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Knives in CR are not restricted at all, you can carry anything you want here.
If you hang a Swamp Rat Waki on your shoulder and go for a walk in the city, you will get some frowned looks, but there's no legal reason why you couldn't do that.

The overall social consesus is that knives are primarily tools, and sometimes can be used as weapons. It's not usual to carry a knife unconcealed or carry a big knife (say blade above 4"-ish). But the ban-all-weapons hysteria hasn't hit here yet, and hopefully it never will.

The last time I remember, a taxi driver was claimed innocent by the court when he killed an attacker with a 7"-bladed dagger in self defence. Although there were some vioces saying such knife is good only for killing people and thus the taximan is a killer, the court's main interest was that the man defended himself in a fight he hadn't started, the choice of weapon was secondary.
For gun owners, it's not so easy however.
 
Hi everybody. I'm from the Czech Republic (Central Moravia region), where all knives & blades are allowed. Halleluja!:D
You probably won't have any problems even when walking down a street with Danny Trejo's giant machete from the last scene of his movie! :thumbup:
 
Australia, pretty much the same as our neighbor NZ posted. You can carry a utility knife in public (swiss army knife or box cutter pretty much) for it's intended purpose as a tool, but that's it. You can carry a knife in the park for preparing food or a fishing knife when fishing too.

Anything goes on private property as long as it's not a concealed blade, double edged or an auto/flick.

Gadgetaholic said:
New Zealand.

Knives are OK here when appropriate to your situation. I can EDC a SAK and a Multitool - no problems doing so for a decade. I can have a suitable knife with me when fishing, camping, hunting, etc. I can have an axe or other chopper when chopping a tree. But it is illegal to carry a weapon in public - so I don't usually have my folding knives or fixed blades on me when I am out & about, I have to play with them at home or when I go camping. Push daggers, double edged daggers, balisongs and knives that don't look like knives (like sword canes) are all illegal in this country. So yeah - you can walk through the bush with a machete here, but it would be illegal to walk through town with one.
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Melbourne, Australia home of uptight cops and wowser politicians who've nothing better to do than to harp on about 'rampant crime' (crime is actually going down mostly), gang violence and now, knife crime.

They recently passed laws where they can search you without placing you under arrest if you happen to be in a 'hotspot', eg a train station with a history of crime. They recently did a big song and dance about all the knives they confiscated from people in a single day for the media. In reality they were stealing little keychain SAKs from people making their way to work plus one unfortunate dude who'd just come back from camping.

I don't carry anything now. Camping is the only time I get to use my knives.
 
Lazydog1 said:
I currently reside in the UK
The law here is very strict re knife carry. Largely due to the media and politicians’ over-reaction to ‘knife crime’. You may only carry a non-locking folder with a blade of less than 3 inches and only if you require it for your specific activity (work or recreation).
Be caught with a knife in your toolbox on the way to a plumbing job and all will be well. Be caught in the evening on the way to the pub with the same knife in your pocket and you’ll be arrested and the knife will be confiscated.
The general public reaction to these laws is one of scorn (in my view) – I’ve seen guys openly wearing sheathed fixed blades at agricultural shows in full view of the public and police. Hardware stores openly sell large, lock blade folders.
The law has virtually no effect where it is intended to reduce knife crime - in the urban ghettos. Youths who fear for their safety from gangs still carry one of mom’s kitchen knives and if the police are in sight will just toss it away. Most times the police are too fearful to enter the areas where knife crime is prevalent, so the problem persists.

In South Africa, where I was born and raised, the law is more reasonable. The knife is still seen as a necessary tool. You may carry what you like. If you use a knife legally, as a tool, no problem. Use the same knife as a weapon and your intent is what will be used in court to judge you. In rural areas it is not unusual to see workers openly carrying pangas (African machete) or even spears.
In urban areas there has been a long tradition of violent knife crime. However, the recent (last 20 years) influx of heavy drugs has meant that gangs are now using firearms instead of knives.
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UK +1

Lazydog1 has summed up the position very well.

I'm a Bushcraft Instructor and face people's negative and unrealistic attitudes about knives VERY regulalry; getting pretty bored with it to be honest:rolleyes:! Actually, for the first time in my life I have been seriously thinking of emmigrating due to the increasing restrictions we face over here.

What equally annoys me is the fact that many members of our Police/Customs etc. do NOT know the law themselves. I had the ridiculous experience of having a Policeman visit my home on a SATURDAY evening (Sure there's nothing more pressing at that time!) giving me a "talking" too for trying to import and illegal knife into the UK. The knife was not illegal, you could buy it in the high street; Gerber Crusader. Customs had impounded it 2 weeks before, I had appealled, but to take it further would have meant going to court and if I had lost, it would have cost me a MINIMUM court fee of £1500, the knife was £20. With a family to support, I just felt I couldn't take the chance.

However, I do believe I'm beginning to see a sea change and the "common" man (NOT a criticism) is starting to wake up to the fact that our liberties in the UK are being erroded and the restrictions on what we can carry and do are very unfair and NOT achieving what the politicans argue they are for; i.e. reduction in crime.

I'm asked to go into schools and work with marginalised groups (e.g. people with mental health issues) and come up against many barriers. I try to argue that we need to teach and give people responsibilty and that using knives and other tools is a great vehicle for this.

So although I have a few (ahem!) locking folders I now I carry a sub 3" non locking knife, which has closed on me several times! But at least I know our streets are safer, what utter cr*p!

Rant over! John

Sorry for spelling, grammer, been up all night with my sick dog!
 
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I live in Vancouver, Canada. I didn't read every post so maybe my contribution will be redundant. Automatic knives, push daggers and butterfly knives are absolutely illegal in Canada. Other than that the knife laws seem to be pretty vague. Although I have quite a few manual folders as well as fixed blades, I honestly don't know whether some are illegal to carry, although all were purchased legally.
I think the cops like the knife laws to be vague because it allows them to seize any knife ,regardless of size or type, from anyone unlucky enough to be searched.
Of course why autos, push daggers and butterfly knives are illegal, while anyone can easily and legally purchase a $10.00 machete ,capable of decapitating someone, is another great mystery.
 
Larry Turko said:
I live in Vancouver, Canada. I didn't read every post so maybe my contribution will be redundant. Automatic knives, push daggers and butterfly knives are absolutely illegal in Canada. Other than that the knife laws seem to be pretty vague. Although I have quite a few manual folders as well as fixed blades, I honestly don't know whether some are illegal to carry, although all were purchased legally.
I think the cops like the knife laws to be vague because it allows them to seize any knife ,regardless of size or type, from anyone unlucky enough to be searched.
Of course why autos, push daggers and butterfly knives are illegal, while anyone can easily and legally purchase a $10.00 machete ,capable of decapitating someone, is another great mystery.
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No mystery. The machete is hard to conceal on your person.
 
Guadeloupe, french west indies,
people down here walk around the streets with machetes, a lot of sugar cane fields. this is a rural area so cops don't really bother you if you behave normally. In France law does say that if the knife locks, regardless of its size, it's illegal.
 
kitkat52 said:
I ... wanting to know more about how people feel about knives out side the USA Knarfeng.
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I feel great about them. What, if there weren´t any knives outside the USA? :D:D:D

Look at the right corner, you see, where i´m from. :)
 
Hello,

I'm from Penang, Malaysia.
Knife laws are getting stricter than usual due to new policies.
I'm trying to expand my collection of khukuris and folders (unlikely) to new heights.
Unless you could outsmart/ out talk the increasing police pullover (smart way is to stash your hiking boots and clothes to pretend you just came back from the bush), tough luck.


The Malaysian knife collector community is almost non existant. Genuine knives are expensive and difficult to come by. Knock-offs can be seen in some places.
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Bullosa,

There is. ;)
Check out MKF, Malaysian Knife forum by Samo & Mohd.
 
Ukraine (ex USSR state).

Here you can carry everything with a blade shorter than 3.5 inches. Longer than that, and you have to:
- either get a certificate from a state expert for that particular knife model saying that the knife is not a weapon but rather a tool
- or get a firearms license, which gives you permission to carry knives that are considered to be weapons. Each particular knife at such case has to be registered with government authorities.
 
Singapore.
Not many people here know about folders. We're more box cutters and kitchen knife users. Our knife laws ban balisongs, daggers and autos.
 
Cape Town, South Africa.........

We can own and carry almost anything......(provided it's concealed)

I tried shoving a SR Waki down the front of my trousers and walking around but I got some strange looks:D
 
Now Steven what have I told you about shoving things down your pants? You're bound to have a nasty accident one of these days and then you'll be sorry.... and a soprano. :D

Alfaholic said:
Cape Town, South Africa.........

We can own and carry almost anything......(provided it's concealed)

I tried shoving a SR Waki down the front of my trousers and walking around but I got some strange looks:D
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I think British Law is quite simple to understand.

A folding non locking knife with a sub 3inch blade is for EDC, anything else (axe, kukri, machete, fixed and locking blade) needs a justifiable reason. What you are doing and your actions provide that justifiable reason... fishing, shooting, camping etc...

Sure it would be nice to be able to legally EDC a fixed blade (or whatever else I want) but in all honesty I've never thought I was under knifed with my SAK.
 
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