Thread: British Law?

Please keep in mind that that british law is about carrying a knife. Not OWNING a knife.

At home you can still keep a bowieknife if that takes your fancy.

Just don't carry one as an EDC. If you're travelling and taking a straight with you that should be fine as well.

Things may have changed down there, but laws in Tasmania (that little island at the bottom of Australia, but above the Antartic ) used to allow for carrying a knife in public. Walking down the street with a bowie knife strapped to your hip, wouldn't raise an eyebrow. The law would only come into play if the knife was used unlawfully, and then it was the user, and not the item that was blamed. A shame the rest of this country can't use the same kind of common sense in the law making depts.


Mick

Originally Posted by LX_Emergency

Please keep in mind that that british law is about carrying a knife. Not OWNING a knife.

At home you can still keep a bowieknife if that takes your fancy.

Just don't carry one as an EDC. If you're travelling and taking a straight with you that should be fine as well.

I would agree, If I carried a pair of straights in the fob pockets of my waistcoat and hung my thumbs off them as did the Teddy Boy's in the 50's, Teddy Boy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia or had one unboxed or unwrapped in a back pocket, was caught by the police in possession, without a very convincing and inventive excuse, then I should expect to spent some time having a holiday courtesy of Her Majesty.

The law really hinges on intent, if it is proven that one's intent was merely to transport the razor/s to a sale or club type meeting, and said razors were wrapped or boxed in a fashion that would prevent 'instant use' or inadvertent injury to a member of the public, coupled with the fact that the majority of use have a legitimate reason for owning one or more razors demonstrated by the possession at home of shaving paraphernalia specifically for use with a straight razor, then the interpretation of the law should be that no offence had been committed.

Originally Posted by RayCover

.

To quote Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as Stupid does".

Forrest Gump was a film, not reality though perhaps reality is even dafter. I come from an age when Boy Scouts in the UK routinely carried sheath knives. The problem is that in most so-called 'civilised' countries drug dealing gangsters outnumber Boy Scouts by some distance. UK laws have been changed to reflect this.
In Britain over Christmas we have had some fatal knife attacks, now spreading onto busy main shopping streets in daytime, something that would have been unthinkable a few decades ago. Perhaps we need even tougher sentencing to prevent the unlawful carrying of knives.
In in terms of saying: 'Though shalt not Kill' or even the lite-version ' Though shalt not Murder' , a large number of people don't have those values any more.
The law has been changed to attempt to lessen the chance of attack by discouraging the carrying of weapons in public because society has failed miserably to instil values that prevent people wanting to stab or shoot one another.
I wonder what sort of mindset one has, to want a fighting knife for 'Every Day Carry'.
I'm a practical guy, work as mechanic, shoot game, look after horses and so on, but I rarely need a penknife in day to day activity, let alone a knife that only has a practical application in a war-zone.

Originally Posted by 1OldGI

Roger that! An armed society is a polite society. Stuff like this kinda makes you wonder what's next, outlawing cricket bats? bricks? jack handles?

Folks are very polite in Texas yet they have an extremely high murder rate and the busiest death house in the nation. I can twist statistics to say anything I'd like.

Originally Posted by Theseus

There are knife laws in the US as well.KNIFE LAWS of the 50 STATES - Introduction and LINKSFor example, here in Ohio, gravity , spring assisted and switchblade knives are unlawful no matter the size.

The old tale that is the blade was longer than your hand or over 3 inches...etc.....is incorrect. Most knifes come under the dangerous weapons laws and the concealed weapons laws depending on HOW THEY ARE USED. I arrested a guy for Armed Robbery because he had a one inch folding knife in his possession while he was boosting Oil of Olay from a pharmacy. Yes, one inch folded two inches open and I don't think it would have been able to cut butter. I never took a knife from a normal person who carried one in their pocket or in a scabbard on their belt.

Originally Posted by RayCover

The sad thing is that too many legislators are knee jerk machines. Rather than being thoughtful and insightful and rationally considering an issue, they are reactionary and get caught up in every media frenzy that comes along.

I don't' know if it is true but I have been told many times that our US laws against switchblades were a knee jerk reaction to the movie West Side Story. I mean for crying out loud, I can carry a pair of loaded colt 1911's under my coat but I can't carry a switchblade in my pocket because of emotionally driven reactionary legislation.

As if one law "Thou shalt not commit murder (or physical assault)" would not cover the crime no matter what the weapon.

To quote Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as Stupid does".

Ray

The fact you can carry 2 1911's under your coat does not create a legitimate use for a switch blade. I never bumped into a carpenter,carpet installer, wall paper hanger....etc... that had a switch blade on their person. I will tell you that the carpet installers blades were so sharp I think you could shave with one.

One also has to think about the unlawful use laws. Anything can be turned into a weapon. We get back to the proper use.

****I have no intention of debating gun control laws, it was not the intention of my post.***** That is all!!


Enjoy the day!!

Originally Posted by Mvcrash

Most knifes come under the dangerous weapons laws and the concealed weapons laws depending on HOW THEY ARE USED. I arrested a guy for Armed Robbery because he had a one inch folding knife in his possession while he was boosting Oil of Olay from a pharmacy. Yes, one inch folded two inches open and I don't think it would have been able to cut butter. I never took a knife from a normal person who carried one in their pocket or in a scabbard on their belt.

Just a quick question regarding the guy you arrested for having a knife in his possession, was the knife in question being used to commit a simple misdemeanor of shop-lifting, if not and it just happen to be in his pocket, how is it justified with him being arrested and charged with felony armed robbery? Wouldn't that be a case "twisting" the circumstances to fit a crime?

Back to the topic of carrying knives, even here in the good ole USA, I am not able to carry my Swiss army knife to work, it maybe has a 2 inch blade as sharp as a dull spoon because my job considers it carrying a weapon to work, but yet I have access to 4 or 5 boxknives within 2 feet of my work. Go figure.

Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

...if not and it just happen to be in his pocket...

I'm not replying to speak for Jeff, but just thought I'd point out that armed robbery refers to robbery by someone who is armed with a dangerous weapon. And armed just means having been equipped with or having been in possession of a weapon

I guess therein lies the absurdity of some of our laws, when I was a kid, my dad let me carry a small pocket knife and maybe one time when I was very young I may have taken a pack of gum from a store without paying for it, does that mean I committed armed robbery?

Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

Just a quick question regarding the guy you arrested for having a knike in his possession, was the knife in question being used to commit a simple misdemeanor of shop-lifting, if not and it just happen to be in his pocket, how is it justified with him being arrested and charged with felony armed robbery? Wouldn't that be a case "twisting" the circumstances to fit a crime?

No offense Crash, because I know your job is hard enough without people busting your chops. But stuff like this really chaffs me. I'm not asking for justification, just stating an opinion. Taking a shoplifting and making it a forcible felony sounds bad on the surface. Something deeper perhaps? A truly bad individual that needs to go away? If not, then shame on the prosecutor for following through with the charges. If so, well then, I guess we all pray our police aren't corrupt and they have the best interests of the public at heart.

Originally Posted by ReardenSteel

Back to the topic of carrying knives, even here in the good ole USA, I am not able to carry my Swiss army knive to work, it maybe has a 2 inch blade as sharp as a dull spoon because my job considers it carrying a weapon to work, but yet I have access to 4 or 5 boxknives within 2 feet of my work. Go figure.

. That sounds like a bit of civil disobedience by 100% of the staff would go a long way. Thankfully I'm a medic and we can get by with carrying about anything. We are kind of self-regulating. The longer you've been on the job, the smaller and sharper you knife becomes. New guys carry big, black, scary looking knives. I carry a single blade SAK or an old Case trapper.

What about a pipe smokers tool? Many have an albeit small, but nevertheless potentially dangerous blade, would it be still classed as an offensive weapon?