Pocket knives

[Odsox]

It's a strange old world, and it gets stranger by the minute.
I carry a pocket knife all the time, I always have every since I was a cub scout and all scouts had a knife dangling from their regulation leather belts, how else could you get stones out of horse's hooves. I find it indispensable in my daily work in the garden, from opening potting compost bags to peeling an apple in the orchard to see if they are ready.
I realise that if I carried one in my pocket in the UK I would be liable to be arrested, but I was a little bemused by the latest news from America. The man who scaled the White House fence recently was carrying a 3.5 inch pocket knife and has been charged with "carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon".
In his car .... "Officers found two powerful rifles, four handguns and other firearms and ammunition" (BBC news), but that's apparently quite OK, just so long as there wasn't a pen knife amongst them.

As I said, it's a strange old world.

[John Headstrong]

I have had this issue and I have chatted to the community policeman about it.

t carry my knife in my pocket from garden to garden (I help out in other peoples gardens) it would technically be a crime, yet, it is fine in my bag, along with my billhook which looks like this

devon-billhook_1.jpg (50.5 KiB) Viewed 23943 times

http://www.green-shopping.co.uk/devon-billhook.html

quite mental really!

[Green Aura]

I can't remember what the size is, but you thought it was still legal to carry a small pocket knife. I wonder who decided what length become weapons grade? As you can die from a razor blade it seems an arbitrary decision.

But then so are most things these days, it seems.

[ina]

Most pocket knives are constructed to collapse if used for stabbing, aren't they? At least I'm pretty sure I'd slice off my fingers if I tried to kill anybody with mine... (And yes, I carry one at all times, too. As a farming apprentice, the first thing I was taught was that a farmer always carries a knife and a bit of baling twine in the pocket.)

[Odsox]

the first thing I was taught was that a farmer always carries a knife

That's what gets me going, politicians who pass knee jerk laws without having a clue what they're doing.
I used to carry a spring knife (flick knife) in my pocket when working, it was a boon to be able to open feed bags without putting them down and opening a conventional pocket knife.
But then someone got stabbed and the popular press (I'm being generous) demanded action, so they immediately made it illegal to OWN one. So just having one in your pocket, working away in the depths on the country, miles from anywhere, became a custodial offence.
Although carrying a 12 bore around with me all day was perfectly OK

[MKG]

Yep. I have a couple of Leatherman multi-thingies. One is much more useful than the other, so that's the one I carry at all times (enclosed in its leather pouch, obviously). It takes me less than 5 seconds to arm myself with an extremely sharp blade. I've checked that just in case I need to take on a threatening cabbage in a hurry. When I was a young thing at school I always carried a penknife (as did all other boys) which came in very handy for making a bow and arrows or a kite.

Sometimes the law really is a ass.

[ina]

Although carrying a 12 bore around with me all day was perfectly OK

Maybe you can shoot the feed bags open?

[geordie]

Never ask a policeman for legal advice, many of them have no idea.

Under 3.5 inches folding (not locking) is legal anywhere in the UK.

Any bladed instrument is legal provided you have a (legal) reason to have it with you.For example I can take my axe with me when I am going to cut wood.

[ina]

I'd been thinking of axes, too - far more dangerous than knives!

But thanks for that clarification. Maybe they should give you a leaflet with this kind of advice when you buy a new knife. (Now I have to go and measure my pocket knife... )

[MKG]

I just checked that. It's 3 inches and it's not at all clear what you're actually measuring. The blade on my Leatherman is over 3 inches long, although the sharpened edge is just under 3 inches. There's enough confusion there to start an argument.

[Odsox]

Under 3.5 inches folding (not locking) is legal anywhere in the UK.

But not in the USA apparently, as it's a "dangerous and deadly weapon" there (see top post)

[ojay54]

I dread to think what I'm carrying round,especially in winter when I'm wearing the big coat.Who the hell goes through their pockets? I always carry a Swiss Army knife,But there's probably one or two budding knives in the big coat,plus assorted bits of wire,catapult,fishing stuff etc.Unless I'm going to church,in winter I always wear the same coat,so God knows what West Mercia's finest would make of it.

[boboff]

This is a bit Daily Mail now isn't it?

1. If your gardening, or going gardening and you have a knife, no one cares. You get it out and start intimidating people, they might.
2. Your man was trespassing, burglarizing, being naughty, he shouldn't have had a knife.
3. You need clear laws to stop "civil rights" lawyers defending the actions of gang members, who is tooled up to do some stabbin, innit, know what I mean.
4. If you forget to take your knife out of your coat and go on Holiday, through security and you get stopped, you are an arse, take your punishment, dementia boy!


Lovely Day here in Cornwall.

[Skippy]

Under 3.5 inches folding (not locking) is legal anywhere in the UK.

But not in the USA apparently, as it's a "dangerous and deadly weapon" there (see top post)

. The three inch length rule refers to the cutting edge rather than the overal length and mustn't be a locking blade. Some of the leathermans fall foul of this law . Penknives like the Swiss Army knife that I myself carry are legal to carry but could still be classed as a dangerous weapon if produced in the wrong situation . Fine on the allotment but not in the pub and judging by this perhaps not fine in the car. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... cnics.html
The law also gets murky with regards to other blades too. Some such as samurai swords are banned in public but if one was to be taking part in theater or re-enactment and such a sword was appriopate to the costume then it could be carried , but again wear it down the pub and there is a risk of arrest. Coincidentally I take part in medieavl re-enactments and from a legal point of view we can swing swords and the like at each other because we are " consenting to assault ".

[boboff]

Irony!

You quote the daily mail!