Where is it not legal to carry a folding knife ?

I'm really surprised hearing the stories about the farmers, are they really true? As an arborist / tree surgeon I carry a knife almost every day, its a safety requirement when climbing in case you need to cut gear in an emergency. I use mine often for taking samples, cuttings and rudimentary decay detection. I'm always lost without it, it comes in handy for so many other things too. I'd definitely stand my ground if someone tried to charge me with carrying it illegally.
And you, carrying it whilst working, or going to work, or home from work, or even popping into the supermarket on the way home from work for some milk, would almost certainly be fine.

If, on the other hand, you were out for the day with the wife and kids at the shops / cinema, etc., that would be a different matter entirely.

I used to work for Welsh Water - on the water quite often. Like your job, a knife was part of my safety kit, and was automatically something that just got carried whilst in work (actually almost all of us carried 2 knifes).
However, they went in the car as soon as I came from work, and was in a box in the boot, along with the rest of my work kit.

Why ? Because I did not have 'good reason' to carry a knife on my person the rest of the time. It was made very clear to us that if we were stopped for physically carrying a knife outside of work (rather than having said knife in the boot of the car, not readily accessible), then we would be on our own, legally speaking.
 
On a plane.
actually flying to Chicago about 3 years ago with BA I realised I had my Swiss army knife in my pocket just as I was about to go through xray ,so I called one of the security guys over he disappeared with it, then can back and said it is ok it is under 3 inches and gave it back to me.
 
Yes!!!!!!!!!!
I have known the farmer I told you about for 25 years and have never known him to be in trouble!!!!!!!!
There is a little bit of " IF I DID'T SAY IT, IT ISN'T TRUE WITH SOME ON THIS FORUM"
Well you can't deny it does sound pretty extreme, and would be contrary to standard procedure.
 
The problem with knife laws is that every time the Government has a problem with the figures going through the roof, then they do the cheapest thing to give the impression of tackling it. That is, they pass a new law. There is more legislation before Parliament now. Increasing resources to catch offenders is expensive, so you don't see too much of that! But if you carry a knife in public, undoubtedly, you run the risk of falling foul of one of these laws.

Basically, without getting too bogged down in specific legislation, if you stick to these rules, you SHOULD be okay.

1. Don't, as a rule, carry a knife with you. Even if you stick to the rules of the blade being less than 3" and it isn't locking. Because any article (includes knives) can be interpreted as being an offensive weapon given the evidence surrounding the incident. If they can prove it is made, intended or adapted for use as a weapon. For example, (as above), if you've got any sort of knife in a nightclub or bar, you must have the intention to use it as an offensive weapon and it'll be hard to argue otherwise. The same goes if you go to court with a blade. Why would you want one there? You can try the "whoops it's a mistake" defence if you like, but don't hold your breath. It can be hard to prove intent, but having a knife in such places makes it much easier.

2. If you simply HAVE to have a knife, say for your job, you have reasonable grounds for carrying a knife, then that will be a defence and should see you not getting charged. Whatever sort of knife it is, so long as it's suitable for the job. It doesn't have to be for your job, but it's got to be reasonable. If you are off stalking, for example, then you need a knife. Or a chef going to work. But if that stalker or chef still has that knife on him and he goes for a few pints afterwards, or goes to court for his speeding charge, then beware!

Knife crime is in the news. To be fair, it's pretty often in the news. Which means the authorities will be wanting ACTION! Which means the cops will be under pressure to show results. So if you find yourself being stopped with a knife on you and they think you have committed some offence, they WILL act on it.
 
Over the years I have stood in the dock of some of the highest courts in the land with my multitool on my belt.The Old Bailey,Royal Courts of Justice,The appeals court.And various Crown Courts and Majistrates courts.They never ask when you are taking the prisoner up the back steps or in the lift.It has also saved two peoples lives when I cut the ligatures round their necks when they tried hanging themselves.Also cut down two who didn't survive.Then the prison service stopped us carrying them incase a con grabbed it and used it on me.I had already been carrying it 20 years by then
 
Nope, the farmer story was a guy with a locking blade that he forgot about. He's since morphed into everones mate.

I carry a non locking Enzo PK70 everywhere. Including the pub.

The law is plain. You have a legal carry knife, it's legal to carry it. Wave it at the barman and its an offensive weapon, even if it's an inch long.

Passport office asked me to leave it with security , but other than that it never leaves my pocket. I've carried a knife daily for 30 years, including visits to cop shops.
 
The problem with knife laws is that every time the Government has a problem with the figures going through the roof, then they do the cheapest thing to give the impression of tackling it. That is, they pass a new law. There is more legislation before Parliament now. Increasing resources to catch offenders is expensive, so you don't see too much of that! But if you carry a knife in public, undoubtedly, you run the risk of falling foul of one of these laws.

Basically, without getting too bogged down in specific legislation, if you stick to these rules, you SHOULD be okay.

1. Don't, as a rule, carry a knife with you. Even if you stick to the rules of the blade being less than 3" and it isn't locking. Because any article (includes knives) can be interpreted as being an offensive weapon given the evidence surrounding the incident. If they can prove it is made, intended or adapted for use as a weapon. For example, (as above), if you've got any sort of knife in a nightclub or bar, you must have the intention to use it as an offensive weapon and it'll be hard to argue otherwise. The same goes if you go to court with a blade. Why would you want one there? You can try the "whoops it's a mistake" defence if you like, but don't hold your breath. It can be hard to prove intent, but having a knife in such places makes it much easier.

2. If you simply HAVE to have a knife, say for your job, you have reasonable grounds for carrying a knife, then that will be a defence and should see you not getting charged. Whatever sort of knife it is, so long as it's suitable for the job. It doesn't have to be for your job, but it's got to be reasonable. If you are off stalking, for example, then you need a knife. Or a chef going to work. But if that stalker or chef still has that knife on him and he goes for a few pints afterwards, or goes to court for his speeding charge, then beware!

Knife crime is in the news. To be fair, it's pretty often in the news. Which means the authorities will be wanting ACTION! Which means the cops will be under pressure to show results. So if you find yourself being stopped with a knife on you and they think you have committed some offence, they WILL act on it.


Nope totally disagree. Carry a knife for whatever reason you want. It is your right so why bow down to the red top reading baying thickos that make up the general public.
 
The law is plain. You have a legal carry knife, it's legal to carry it.

Let's rephrase that a little bit - whilst looking at the actual LAW.

If the 'legal carry knife' you refer to has a blade length of less than 3 inches AND a folding blade, then yes, you can carry it. You do not need to show 'good reason'

If the knife has a length of over 3 inches, or is a non-folding blade, then you MUST have 'good reason' to carry it.

From the .gov website :

Examples of good reasons to carry a knife or weapon in public can include:
  • taking knives you use at work to and from work
  • taking it to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
  • if it’ll be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry
  • if it’ll be used in a demonstration or to teach someone how to use it
A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.


And as to your other post stating "Carry a knife for whatever reason you want. It is your right", well, see the above.
 
I'm sorry, what part of legal carry knife did you fail to understand.

I know full well what the law is.

Please re-read my posts.
 
My mate who is a farmer went into the court to pay a fixed penalty speeding fine. He emptied his pockets before going through the metal detector and in his belonging was his small penknife for cutting bailing twine.
He got a night in the cells and took to court in the morning. Luckily enough he only got a caution.

That's taking the mick! I carry a five inch to & from work. Your required "good reason" as a chef would. A small non locking pen knife & bet he were in his torn wax work coat/wellies when it happened. They wonder why the cells are full & police understaffed!
 
From person experience (and confiscation)

The ferry from Dublin to Wales (where mine was confiscated)
The Eurostar train from London to the Continent (where my son's identical knife, missed by the ferry fairies, was confiscated)
 
I'm sorry, what part of legal carry knife did you fail to understand.

I know full well what the law is.

Please re-read my posts.

You may well know 'full well what the law is'.

But you also advise people to 'Carry a knife for whatever reason you want. It is your right'.

Maybe you should edit that post so it reads "Carry a knife with less than a 3" blade that folds away, for whatever reason you want. It is your right"
 
Nope totally disagree. Carry a knife for whatever reason you want. It is your right so why bow down to the red top reading baying thickos that make up the general public.

Crack on. If you want a criminal record, that is. Although if you stick to legally carrying one, as riflerob says, you should be okay. But if you are going shopping, on the school run or whatever, you really do it at your peril. Sometimes you have to bow to the majority, right or wrong. Principles are important, but you need to know when they are worth fighting for. Kids are getting stabbed left right and centre at present. There are good reasons for carrying a knife, but "for whatever reason" will see you suffer for your principles. You really can't rely on the police thinking "Oh he's a decent bloke, we can ignore the 5" sheath knife on his belt."
 
I have a 2" folding Swiss army knife on my key ring which I use for cutting the stems off broccoli as they charge by weight and who eats the stems ?
I suppose I could be reported by an irritated supermarket assistant ? It says a lot that we are even discussing this.
Its clear to me that you are culturally disposed or trained to use a knife for self protection and have to be amoral to even consider using it- I certainly would no more stab a person than shoot them with my firearms - then again, i have never needed to be violent - couple of times before 16 but thats it..
 
Did no one read my posts,? I am talking about legal carry knives. I would have thought the people taking part in this thread could read .

In the second post I omitted the word legal but you would have to be thick to not know I was carrying on from my previous post.

Stop being pedantic arguing types . Especially Rifle rob. You're nit picking to try and make yourself look clever.
 
Crack on. If you want a criminal record, that is. Although if you stick to legally carrying one, as riflerob says, you should be okay. But if you are going shopping, on the school run or whatever, you really do it at your peril. Sometimes you have to bow to the majority, right or wrong. Principles are important, but you need to know when they are worth fighting for. Kids are getting stabbed left right and centre at present. There are good reasons for carrying a knife, but "for whatever reason" will see you suffer for your principles. You really can't rely on the police thinking "h he's a decent bloke, we can ignore the 5" sheath knife on his belt."

What? like I had already said you mean.?

Move on.
 
it would appear that the original question is about a sub 3 inch folding knife... this definition is from the exemption under the law which meant that for ALL other knives you needed lawful reason and good excuse. (NB that is separate legislation to offensive weapons). that means you do not need a reason for carrying a folding pocket knife under that size BUT
1 locations/companies may not permit carrying them on their premises as a condition of entry eg nightclubs etc
2 other acts in law may make any knife unlawful.... eg the law regarding Court premises, School grounds, Air travel..... all have their own legislation.
 
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