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I ask this question because this week I met someone that just got off the boat, so to speak, who was totaly amazed at the different types of knives for sale at a local store. He said that knives with around a three inch blade were illegal where he's from and other types have to stay cased between the store and the buyers home. I can't wait until he sees people out in the street with open carry guns if I correctly understood what he said.
Was he just having me on or what?

you OBS havnt seen this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4581871.stm

you cannot carry knives across the pond,
unless you are a criminal of course.

No, the criminals aren't allowed them either. Because you know criminals follow laws.

Because you know Law Abiding Criminals follow the Knife Laws.

Corrected

 Grey Templar wrote:
No, the criminals aren't allowed them either. Because you know criminals follow laws.

Makes perfect sense!

Flick knives are illegal and you can't carry anything over 3" on your person.

Carry a MutiTool...a Gerber is good.

Slight correction to be made - you can carry longer blades on your person in public, *if you can demonstrate a valid reason to do so*.
A door to door knife salesman, for example... or a cook on a market stall.

You are allowed, in Germany at least, to use a knife for self-defense purposes if the blade has a max range of 12 cm. Needless to say, though, if you don't know how to defend yourself with it, it's more harm for yourself than protection.

I, personally, always wield my dagger at night after having almost been killed in an assault a few years ago and haven't ran into legal trouble yet

Yeah, its excusable for neds and the like to tote about with knives ...as long as they also happen to be carrying fishing rods and waiders.

...Weapons in general aren't really carried by anyone outside of the authorities here. Unless your a criminal. Or a hunter. ...Or a cab driver. ...Or every other Glaswegian. Ok that's an exaggeration, the police don't really arm themselves. =P

 Corpsesarefun wrote:
Flick knives are illegal and you can't carry anything over 3" on your person.

Unless it's for ceremonial purposes (Like a Sgian Dubh)

Yes, I carry this large blade around in case I need to ritually sacrifice a virgin or a goat.

* Insert Welsh sheep joke here.

I thought that's what kilts were for. So every time the scots invaded they could easily defile your sheep.

Oh, we don't want those nasty foreign sheep now. We have an island that's just all sheep here...

...But yes, other than their revolutionary air conditioning system, that is one of the kilt's central design features. ^^'

 Wyrmalla wrote:
* Insert Welsh sheep joke here.

You rang boyo!

Although I'm actually ancestrally Scots-welsh so extra heretical.

For our cousins across the pond..

https://www.gov.uk/find-out-if-i-can-buy-or-carry-a-knife

They keep talking about mandatory sentences for knife crime, but I don;t think any has been set in stone/implemented yet.

... I see no Bat'leth on that list, though it is oddly specific/extensive. I guess someone's really been caught swinging a kusari in the hopes to out confuse their enemy. =P

Dress up as a Klingon and carry a Batleth to test that theory?

A comic-con would presumably fall under theater or reenactment purposes.

But then I am not sure a Bat'leth would actually be a knife. Not sure what it is actually. A bladed staff perhaps?

Well, it's not totally unrestricted knives in the US either; some localities do have restrictions. NYC restricts a host of different knives, such as ANY switchblade of any length, or as any knife with a blade over 4 inches, whereas my Cupid OTF Extractor is totally lawful for me to carry concealed in Iowa as it has a blade of 5 inches or less - but anything in excess of 5 inches is similarly unlawful to carry concealed without the proper permit.

As with any laws in the US it varies wildly from jurisdiction.

Oregon has some weird law about blades, switchblades are legal if manufactured in the state, but ones made outside the state are not ok? some such nonsense. We have a LOT of knife makers in Oregon.

Also, you may not "conceal" a knife on your person that is larger than a 4" blade.

For instance, sword, ok. 7" switch blade with just the retention clip on the outside of your pocket, and the top showing out, legal.

Pretty much same laws as firearms, feel free to open carry anything, ala shotgun rack in back window of your truck.

Right, contrary to what the Daily Mail would have you believe, it is not illegal to carry a knife.

The relevant legislation is in S139a of the criminal Justice Act of 1988.
You may carry, without having a good reason, a pocket knife with a blade not exceeding 3" (A Lock knife is counted as a fixed blade in law).
You can carry anything else (not on the banned list, which is, switchblade, balisong, gravity knife, disguised knives, non detectable) if you have good reason, or legal authority.
There are exceptions for national dress (the sgian dhu for example) or religous reasons (kirpan or althame)

 marv335 wrote:
Right, contrary to what the Daily Mail would have you believe, it is not illegal to carry a knife.

The relevant legislation is in S139a of the criminal Justice Act of 1988.
You may carry, without having a good reason, a pocket knife with a blade not exceeding 3" (A Lock knife is counted as a fixed blade in law).
You can carry anything else (not on the banned list, which is, switchblade, balisong, gravity knife, disguised knives, non detectable) if you have good reason, or legal authority.
There are exceptions for national dress (the sgian dhu for example) or religous reasons (kirpan or althame)

The other thing about it is "good reason" is very vague. It dose not have to be as specific as "I am an Chef at work". If you are a respectable looking adult and have kitchen knives in your bag in a knife roll and you say your going to a friends to cook dinner and taking your good knifes you will be fine. If you are a chav carrying a fishing rod and a knife "for fishing" (which is one of the things they try) you will get a long questioning about where you are fishing, your gear etc. I.E. the police have wide discretion as to what is "good reason". If you don't convince the police you are unlikely to be arrested unless you are clearly up to something or it is a very illigal knife (Luke a flick blade), but it may well be confiscated.

 marv335 wrote:
or religous reasons (kirpan or althame)

Its spelt Athame.

But, yes it is usually considered illegal to carry a knife. Thanks for bringing this to my attention marv. I can now legally carry my field knife with me

 master of ordinance wrote:

 marv335 wrote:
or religous reasons (kirpan or althame)

Its spelt Athame.

Anathame actually.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Anathame#.UbmB7-eyAyg

... oh wait.. hang on.

meh. I'm sure killing a Primarch counts as a good reason.

Killing primarchs is one of the foundations of this nation Red...

We are really sharp on knife crime here. The police can really get to the point as they dont have to worry ao much about gun crime. Means they have a real edge compared to the US.

 Corpsesarefun wrote:
Flick knives are illegal and you can't carry anything over 3" on your person.

You can, but you need a good reason for it.

For instance if you wanted to carry a big feth off chef's knife around, it would be best to be a chef going to work, rather than a 15-year-old hanging around the local park.

Of course a genuine chef would have his knives carefully wrapped up in a carry roll or something, too.

Or just join the Scouts.

I remember when i used to work in the print industry i often had a pallet knife on my belt, one day i forgot i was wearing it and popped to the local shop to get a spot of lunch.

However behind me when paying was an officer of her majesties constabulary who took a great interest in the 4" fixed blade i had on me, however after a two minute conversation he just ended up moaning at me for being stupid and that i should make sure i don't take it off site (factory) in the future.

I guess i fell under have 'good' but slightly stupid reason for having it on me.

I do however have a friend who was charged only to later have a magistrate throw the case out, he was stopped by the police and had a leatherman multitool on hi, those have fixed blades of around 3", thus does not fall under the pocket knife guidelines.

Thankfully though the police would no accept ignorance as an excuse the magistrate did given he was a rather law abiding chap.

Like a lot of laws i guess it comes down to how the police in individual cases decide to enforce it.