BS: Illegal Swiss army knife

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: GUEST,Kendall
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 05:18 AM

There is a gang of whackos here who are going to gather at the Eastern Promenade all displaying pistols! Dodge City in Portland Maine! And, it is legal. The "Gun nuts" have gone too far. It's this sort of irrational behavour that get bills passed in the legislature. Then the damn fools cry about their rights!

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 05:12 AM

So, once again, the only people who will be affected are the innocent. Criminals, unconcerned with breaking the law, will carry knives for nefarious purposes anyway and quite likely be able to get away with it, while those carrying knives, like I do, because it is far easier than carrying screwdrivers, wirestrippers, scissors etc. will be penalised. The police statistics on knife arrests will be up while actual knife crime will increase and the losers will be, once again, Joe Public.

Ah well, good to know that it is business as usual...

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 04:54 AM

It appears that the law has been changed, and the size of bladed instruments has been redefined. However, it used to be the case, that the police had to prove intent, on the part of the person charged.
I was charged with carrying an offensive weapon, viz 2 rings, these were fairly ordinary finger rings. I was lucky, inasmuch as I had a credible witness to the conversation in which a dimwit plod alleged that I said I was going to wear said rings to beat up coppers at an upcoming anti-war demo.
The case was thrown out, and my costs had to be met by the police, but make no mistake, this is a serious charge, and I had to employ a solicitor to defend me.
There have been cases of Doc Martin, boots, and even umbrellas, being classified as offensive weapons, and the owners of said items, successfully charged and convicted in English courts.
I sometimes carry a Leatherman multi-tool in a case, on my belt, and under the law as it stands at present, I could be charged again. Unfortunately it appears that the laws on this have so been perverted as to make one guilty until proved innocent, that it is most unlikely that many people will succeed in the defence of "reasonable excuse", which I believe is now the only valid defence now.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 04:25 AM

While there still is a theoretical limit of 3" for the length of the blade, even Kansas has changed (about two weeks ago) their law to permit carrying some kinds of "flip open" knives. Previously any knife that could be opened with one hand was illegal; but the common use of "flip knives" by trades-people has finally been legalized. (And of course, if the blade opens easily, it must lock open in order to be safe to use, so maybe a law against a knife that can be closed with one hand would have made better sense.)

Fear of that most deadly of all "weapons" - the straight razor - keeps it still illegal to possess here, although I haven't heard of an arrest of a barber recently, and I'm quite sure at least a few of them still have a razor in the shop. Anyone of normal mental competence - who's ever had one in their hand - would be aware that a "straight razor" is much more dangerous to the one holding it than to anyone else in the vicinity. A broken drinking glass or beer bottle has a much better handle, and is much more useful for mayhem and acts of malicious intent.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: Kampervan
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 04:11 AM

Absolutely, Sooz; but Swiss army knives are not normally lockable

If this one was lockable then that would explain it, but there was no mention of this.
Given that so many people do carry this sort of pen knife then it would be nice to know exactly what was wrong on this occasion.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: Sooz
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 03:44 AM

If the knife has a lockable blade it is illegal.

Subject: RE: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 03:00 AM

Good grief. In the US hunting knives are far larger, and perfectly legal. On airplanes a knife has to be below 3 inches though. Ulus, Eskimo knives, are not legal as carryons, although it boggles my mind to figure out how one could use an ulu aggressively.

When I came to Alaska I drove to Prince Rupert in British Columbia to catch the ferry. At the check station they asked me if I had any firearms and I said, No, but that I did have a knife, that my brothers insisted that I carry it in the car.

I asked if they wanted to see it and they said yes. So I opened the glove box and showed them the sheathed hunting knife. They said it was fine, and I put it back in.

Of course, this was before 9/11 so maybe things have changed.

Subject: BS: Illegal Swiss army knife
From: Kampervan
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 02:35 AM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7593039/Disabled-caravanner-given-criminal-record-for-penknife-in-car.html


Assuming that we can take the facts at face value, does anyone know why this man was found guilty of carrying an offensive weapon?

I understood that knives with blades of less than 3" and which folded away easily (e.g. your average Swiss army pocket knife) were legal. Is it all getting a bit out of hand?