The laws governing buying and carrying a knife depend on the type of knife, your age and your situation. The following information comes from www.gov.uk/find-out-if-i-can-buy-or-carry-a-knife: Common sense only works if the other party also has it. Airport security confiscated my Spyderco squeak because it was “threatening.” All 2 “of them. I surrendered with dignity, it made no sense to do anything else. My son had a car accident and the police wanted to prosecute him because he had 2 approved folding knives in the street, one in his jacket that he had forgotten, the other in his pants used as a silver clip. The officer then asked him what he was using them for; 10 minutes later, she gave up. I`m going on a bike tour of Wales next week; All very civilized – no camping, little off-road, no kitchen. But I take some of my own food, because of dietary restrictions. I have a leather man but I want to take my bush knife with me because: 1) It is not hygienic to use a knife for everything 2) short blades are sometimes too short to cut food 3) if I have to make a fire, I need the bigger knife 4) in an emergency scenario (please answer on a postcard) a folding knife would collapse under considerable pressure, Lock or not lock.
The Bushcraft knife does not. 5) I shave my legs with the bushcraft knife. It is important to know and understand the applicable laws governing the purchase and transport of knives in the UK before venturing anywhere with a knife, regardless of size. When I was a child in my early teens, I took a vaginal knife with a 5″-6″ blade from the local forests to build caves. Never carried a knife anywhere else, never threatened anyone, never caused criminal harm. A lot of guys did. That was 35+ years ago. The problem is that only law-abiding citizens will abide by those laws. If you carry a knife for an offensive purpose or because you think it is a tool of self-defense, then you will not change your mind because of a law.
At Wildway Bushcraft, we always strive to encourage everyone to enjoy the outdoors at any time of the year. But with winter approaching,. Although English law insists that it is the responsibility of the Crown to provide evidence of the commission of a crime, a person must provide evidence to prove that they had a “good reason or legal authority” to carry a knife (if any) when arrested. Although this appears to be a reversal of the usual burden of proof, the prosecution has technically already proven the case (prima facie) by establishing that a knife was carried in a public place. Since the burden of proof of “good cause or lawful authority” rests with the accused, it is likely that a person stopped and searched by police will have to prove the following (sometimes called THIS list): The special exception that exists in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (section 139) for folding knives (pocket knives) is another “reasonable” measure that accepts: whereas some small knives are transported for general use; But even a folding pocket knife or multi-tool equipped with a blade less than 3 inches (76 mm) can still be considered an assault weapon if it has a locking blade. It is commonly accepted that a folding pocket knife with a blade of 3 inches (76 mm) or less must have a locking blade to be considered an assault weapon, but the wording of the Criminal Justice Act does not mention locking and the question becomes a question of the definition of “folding pocket knife”. I wanted to use my Anglo Arms locking knife as an EDC because the serrated blade part, belt cutter and glass breaker are apparently illegal to carry in my backpack because it`s a locking knife, and it can barely exceed 7.62cm, depending on where you say the blade starts counting. I hope at least something like this goes well in my car in case of an emergency, probably also under the car with the pipes so that I can`t reach it easily. Given the current level of knife crime that we are currently experiencing in the United Kingdom, I would expect to feel the full weight of the law if I were to carry my bush knife in public, how else can one fight knife crime with a zero-tolerance attitude towards the wearing of blade objects. So, in my opinion, this is a simple case of “don`t be stupid” because, combined with the actual legal restrictions, the epidemic of knife crime mentioned above should be reason enough to tell anyone with a mastermind carrying a bladed gun in public that this is a big no. Under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, it is a criminal offence to sell a knife, knife blade or razor blade to a person under the age of 18. The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and an unlimited fine.
You will be sentenced to jail time if you are convicted of carrying a knife more than once. Opinal one of the best economical knives for pocket and versatile use. Here you can check the best Opinel knife, it is ridiculous that people with real reasons for carrying a knife are prevented from doing so. There are hundreds of everyday objects that humans can use as weapons to cause damage if it is a personal intention. Scissors, almost any toolbox, any gardening item, you could stab someone with a pen if you wanted. The problem is clearly that the impact on the commission of serious crimes is not serious enough and is therefore less of a deterrent. Bushcraft Kit Well, I`m guilty of an endless collection of Bushcraft kits – a pocket for that, a knife for that, more axes I could ever use. Those of certain cultures in the cities will still kill each other despite these laws, whether with lock knives, bread knives, screwdrivers, sharp sticks, etc.
Enforcing this botched cluster munition law instead of just cracking down on hateful cultures that use knives is just lazy CP madness. Also, keep in mind that using a knife (legal or illegal) in a threatening manner is also illegal. So using your (legal) Swiss Army knife in a threatening way is still illegal. This is not an exhaustive list of prohibited knives. Contact your local police department to check if a knife is illegal or not. The government`s website on the knife law explicitly states that sword sticks are illegal. To be fair, it`s a real hidden weapon, and it`s hard to think of a valid reason to wear one in a public place? So if you are thinking of buying a pocket knife from us, don`t be offended if we ask for your proof of age. As a former police officer myself (retired – woo, hoo!), even I am confused by the legislation.
Sometimes it can be a matter of opinion of the judge or magistrate and you are at their mercy. This worries me because I am not an outdoor instructor and bushcraft instructor and a conviction for carrying an assault weapon would make me unemployable in my field. The place where I work is good because it is a private land that worries me when I go wild camping because everything is open to interpretation. I tend to play it safe and take a small puuko most of the time, known as Grandpa`s knife. It only has a 2.5″ blade and looks almost ornamental. I only pick up my larger Bushcraft knife (4.5-inch blade) when I know I`m going to be woodworking. In any case, everything I take with me is buried at the bottom of my bag/bike bag and only goes to my belt when I actually use it in the woods – so even the most zealous new cop has no real reason to look at me negatively. That`s pretty much common sense! Exactly! The majority pays for the minority! It`s like hitting a small nail with a sledgehammer, the wrong tool for work! And to make the law as vague as possible, because there is actually no way to ban knives completely. Combining bad law with bad policing is always a mixture for the imprisonment of innocent people. The majority of idiots who use knives to hurt people use ordinary kitchen knives. You shouldn`t have to worry about an overzealous cop! If you make bush boats and carry a knife for this peaceful purpose, why worry? That alone says that there is something wrong with policing that has happened to innocent people until proven otherwise? You are allowed to carry a knife that goes beyond these guidelines in public, but remember that you will need a good reason to carry it.
Gov.uk, for good reasons to carry a knife, has this to say: it is illegal to have a knife or a prohibited weapon.