Knife Laws

[Elton]

Why can't our laws be used in the spirit they were intended, rather than to the letter? This is what happens these days....

 

http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/...il/article.html

[John S]

Utterly stupid!

 

I carry a multi-tool with me most times, and will continue to do so. I also have a Swiss Army penknife as part of my normal fishing tackle (when I go sea-fishing, I also carry a filleting knife), and will continue to use that too. The petty-minded idiots that prosecuted this 61 year old disabled man for carrying an 'offensive weapon' (a Swiss Army style penknife) can shove their prosecution orders up their @rses as far as I'm concerned

[DavyR]

The ordinary Swiss Army penknife that many of us carry is perfectly legal, having a 3" folding blade. The key line in that report may be this:

 

"The knife is made by American company Buck Whittaker, but is of the type originally made for the Swiss army, which shuns combat."

 

Many Buck Whittaker knives (and some Victorinox Swiss Army models) have locking blades, which are illegal under current UK law. I'd be very surprised if the knife in question isn't one of those.

 

Still an over-the-top response against someone who obviously isn't a weapon-wielding thug, but against the law nonetheless.

[snakey1]

The ordinary Swiss Army penknife that many of us carry is perfectly legal, having a 3" folding blade. The key line in that report may be this:

 

"The knife is made by American company Buck Whittaker, but is of the type originally made for the Swiss army, which shuns combat."

 

Many Buck Whittaker knives (and some Victorinox Swiss Army models) have locking blades, which are illegal under current UK law. I'd be very surprised if the knife in question isn't one of those.

 

Still an over-the-top response against someone who obviously isn't a weapon-wielding thug, but against the law nonetheless.

Folding knives with locking blades are not illegal under current UK laws but are classified as the same as knives with fixed blades(sheath knives) and if you carry one in a public place you must have a legitimate reason to do so (i.e a chef carrying his knives to and from his work place, those worn as part of a national costume i.e the sgian dubh, or those carried for religious reasons i.e the sikh kirpan).

Carrying a locking knife (if that is indeed what this gentleman had) in his car all the time would be illegal because he does have a legitimate reason to have that knife with him all the time( e.g if you were to take a filleting knife with you in the car when you went sea fishing that is a legitimate reason to have it with you but to be compliant with the law as I understand it you would have to remove the knife from your vehilce and take it back into your house at the end of the days fishing if you were to leave the knife in your vehicle all the time you would be breaking the law as once your fishing is finished so is your legitmate reason for carrying it) so unless he was camping and having a picnic everyday he was indeed in breach of the law.

However it does seem an overly harsh decision to prosecute the gentleman.

Be aware that even folding knives with edges of less than 3" or indeed any pointed or bladed implement can be classified as an offensive weapon depending upon the circumstance you are in when found carrying it (or indeed if you are foolish enough to admit to carrying it so as to be able to defend yourself should you be attacked infact in this circumstance virtually anything can be classified as an offensive weapon).

The only knives that are illegal to carry in a public place fullstop are knives such as flick knives, gravity knives, balisong or butterfly knives, so called stealth knives(these are made of reinforced plastics and therefore cannot be detected using metal detectors) and knives disguised as other objects(i.e those made to look like pens or belt buckles) and this is because these items are illegal to buy,sell, import, carry or even give away in this country (although if you do happen have one already they are not actually illegal to own but have to be kept in your house and never taken anywhere)

Edited April 19, 2010 by snakey1

[DavyR]

Folding knives with locking blades are not illegal under current UK laws but are classified as the same as knives with fixed blades(sheath knives) and if you carry one in a public place you must have a legitimate reason to do so

 

Thanks, snakey - I should have added that bit!

[Lid]

"In this case, officers had concerns that there was a potential danger and the owner of the knife was charged with possessing an offensive weapon in public."

 

In the glove compartment of his car is hardly in public. This was absolute lunacy in my opinion. The car itself is more dangerous.

 

I often carry one of several a pocket knives I own with me. One has a 4" locking blade. Do I need to stop doing his now?

[Elton]

In the glove compartment of his car is hardly in public. This was absolute lunacy in my opinion. The car itself is more dangerous.

 

I often carry one of several a pocket knives I own with me. One has a 4" locking blade. Do I need to stop doing his now?

 

No idea, but I just said to the misses that I'd better clear my car out this week, as there is every chance I have fishing knives strewn about it. It's like a mobile tacklebox, my car.

[snakey1]

In the glove compartment of his car is hardly in public. This was absolute lunacy in my opinion. The car itself is more dangerous.

 

I often carry one of several a pocket knives I own with me. One has a 4" locking blade. Do I need to stop doing his now?

It may be lunacy but thats currently how the law stands no one ever said the law was sensible, as to whether you should carry a 4" lock knife that entirely depends upon whether you think you have a reason to carry one thats good enough that it will stand up in a court of law should it ever come to that and whether you wish to run that risk.

heres a link you may find interesting:knife law and another here

Edited April 19, 2010 by snakey1

[DavyR]

Going back to the original report:

 

"Mr Knowles was stopped by police while driving out of a pub car park on February 24, and passed a breath test. His car was then searched. He refused to give up the £30 blade, and was arrested and later charged."

 

I wonder if things would have gone so far if he'd handed over the knife without an argument? Reading between the lines, it sounds as though the police must have either been bored stiff to bother searching his car after he'd passed the breath test (which presumably was a "random" stopping?), or they'd perhaps been nettled by the guy's "attitude"?

 

I personally know several longbow archers who routinely carry vicious-looking "archer's picks" (aka "daggers") with them to shoots. "it's for digging out arrows that bury themselves after missing the target" might not sound like a very believable explanation to a suspicious copper, but I bet they'd get away with it if they were polite and deferential.

[RobStubbs]

It may be lunacy but thats currently how the law stands no one ever said the law was sensible, as to whether you should carry a 4" lock knife that entirely depends upon whether you think you have a reason to carry one thats good enough that it will stand up in a court of law should it ever come to that and whether you wish to run that risk.

heres a link you may find interesting:knife law and another here

 

As Snakey points out that's how the law is and I personally have no problem with that. Who's to say the guy really was using the knife for cutting fruit and didn't have it for self defence ? He could for example have used something else to cut fruit.

 

If you have good cause to carry such a knife / tool then you can carry it, but if questioned you will have to justify it. I have knifes in with my shooting bag, fishing tackle and in my walking kit, but it's all there for a reason that I believe I can justify should I be asked.

 

Rob.