i was just watching a interview wit a amazing US knife maker. there company makes my everyday carry. it is a 3.8in locking blade with a wave opener (its a hook that catches on your pants to open the knife google it if you don't under stand) and i learned that you are limited to 3in and it must not lock!!! I've carried a knife almost every day of my life from the standard the time we were taught knife safety in the Boy Scouts (way back in the day) every thing from Swiss army to full autos. i use them as utility tools. its there if i need it as self defense but to date never had to use it and don't plan on it. but the idea of not being able to have a locking knife blows my mind. i know other countries have quite restrictive laws and the US dose have regulation but nothing to the extent of eliminating locking knives. good luck guys and i hope your crazy laws don't jump the pond any time soon
I think there are too many people that would not be responsible with a knife and are more likely to use this to aid them in mugging /killing people to take the few £ they have in their pockets, and in some cases it seems, to prove themselves. As a kid we would get into brawls, but fists only, too risky nowadays, not worth hasstling with people, as their more likely to stab you, or as in America probably shhot you. So its not a bad law really.
dude people get stabled with screwdrivers and any thing that was handy at the time in the US. bar fights wind up with bottles and rocks and knives more often than guns. but those aren't big attention grabbing stories that get publicized in foreign press. your probably as likely to get stabbed with a non locking as you would be a locking. i fear that this thread may turn in to a political motivated anti gun/knife/pointy stick type of troll fest the internet is known for. just know my original intent was to exclaim my shock at the limitations due to the fact that i carry a knife every day (and for the better part of my life) for utility purposes.
i dont understand how prohibiting locking blades (a feature designed to prevent you from lopping your own fingers off while using your knife) is going to effect crime rates in the least...? i have also carried a knife on my right hip ever since i was a wee lad. they are infinity versatile and i would hate to be caught without one. i cant count how many times ive broken the tip off my Schrade using it as a pry bar, screw driver, gasket scraper, container opener, etc, etc, etc.
What sort of things do you currently do with your knife? If you had to remove .8 inches from the blade, what wouldn't you be able to do? If you had to use a standard folding knife, how would it limit you based on your current uses? I carry a simple Swiss Army Knife in my pocket, and it gets quite a bit of use - screwdriver, opening packages, opening cans of soup at work. Unless you engage in some serious knife tasks, I bet that you wouldn't miss the extra .8 inches.
So you think people would be too irresponsible for the blades to be .8" longer, and nowadays it's unsafe to get into brawls as you'll get stabbed. Is it just me or is there something wrong here? People will always find ways to harm other people. People will always be able to source banned blades/weapons/what ever you try to ban. Oh also having a knife for self defense has never made any sense to me. You're more likely just going to get stabbed with your own knife than scare the attacker away. UK in particular is already so far lost to the Big Brother- mentality one teeny tiny knife ban is nothing but a drop in the sea of crazy legislation. No, I don't think this one really makes a huge difference, most likely you can get everything done with the smaller-non-locking blade as well. And if you really need a larger, locking blade, chances are you aren't getting to any trouble if you use it properly. it's just the general "lets ban everything that can be misused"-atmosphere that pisses me off. And the people who cheer at all the bannage happily thinking it'll make the streets safer or what ever.
If you need to carry a weapon in order to feel safe then something is massively wrong with where you are living. I now want to make a joke about my girlfriend, and an extra .8 inches.
I carry a Spyderco Ladybug with me as my EDC. Not because a weapon makes me safer (it's a small blade), but because having a knife is extremely useful. If I don't carry some sort of blade, I'm always wanting for one. Don't really care if it's illegal.
No, but you have to make the cut-off somewhere. Personally, I'm glad that any old crazy person isn't allowed to walk around with a machete in public places, but if you made the limit 4" people would complain about not being able to carry a 5" knife; 5" and people would complain about not being able to carry a 5.1" knife. The laws are there for a reason, but is there realistically any reason why you need to carry a blade longer than 3" in a public place?
I have a swiss army knife that my wife got me two christmas ago. It's the computer builders one. Sure the blade doesn't lock, but it can still cause a nasty wound. Hell if we start banning something that potentially cause injury soon enough you would not be able to have laces on your shoes.
The problem here is that the people who intend to use their knives to hurt/threaten people, don't give a **** if the blade is illegal or not. So why on earth even bother making such laws? Wave a knife with any length blade on public and you deserve to be caught by the poh-leece. Use any type or size of knife for work and IMO you should be fine. Banning just isn't solving the problems. EDIT: Also I can only wonder how this blade length malarkey is actually enforced. Wave a knife around in the public, someone calls a police, police comes, measures the blade and if it's 3" you're fine, but if it's 3,1" you're going to be fined? What the hell?
bar the general populas from owning things like guns and knifes, then only the criminals have them, it doesn't stop those types of crime, but i suppose it does make it easier to prosecute someone found with them.
Hmm. Never, ever have I felt the need to carry a knife with me that's larger than a Swiss army knife*. I've always thought that people who collect knives or have a need to show them off are a bit weird. Besides, it's not like the police here stop everyone all the time just to check for knifes - they only bother on a Friday or Saturday evening when people tend to be on the piss. I know a couple of builders, plumbers and electricians who do carry a big locking knife. Exactly. Whilst 'normal' people will recognise the law, your typical criminal sort (not that I know any!) isn't going to give two hoots. *Actually I tell a lie: I used to do SCUBA diving and always carried a 4" chisel ended knife when diving.
I think it's good we aren't allowed, otherwise everything just escalates, once everyone has a knife, all criminals are going to have to get guns to overcome them, and then and before you know it, everyone's got a gun. Which I think is a terrible idea, never have I felt the need to carry a knife.
+1. I have two folding Swiss army knives, both at around 3". I don't carry either unless I'm hiking; if I had a smaller multitool I suppose I might but 3" is just inconveniently large for EDC. It's not just that; if you bring a knife to any dangerous situation - a mugging, a burglary - you're not increasing your chances of survival, you're just escalating the situation. Your knife can be turned against you. And be honest here, those who carry a 3"+ knife for 'self-defence' - you would rather engage in a knife fight than hand over your phone and your wallet? Really? You would rather risk a fatal stabbing - you, or your attacker - and then explain to police why you illegally carried an illegal weapon on your person - than call your insurers to get your stuff replaced? I mean, good luck to you, and all, but seriously? And, of course, Tec_ runs the chance of pulling a knife on someone who will then pull a gun back. So good luck with that, too!
never really felt threatened enough to justify carrying one. my work doesnt involve one. no point. i do agree with jipa though!
