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UK Knife Law (Edged Tools)
- Thread starter Tony
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Thanks. Interesting that no one using his knife for outdoor pursuits has been prosecuted. I think the advice offered in the conclusion rings very true...!
M
markal
Guest
Whittler Kev
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
C
captain-caveman
Guest
Brilliant article I agree with Ryan it is Reassuring to know that no innocents have been prosecuted, I am now a little less paranoid of being wrongly convicted or worse having "costly bush-craft tools" confiscated by an over enthusiastic jobs worth constabulary. My bush-craft tools are X military (a 127 M.O.D. 3 survival knife & an Air Ministry crash axe) both of which were designed to be duel purpose & useful as weapons for close hand to hand combat, they both belonged to my late father so also have sentimental value...
Alan
You didn't say that. Trust me, you didn't say that. Ever.
You have some woodworking tools that you take hiking, for chopping wood, etc, right?
I think the original article was a model of clarity but it *is* quite old. I believe there have been changes in the law following some notorious crimes in the last ten years and I wouldn't want to rely on the article now. I was brought up short last year by the realisation that my beloved Leatherman multi tool is illegal now for two reasons: firstly it has two blades longer than 3", secondly the blades lock in the open position -another tool has to be deployed to enable closure so that makes it a lock knife.
How things change. When I was a kid nobody was at all concerned by scouts carrying sheath knives on their belts. These days they'd all be in trouble. (Mind you, I did have my doubts about a guy walking the Pennine Way with a 2.5 foot long machete swinging off his rucksack. I suppose he believed all the stories about impenetrable jungle on Bleaklow Head.....)
How things change. When I was a kid nobody was at all concerned by scouts carrying sheath knives on their belts. These days they'd all be in trouble. (Mind you, I did have my doubts about a guy walking the Pennine Way with a 2.5 foot long machete swinging off his rucksack. I suppose he believed all the stories about impenetrable jungle on Bleaklow Head.....)
to be honest nothing about what you can and can't own or carry in public has changed at all since 1988. The only changes that came in in the last couple of decades all concern the advertising and sale of knives. You can't advertise them as weapons or glorify their ability to inflict pain, etc; and you can no longer sell anything but a non-locking sub 3" folder to an under 18.
The letherman has always been illegal to carry in public (since 1988 anyway) due to the size of blade and the fact that almost all of them lock (or at least the blade will not close under normal pressure, on account of the handle stopping it part way!). It is just that most people see them as toolkits containing a blade rather than a knife with pliers on it, thus overlooking the illegality of their carry
The letherman has always been illegal to carry in public (since 1988 anyway) due to the size of blade and the fact that almost all of them lock (or at least the blade will not close under normal pressure, on account of the handle stopping it part way!). It is just that most people see them as toolkits containing a blade rather than a knife with pliers on it, thus overlooking the illegality of their carry
It's not illegal in any way.
If you carry it in a public place then you need to have good reason. If you have good reason, it is perfectly legal.
It is the act of carrying it in a place when not needed that is the offence, not the item.
If you carry it in a public place then you need to have good reason. If you have good reason, it is perfectly legal.
It is the act of carrying it in a place when not needed that is the offence, not the item.
https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives
The laws about buying and carrying a knife depend on the type of knife, your age and your circumstances.
Basic laws on knives
It is illegal to:
sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old (16 to 18 year olds in Scotland can buy cutlery and kitchen knives)
carry a knife in public without good reason - unless its a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, eg a Swiss Army knife
carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)
Lock knives (knives with blades that can be locked when unfolded) are not folding knives, and are illegal to carry in public without good reason.
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and a fine of £5,000.
Good reasons for carrying a knife
Examples of good reasons to carry a knife in public can include:
taking knives you use at work to and from work
taking knives to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
the knife is going to be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, eg the kirpan some Sikhs carry
A court will decide if youve got a good reason to carry a knife if youre charged with carrying it illegally.
Banned knives
There is a ban on the sale of some knives:
flick knives (also called switchblades or automatic knives) - where the blade is hidden inside the handle and shoots out when a button is pressed
butterfly knives - where the blade is hidden inside a handle that splits in two around it, like wings; the handles swing around the blade to open or close it
disguised knives, eg where the blade is hidden inside a belt buckle or fake mobile phone
gravity knives
sword-sticks
samurai swords (with some exceptions, including antiques and swords made to traditional methods before 1954)
hand or foot-claws
push daggers
hollow kubotan (cylinder-shaped keychain) holding spikes
shuriken (also known as death stars or throwing stars)
kusari-gama (sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire)
kyoketsu-shoge (hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire)
kusari (weight attached to a rope, cord or wire)
This is not a complete list of banned knives. Contact your local police to check if a knife is illegal.
So if not on the banned list and you are charged with illegal carrying then "a court will decide"
The laws about buying and carrying a knife depend on the type of knife, your age and your circumstances.
Basic laws on knives
It is illegal to:
sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old (16 to 18 year olds in Scotland can buy cutlery and kitchen knives)
carry a knife in public without good reason - unless its a knife with a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less, eg a Swiss Army knife
carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife, such as a Swiss Army knife)
Lock knives (knives with blades that can be locked when unfolded) are not folding knives, and are illegal to carry in public without good reason.
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and a fine of £5,000.
Good reasons for carrying a knife
Examples of good reasons to carry a knife in public can include:
taking knives you use at work to and from work
taking knives to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
the knife is going to be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, eg the kirpan some Sikhs carry
A court will decide if youve got a good reason to carry a knife if youre charged with carrying it illegally.
Banned knives
There is a ban on the sale of some knives:
flick knives (also called switchblades or automatic knives) - where the blade is hidden inside the handle and shoots out when a button is pressed
butterfly knives - where the blade is hidden inside a handle that splits in two around it, like wings; the handles swing around the blade to open or close it
disguised knives, eg where the blade is hidden inside a belt buckle or fake mobile phone
gravity knives
sword-sticks
samurai swords (with some exceptions, including antiques and swords made to traditional methods before 1954)
hand or foot-claws
push daggers
hollow kubotan (cylinder-shaped keychain) holding spikes
shuriken (also known as death stars or throwing stars)
kusari-gama (sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire)
kyoketsu-shoge (hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire)
kusari (weight attached to a rope, cord or wire)
This is not a complete list of banned knives. Contact your local police to check if a knife is illegal.
So if not on the banned list and you are charged with illegal carrying then "a court will decide"
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