterior purpose) is not clear.

Kref
 
I think this topic is (or should be) extremely important to everyone who believes in self-defense as well as those who choose to carry any kind of knife on a regular basis. My guess is that most people at this forum fall into both groups. Here are some of my thoughts, your mileage may vary:

1) Many states define weapons in terms of intent, so (theoretically) if it is not a weapon in your mind it is not a weapon at all until you decide otherwise. On the other hand, if we are honest with ourselves, when we talk about "defensive use" we are talking about use as a weapon and under an intent-based law we would be carrying a weapon. Absent actual use as a weapon, I would think that cops, DAs, etc. are going to be guided by the appearance and demeanor of both you and your knife.

2) Always remember that one permissible response to the weapons question, at least in the US, is some polite variation on "I decline to answer your questions at this time." Under my understanding of the law, this constitutionally protected response should not by itself give an officer cause to search you or your vehicle. That being said, my understanding of the law and $2 will get you a cup of coffee at any courthouse in the country.

3) I have seen opinions on this forum (one I believe involved the Spyderco SPOT) discussig how the marketing of a particular knife could play a role in an LE decision to charge or confiscate a knife. ("Really, officer, AFCK stands for Advanced Folding Craft Knife!"). It seems like a responsive manufactuer could address this concern by offering a "craftsman" version of various models that are marketed to emphasize the tool aspects of a knife.

Great topic, thanks for hearing me out.
 
Here in Mexico,

if you have any knife small, big or something similar in any place where sale alcohol, you are lost!!!!!!!!!

If the police officer took you with your knife in any bar, they didn’t ask you only take you and sent to jail for many hours and you need pay for your freedom.
 
anything you can pick up can be a weapon. anything can be a tool. somehow. Knives are good at being both. Still... a knife is not that more dangerous than a screwdriver. Most people have to have their imagination spoon fed to them, so... Uh.... like.... knives are dangerous.
 
interesting

in my opinion, a knife only becomes a weapon if you are waving it around trying to stab someone. until then, it is a tool. the same could be applied to a pencil.

so since i doubt you would be waving a knife around stabbing people while a cop is questioning you, you can answer truthfully that you have no weapons on you (even though you might be carrying the latest tactical knife :P)

then again, i dont know much about the law, and the officer might think you are being a smartass if you answer like that when he does find a knife.....

Daniel
 
Just a thought - If an LEO asks you if you have something on you, then what you have must be concealed. That alone could be problematic.

I'd just as soon be very forthcoming and with the proper, respectful demeanor. The officer could tell if you're a generally righteous person and may just let you be on your way. I'd rather be the one to respecfully let he or she know what's up than them finding out on their own. And good terminology will work.

The only problem arises when we're questioned knowing we are all "steeled-up" with more than one folder or fixed blade, as lots of us are. As such, we may be viewed as a walking arsenal, when in fact we're knife nuts and enjoy having our neat stuff with us all the time.
 
If a police officer asked me if I was carrying a weapon and I was only carrying a knife, I would never answer in the affirmative. It does not matter what kind of knife I am carrying, I consider it to be a tool.

By Boink

Just a thought - If an LEO asks you if you have something on you, then what you have must be concealed. That alone could be problematic.
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You are not considered to be carrying a concealed weapon if you have a pocket knife, or a knife clipped to your pocket. LEOs will always ask if you are carrying a weapon for there own safety. It does not mean that because you have a knife in your pocket it will be considered a concealed weapon.
 
The police here in Ontario asked me "Do you have anything on you that might be considered by anyone to be a weapon?" To which I replied "No, just this little pocket knife." After I was questioned, my mini AFCK was returned no problems. In this country a knife is only considered a weapon by the law if you use (or attempt to use) it as a weapon. Shockingly sensible considering the goofy laws up here.
 
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