Why are locking blades illegal in the UK?

Its simply that yo don’t have to show good reason to carry a small folding knife

True. However, you are NOT allowed to carry a sub 3″ blade if it locks (see pg1. – in law it is classed as a fixed blade). You are if it doesn’t. Even if they are otherwise identical, some knife manufacturers make two versions of their knives for this reason.

Given a locking blade is safer for the user this seems ridiculous.

Billyboulders i’m really not sure your right

About what?

(Or do you mean in the head 😉 )

Yes you are billy – so long as you have a reason for carrying it.

Locking blades being illegal dont think they are if you have them for a good reason.

So wanting to cut up your fruit when you have a picnic is not a valid reason?

Seems just as valid as needing one when in the outdoors.

“Illegal” is probably not the right word, not allowed in public without good reason maybe?

The point I am trying (badly) to make is, as TJ says you do not have to show good reason to carry a small folding knife. You do have to show good reason to carry a locking version of an identical knife. (Eg. Opinel No.4, sub 3″ blade, available locking or non-locking for this reason.)

IMO a locking blade on a small folding knife is safer for the user so it seems a bit daft to me.

Bloody hell but the pedants and whiners are out tonight, especially boardin’bob and MSP. Just because you live in a vacuum-packed, hermetically sealed environment where you never come into contact with anything that requires more than teeth or fingernails to open doesn’t mean the rest of the population does. I’ve carried a knife practically every day of my life, in fact probably fifty years. I used to carry sheath knives and folders, multi tools like Swiss Army knives and locking blades. A knife is probably the most useful tool I carry, for reasons I’ve pointed out on another thread, and others have said here.
When you get utterly ridiculous statements about waiting until getting home and using scissors to open thick plastic packaging, what are you supposed to do if you’re 200 miles from home, found the memory card in your camera is full and the ones in the shop are in packaging the same thickness as an Airfix model kit? Just stare at it and hope the plastic dissolves?
Go and buy a pair of scissors? Oh, wait, they’re sharp, pointy objects with long blades, so are you going to throw them away after using them? Don’t be stupid. I just cut the packaging with the little knife in my pocket, which happens to be technically illegal because it locks open. I gave up on non-locking blades having had them shut across my fingers a number of times.
Cutting back brambles and such on Sustrans paths when out for an evening ride is better when you have something sharp to do it with. Why bother? I’m a volunteer Ranger. It’s my job, I don’t go loaded with a bag of tools when out for an evening spin, a pocket knife is all I ever need.

This little beauty I carry on my keyring, the blade is only just over an inch long.

And this is my EDC knife, a Spyderco Lava, again the blade is less that 2″ long, and a very handy little knife.

The police have to deal with the consequences of knife crime, most people on here don’t. People get searched if it is suspected that they may have an offensive weapon(knife) hence the risk of them being arrested if caught with one is a deterrent. I am not naive and i feel alot safer carrying a taser. I feel it is some people on here who are naive and out of touch with what lengths wannabe gang members will go to! Anyway I’m off to work a night shift, hopefully lock up some burglars and hope that I don’t get threatened or attacked by someone with a knife, locking or otherwise. As I said, ridiculous question!

Offensive wepons illegal
Locking knives legal but you must have a resonable excuse or lawfully authority
Blades articles legal in public, If you have good cause or if folding blade under 3 inches.
So no to swords flick knives and butterfly knives , yes to anything else you can justify and yes to pen knives under 3 inched unless you intend to use them to hurt someone.

It’s the scumbag carrying a kitchen knife taken from home, or even worse, a screwdriver. Quickly sharpened on a kerbstone, that will penetrate most things, including a skull, and is easily concealed, and disposed of. If I was going to harm someone I wouldn’t use a £50 knife, which is what my Lava cost, I’d use a ball-point pen, or a Sharpie. Held in the fist, point slammed into an eye or into the neck just under the ear, that’ll do lots of damage, and again cost peanuts and is easily disposed of. An innocent man was murdered here in the west by someone with a screwdriver who took his iPhone. Look at photos of weapons confiscated by the police, the majority are kitchen knives and modified common tools.
It’s the use of a weapon in the commission of a crime that’s the problem, irrespective of what that weapon actually is, that’s the issue.
I’m certainly not stopping carrying a knife after all these years, that’s for sure, despite what some namby-pamby Daily Mail readers on here might think.

I’ve carried a knife practically every day of my life, in fact probably fifty years. I used to carry sheath knives and folders, multi tools like Swiss Army knives and locking blades.

dangerousbeans – Member
I know its the Mail but was widely reported in most other media at the time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266170/Disabled-caravanner-prosecuted-keeping-penknife-car-use-picnics.html

Not really sure ‘Perfectly respectable fella on a £3k dandy horse carrying a multitool in the bottom of a camelbak,’ would get away with it if he ran into this police officer or judge.

If you read a little bit more about the circumstances of Rodney Knowles’ arrest, you will find it was not quite as the DM would have you believe

Rodney Knowles

(included not for the sex offender content, but for the previous breaches of bail content towards the end)

and

Rodney Knowles threatening to stab pub customers

My OP was more to do with why LOCKING BLADES are illegal, and why other pointy stuff isn’t.

How I see it, surely an object only becomes an offensive weapon when it’s user decide to use it in that fashion. I absolutely agree that you shouldn’t have a knife on you unless you’ve got a good reason for it (as I did as a sailing instructor/using it on shoots), my point was that a folding knife really isn’t any less dangerous than a locking one.

I think it stems from how the law views the differences between a pocket knife and locking knife, the pocket knife being readily folded closed and put away. The blade more likely hidden. From reading some of blurb on the scottish law, it hints at that sort of idea, which has probably derived from old accepted norms of what people may carry.

I personally think the law as it stands is actually pretty good in its current form as an effective power to deal with knives and offensive weapons which are readily accessible whilst being carried in public.

Yes, there are some cases where people need to travel / carry knives ( probably mainly used for work ) with them … my advice in those cases is to make sure they are not readily accessable when carried ( i.e. at the very bottom of a bag and a case of some sort ). That way, they are an item which is not all that ready to hand and far less of an issue than something tucked in a back pocket. That doesn’t mean to say if stopped, the Police would be fine and dandy about it. Its about the reasonable excuse aspect when all the circumstances are taken into account.

Carpet fitter next to his van carrying a locking knife in his pocket during the day
or
Carpet fitter out in the pub with the same jeans and knife in pocket at night time.

MTB guy out on trails with spade in bag and knife in pocket for trailbuilding
or
MTB walking out of shop in town centre with spade in bag and knife in pocket buying bike bits

same person, same knives, different circumstances.

FWIW I have a small penknife in my camelbak. I’ve used it to chop bits of twig or undergrowth out of rear mechs etc when on my bike. I’ve even used it for minor trail maintenance.

I’ve yet to encounter a situation walking down the street, or through an airport, where I’d NEED that knife.

Folk that need a knife for walking down the street probably get a semi when they see old John Rambo up there.

another badly worded law bought into to supposedly control knife crime

Im nearly 40 – carried a knife on me most days since I was about 8, a little swiss army knife, then a larger swiss army knife with locking blade (safer for user), now a leatherman wave, or kershaw ken onion, or crkt

I work in horticulture, use a knife for variuos tasks throughout the day and get used to using and neding it for bits and bobs

if it in my pocket and I go out shopping in the afternoon, its still in my pocket,

I’ve never stabbed anyone, or felt like stabbing anyone with it, and if i was jumped or in an attempted mugging situation I would NOT even consider trying to use it as a weapon – its a tool

How TF am I sposed to open a flipping box?

One of those safe box cutter things. It won’t close over your fingers and makes it easy to open boxes.

Breathing live into an old thread…. I’m looking at a multi tool for my teenage cadet son – how worried would any other Dads be at buying their son something like the gerber suspension which has a locking blade? Seems to me his fingers are safer with the locking blade and I can trust him to only carry it when in full cadet gear so thinking the Police shouldn’t have a problem IF they stopped him. Then again I’m struggling with buying him something that could get him into big trouble. So should I get a smaller none locking item and hope his fingers stay attached? Recommendations please!

Get him a swiss army knife. We discourage cadets from carrying a knife all together though, they generally have no need for them unless they’re out on fieldcraft training.

edit (And then they can normally get away with scissors)

Cant be bothered to read the thread but has it been pointed out that locking knives arent illegal to carry? I’ve been searched and had a locking knife found. I was asked why I had it. Just come from working on the farm says I. The fact I was pretty much covered from head to toe in cow shit seemed to convinced them I eas suprised they searched me!!

Haven’t browsed the thread, so this might have been covered already.

Why are locking blades illegal in the UK?

They aren’t.

There is a law that prohibits carrying them without reasonable excuse however.

Edit: Beat me to it.

Not paid much attention to all this, but how do Boy Scouts get on with sheath knives these days then and according to that, the boat knife I carry has a locking blade, so clearly I break the law daily..

When did all this legislation happen?

So basically to prevent us taking a knife to a gunfight then?

Trucker i think we were both beaten to it by about 8 months!!!

oh bugger sorry just saw this thread and I am in the Poo at work 😮

The reason is I do maintenance in a certain Spanish Bank and I reguarly get my #8 opinel knife out 3.5″ lock knife and none of the staff say a word.

Good job I do not take my #13 opinel with its 23cm blade,

http://www.opinel.com/sites/default/files/upload/produit/23-big.png

Yes it is an overkill but I wanted one to cut my 50th birthday cake 😀

My view on this is that this is one hell of a pussy country
Ban this ban that safety for the public but it’s the public that suffer for this
I carry a boot knife when I go jetsking it’s about 6-7″ long and strapped to my leg if something gets caught around my impeller I have to cut it off or risk floating around in the sea till I get found or die or should I carry some blunt kids school scissors lol
The police don’t want to know that some Chav has a knife They could not care less
I gave the police a knife some tw*t had hid behind the wheel of my car after a fight and the police had turned up
I told them which kid had hid it and they did not even go and speak to him about it his prints were all over it
So much for being illegal then
I much prefere the American way have the right to bear arms some muppet try’s to break into your property or rob you with a knife shoot him
It’s that simple And I know what will come next “but the scumbags will have guns as well”
Well they already do and we are not aloud to defend ourselves as we get done for it when we do
God I hate this country
Rant over I am calm again 😆

Breathing live into an old thread…. I’m looking at a multi tool for my teenage cadet son – how worried would any other Dads be at buying their son something like the gerber suspension which has a locking blade? Seems to me his fingers are safer with the locking blade and I can trust him to only carry it when in full cadet gear so thinking the Police shouldn’t have a problem IF they stopped him. Then again I’m struggling with buying him something that could get him into big trouble. So should I get a smaller none locking item and hope his fingers stay attached? Recommendations please!

I’m not sure if being a cadet would be a reasonable excuse – and with the penalties for carrying an offensive weapon being potentially so serious, I wouldn’t risk it – especially for a teenage lad.

I gave the police a knife some tw*t had hid behind the wheel of my car after a fight and the police had turned up
I told them which kid had hid it and they did not even go and speak to him about it his prints were all over it

Well make your mind up……are you in favour of all this pussy nonsense, or do you agree that it’s OK to carry knives ?

Oh and while we are on the subject of stupid laws I do believe it is illegal to have a knuckle duster in the uk
But if you have a knuckle duster that is an iPhone case as well that makes it ok again with the stupid laws
This item is legal in the uk Take a look

IPHONE CASE

No I am not in favor of all pussy nonsense But it does not mean. Am going to stand There while someone hides a knife for all I know he could of stabbed someone with this knife making it illegal did not stop him carrying it did it
But the officer I gave it to did nothing to back this so called law up he might as well just gave it back to him and said off you go boy

That iPhone case would almost certainly get you lifted for carrying an offensive weapon.

A knife is a tool, nothing more.

A knife doesn’t stab someone, the person holding it does.

A pocket knife Is incredibly usefull, I have an opinel I take out dog walking if I need to cut him free. I have a multitool I carry at work which is the most used bit of kit I have, I have a locking blade in my firefighting tunic in case I need to free myself or my colleague in an emergency and I have a Swiss knife in the van for all those ‘wish I had a bottle opener/ pair of scissors/ Philips head’ moments.

Despite owning this arsenal I manage to use them for their intended purpose, a sharp edged tool.

All the people getting their pants in a bunch obviously never got shown how to use a knife safely and for its intended purpose. A boyonet on the other hand!? 😉

That’s all very nice, but it won’t get you far in court 🙂

I agree with you, by the way – my US relatives had me playing with Bowie knives from the age of 6, and apart from a few scars they never did me any harm.

I have a locking blade in my firefighting tunic in case I need to free myself or my colleague in an emergency

Are you really telling me that you buy your own knife (that requires 2 actions to use instead of a fixed blade which requires one) rather than having some sort of properly supplied tool? Given the work and tools the firemen have, I’d have thought a personal blade wouldn’t have been required.

^^ Properly supplied tools in the public sector? not likely, in recent years at least 3 firefighters have died after becoming tangled in cabling that has fallen from false ceilings during fires as they were unable to free themselves and ran out of air in their BA sets, having myself been involved in an incident where a colleague became stuck i asked why we in London could not have cable cutters attached to the belts of our BA sets, answer “Too expensive, carry an axe instead.” Only the axes are’nt all that good at cutting hanging cables and don’t have a pouch to carry either. 🙄

i had an no.8 opinel taken off me by a copper as it had a locking blade. it was on the dashboard when i got pulled over. i did try and point out that if i wanted to hurt someone, the chainsaws, axes, hammers, wrecking bars etc etc that were all in the back of the van would be alot more dangerous but he still had it off me 🙁 i loved that knife.

I have no problem with knives .I bought my son his swiss army knife when he was 8 ,he still has the knife and all his fingers 15 years later

Thanks all. Somouk – that’s interesting though I was meaning for his fieldcraft weekends etc rather than to carry back and forward from his normal cadet nights. I HAD read the earlier threads hence my concern, seems crazy the case law differs from what the writer of the statute potentially intended but that’s how it is. I liked the look of the gerber over a swiss army knife but the latter seems the safer bet given it negates the potential for interpretation of an offence. Was just wondering what other Dads thought in general that’s all….

Recommendations for a decent quality legal bladed folding multi tool for fieldcraft weekends only?

Nope, not personnaly issued any kit other than uniform. Most ff carry pocket knives and tunic knives. The reason for the locking blade is its safer and easier to use one handed, especially in a rush.

Bazz two of the ff you talk about were from my county, and some involved with the rescue are close friends so the reality is very real for me, we now have a pair of wire cutters in our baeco pouch and in a high rise kit, but that’s all well and good till your in a council house with trunking melting all over the place.

Recommendations for a decent quality legal bladed folding multi tool for fieldcraft weekends only?

For everyday use I use a SOG Powerplier – good size tools, excellent pliers, but the blade doesn’t lock so it’s legal. It’s got a pretty strong springback, though, you’d have to try pretty hard to close it on your finger…

Bloody hell! I agree with Elfin!
Page 1.
I am one of those who carried a pocket knife as a kid and still do. Rarely a day goes by when it doesn’t get used. And lockers are safer.
As usual the law was knocked up by some dimwit as a reaction to something that good social skills could have solved.