In the United States, people 21 and older are allowed to carry Swiss Army knives with blades smaller than 2.5 inches in most states. This is in line with the law that allows adults to legally carry pocket knives or utility knives or multi-tools with blades smaller than 2.5 inches. The reason Australia has become tough on carrying knives in public is that knife crime is on the rise. Earlier – in 2000 – 30% of homicides were caused by knives and sharp objects. Fast forward to 2008 and now 43% of homicides involve knives and other sharp objects. A copy of the submitted amicus curiae letter can be found at: www.kniferights.org/KRF-SAF_Amicus_Brief.pdf Since the rules do not mention locking or folding the knife, I think most Swiss Army knives would be legal, including the larger ones. The state of Vermont is friendly to knife owners. The law states that it is illegal to carry dangerous weapons openly or secretly with the intent to commit a crime. However, it does not generally prohibit the possession and carrying of knives. However, a switched blade knife with a blade larger than three inches is illegal. Let`s say you`re camping or hiking – you`d have a very good reason to wear your multitool, and you`d also be fine to wear it on the way to a camping trip. If you`ve been through your friend`s cricket match on the way to camping, but your multitool is strapped to your seatbelt, this might be a harder excuse.
Multi-tools are legal in Australia, but it`s not legal to wear them in public all the time. You must have a good reason to wear a multi-tool, and self-defense is not one of them. Being an electrician is a job, but don`t leave it strapped to your belt when you go to a bar after work for a beer. In addition to the above rules, state laws prohibit the carrying of certain knives: California`s knife laws state that it is still illegal to possess, sell, manufacture, and import certain types of knives. These types of knives include: For further advice or to discuss your case with a criminal defense attorney, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group. Our firm provides reliable legal advice and serves clients throughout the state of California, including the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. California law permits the use of force in self-defense or in defense of others if the victim has reason to believe that he or she or others are in imminent danger of physical harm and that the violence is necessary to deflect the danger. Victims may only use the level of force reasonably necessary in the circumstances. In some cases, swinging a knife – and not using it to stab – would be enough to deflect the force. 26 ● Sell a knife of any type with a blade of 3 inches or more to anyone under the age of 18 (16-18 year olds in Scotland can buy cutlery and kitchen knives) Each state has its own knife law in the United States.
Some are quite liberal, while others are more restrictive. However, if you follow some general guidelines when choosing the Swiss Army knife model, you can take it with you on the road. You know that in many states, it`s illegal to wave your multi-tool knife or threaten someone with it. It`s a surefire way to get you arrested and never do it. Your multitool will be kept out of sight unless you need to use it and do it discreetly. However, you have a few rules to yourself – you never bring it on school grounds, in a courthouse or government building, or when you go out to drink. It`s also illegal to wear your multi-tool in such a way that someone might expect you to hurt or disable it, or even fear that you would. Oregon`s knife laws depend primarily on court decisions rather than codified laws, though the state treats knives more restrictively than other firearms.
In Beaver State, however, the law is quite simple. It is legal to wear daggers, switch blades and dirks. The UK has some of the strictest regulations regarding legal knives, which are also followed very carefully by authorities and law enforcement agencies. The state has a uniform right of first refusal with respect to knife laws. It is legal to possess any type of knife, although there are some restrictions. Axes, star throwers, machetes and tomahawks are illegal. However, there are no blade limits or distinction between concealed port and open port for other types. Self-defence certainly cannot be a valid excuse.
But if you could give a valid reason for carrying the knife, such as for work, sports, leisure, etc., or maybe you are a collector and the knife is to be used for display or exhibition purposes, you should be good. (Another possible defence is that the accused carried the legally open knife and the police erred in thinking it was concealed.) ● The knife is used for theatre, film, television, historical re-enactments or for religious purposes, such as the kirpan that some Sikhs wear. Although a Swiss Army knife is not generally considered a weapon and you are allowed to carry it in your pocket, there are places where it is still considered illegal (regardless of the type of knife or the size of the blade). George M. Lee, a partner at Seiler Epstein Ziegler & Applegate LLP, attorneys for the Knife Rights Foundation and SAF, said he was pleased with today`s unanimous court decision. “This is a victory of common sense and a small step away from the reflexive view that every citizen who carries a pocket knife is also considered to be carrying a deadly weapon, which would of course be absurd.” Unfortunately, laws can be different in each state. So if you take your multi-tool with you when you go on vacation or to work, you need to know what the knife laws are when you get there. Although multitools – as the name suggests – are tools, they usually have one or more knives. That means they fall under any federal or state knife laws. Hey, if your multitool doesn`t have a knife, you can own it and take it with you everywhere you go – even on the plane! Children can use knives appropriately under adult supervision (e.g., a safety knife while browsing).
However, the law also states that if the blade is less than 30 cm and the object looks like a harmless object, but is intended to hide a knife or blade, this is prohibited. The Victorinox SwissCard could fall into this category. Wyoming law states that it is illegal to carry a concealed dangerous weapon unless you have a valid firearms license or are eligible for a gun license. Residents who are at least 21 years old and have not been convicted of a drug or violent crime may carry a knife. However, students are not allowed to carry switch blade knives or other knives that open outwards or downwards. This law also applies to all those on school grounds. The complainant`s response letter can be found at: www.kniferights.org/S218861_ABM_Castillolopez.pdf A court will decide if you have a good reason to carry a knife if you are charged with illegal carrying. Defense attorneys use certain legal strategies to challenge violations of California`s knife laws. Some include showing that: The law does not define a knife size that is allowed or prohibited. It prohibits the carrying of almost all types of knives without reasonable and legal excuse. A list of “prohibited weapons”, including knives, can be found here. ● Transporting knives that you use for recreational purposes, such as fishermen, sailors or other reasonable grounds to believe that you need a knife in the course of a lawful activity.
A prosecutor must prove the following to convict a defendant of possessing, selling or manufacturing a prohibited knife: Search – The police may search you if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that you have an illegal knife. There is no definition of “reasonably suspicious,” which opens the door to interpretation by the police the moment they see you. Not really! You will not be automatically convicted simply for carrying a knife that goes beyond the guidelines. It is not a criminal offense and you will not be punished or arrested if your reason for doing so is valid enough for the law of the land. Every citizen of Alabama has the fundamental right to bear arms to defend himself. Residents and visitors can own the following types of knives: Dirk, pocket knife, dagger, butterfly knife, deceptive knife, stiletto, knife knife and ballistic knife. Wisconsin law does not restrict the possession and carrying of knives, whether hidden or overt. The law states that it is illegal to carry dangerous weapons other than knives. If you don`t have a reasonable excuse, the closest thing to your multitool in public is to carry a pocket knife or Swiss Army knife to make utensils. But this will not carry most of the multi-tools because the difference is that these pen knives and these Swiss army knives are not in position.
Most multi-tool knives lock so you`re back to square one. It is illegal to carry concealed knives except on one`s own premises in North Carolina. There is an exception to the regular pocket knife, but the possession or sale of all other types is illegal.