knife Laws ?

Just reading this thinking "where is that multitool?", then remembered it's under the pillion seat on my bike. It has much better screwdrivers and better pliers than the SV's crappy toolkit.

It is ridiculous that you can't carry something like that around without setting off beepers at railways stations and get an argument from some idiot station official who doesn't know the knife laws.

I also work in IT and used to have a Swiss Army knife that was designed for IT use, had all the tiny torx drivers for getting laptops and compaq equipment open, etc. I carried it everywhere and nearly lost it I don't know how many times by forgetting it was in my laptop bag when going for a plane. It would get pulled out by security and I'd have to leave my bag with them and leg it back to the car park with the knife.

[Swin]

This post has also just reminded me that I have a Leatherman in my works rucksack, in a little pouch (if that made any difference)!

I remember a couple of years back they set up metal detectors on Whitehall for people attending the Rememberance Day parade, typically they decided that muggins, who was merely walking down to the car park, should be the first person to go thru the detector. My leather jacket kept on pinging so they asked me to empty my pockets into a bowl - the Leatherman was looked at by the first policeman, but he gave it to his Sergeant, I told him I worked in IT and rode a bike and he was more than happy to keep it for himself! Then he gave it back to me - some coppers do use their noddle - and have a sense of humour too

Guys, carrying knives such as leathermans, and knives as a tool of your trade is not illegal and would definately fall under the reasonable excuse but I think your moaning about being stopped at airports/train stations etc very blinkered.

Think about it. The majority of stabbings are not done with big kitchen knives or anything else, they are done with "pocket" knives etc and the likes of the wee blade on a multi tool.

If you have nothing to hide from carrying your knife then what does it matter? Yes, it may be a few moments of inconvienience but if they were to take these policies away because of the self rightous moaning about it and people died as a result, then I would hope you would feel guilty.

It will not stop all stabbings, I will grant you that. However, it makes things that little bit more difficult.

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Guys, carrying knives such as leathermans, and knives as a tool of your trade is not illegal and would definately fall under the reasonable excuse

The fact is that there are too many "fuzzy" laws.

It should be illegal, or not illegal to carry it, not up to the cop that is questioning you as to why you have it.

What if you remind him of the guy that his ex left him for, or he's just having a bad day, or just didn't get laid last night.

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Guys, carrying knives such as leathermans, and knives as a tool of your trade is not illegal and would definately fall under the reasonable excuse but I think your moaning about being stopped at airports/train stations etc very blinkered.

Think about it. The majority of stabbings are not done with big kitchen knives or anything else, they are done with "pocket" knives etc and the likes of the wee blade on a multi tool.

If you have nothing to hide from carrying your knife then what does it matter? Yes, it may be a few moments of inconvienience but if they were to take these policies away because of the self rightous moaning about it and people died as a result, then I would hope you would feel guilty.

It will not stop all stabbings, I will grant you that. However, it makes things that little bit more difficult.

I'm not suggesting that leathermans are illegal, nor am I moaning about getting stopped at the airport, I understand why they can't allow them on aeroplanes, that bit of my post was merely anecdotal, not derogatory.

What I do object to is having to argue about it with a station official or security guard who says it is illegal and confiscates it, and you have to go to his boss and argue with them to get it back. It's not just a few moments inconvenience, and then to top it off you miss your train and you are late for work. If I can carry it on the street, I should be able to take it on the train.

I've even been refused entry into a museum (!) because it was a "public building" and had metal detectors at the door. The security guard knew that a leatherman was legal, but refused to let me inside because somehow carrying it in a public museum is more dangerous than carrying it on the street.

If it was just "Sorry sir, can you empty your pockets for me? OK, that's what's set it off, let me see the length of that blade? OK, that's fine, thank you sir. Here's your very expensive tool back, sorry to have held you up" then I would be quite happy that the train/museum/whatever was a safer place to be. But unfortunately it's not and the majority of these guys manning the detectors have had no training whatsoever. They work for XYZ security who are contracted by the museum, and they took the job because it requires no qualifications and the woman at the dole office told them to apply for it or lose the fortnightly payout.

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

The fact is that there are too many "fuzzy" laws.

It should be illegal, or not illegal to carry it, not up to the cop that is questioning you as to why you have it.

What if you remind him of the guy that his ex left him for, or he's just having a bad day, or just didn't get laid last night.

Oh come on! Seriously!

if that is the case then IMO it should be illegal to carry any sort of bladed article in public then. Period.

However, that is not practicle as there are many people who need it for their everyday jobs. But, in the same breath, it is not an option to legalise the possession of bladed articles in a public place.

in the country as it is just now, it would be a blood bath.


I am off out so I don't have time to type what I want to, but if I remember I will do it when I get home later.

[hindle8907]

lol i love you lot.

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by Milky Bar Kid

Oh come on! Seriously!

if that is the case then IMO it should be illegal to carry any sort of bladed article in public then. Period.

However, that is not practicle as there are many people who need it for their everyday jobs. But, in the same breath, it is not an option to legalise the possession of bladed articles in a public place.

in the country as it is just now, it would be a blood bath.


I am off out so I don't have time to type what I want to, but if I remember I will do it when I get home later.

Seriously, I should be able to carry anything I want as long as it is in a non-threatening way.

If I want to wear a sword on my belt, then why not, it should only become a matter for the police at the moment the blade clears the scabbard.

As for your comment about how things are at the moment, and the ensuing bloodbath, when I was a kid, I inherited my Grandads collection of pen-knives, and I carried some of them to school with me (primary school), I never stabbed anyone (ok so we are talking inch and a half non-locking blades), although I stopped carrying them when my mum found out (and no, I didn't stab or threaten, or even call her any names when she told me not to anymore). Then I joined the scouts and despite EVERYONE at camp carrying a knife, no-one got stabbed and there were no knife-fights, although some rabbits met their end due to them, and as for the mass-destruction of tree branches picked up and whittled into tent-pegs...

Its not the number of knives on the street thats the problem, its the number of people not taught about personal responsibility thats the problem.

[ophic]

Originally Posted by SoulKiss

although some rabbits met their end due to them

how does a knife make catching a rabbit any easier?

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by ophic

how does a knife make catching a rabbit any easier?

Have you ever seen a rabbit try and run while it's holding something?