Penknives
compo
Posts: 1,370
Would it be ok to take a pen knife/swiss army knife thing in the saddlebag for repairs etc
Or would this be illegal?
Or would this be illegal?
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Comments
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What are you going to fix with a tin opener, corkscrew, pair of tweasers and a knife? surely a proper multi-tool is a better bet?0
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True - just thought that if there's nothing wrong in putting it in i may as well as it can only help if I have a problem rather than hinder0
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Correct me if i'm wrong but i'm sure it is legal to carry in public; a 'sheathed' blade up to 3" in length. i.e. a folded away penknife.
I always carry a leatherman tool with me as the pliers seem to get the most use when out on the trail for removing thorns from my tyres. The point of the blade helps when the thorn has snapped off and is only just showing through on the insde. Both are things you can't do with a multi-tool as far as I know. But I also carry a multi-tool as well.Specialized Rockhopper '07
Trek Fuel EX8 '090 -
steelo
That's what I was thinkin of using it for
Just didn't want to fall foul of the law or be branded as the stereotypical knife carrying teenager0 -
in my job it's pretty much standard to carry around a leatherman multitool. i heard of someone being done by the police for having it on his belt by the police whilst he was on his way home from work waiting at the train station because it had a locking blade!
not sure how you'd stand really?0 -
my uncle keeps owl's and other birds of prey and uses a 8" hunting knife to cut the meat up for them as he also works for the nature reserve he keeps the knife on his belt while out in the woods, a few years back he popped into asda on the way home for some shopping and forget to take the knife of his belt by the time he got back to his car he was surrounded by police and handcuffed!! because he wears army type clothing and had a knife shoppers thought he was an ex army nut case!! hes almost 50 and woudnt hurt a fly :?
bit random but made me laugh at the time
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GIANT boulder, marzzochi EXR, LX/alivio, DMR, spank, retro build0 -
I carry a Leatherman too. You can be arrested for carrying anything with a blade over 3 inch as I found out when I was arrested for carrying a chisel (on a way to lend it to mate). I was never prosecuted but they did waste my time before de-arresting me this was some 15 years ago and can't imagine it been any better now.
I think if you carry such an item that you shouldn't be on your person but keep it as part of your tool kit.0 -
I think it's strictly illegal. You're not allowed to carry a "sheathed blade" with you, any more than you're allowed to carry a handgun as long as it's in one of those little ankle holsters!
Essentially, if you can show you had a legitimate use for it, you should be ok. As long as you're not being stupid the wrost that's likely to happen is they'll confiscate it. So leave it in your bag until you actually need it, and I reckon you'll be fine. It'll be out of sight when it's not being used, and when it's in view, it'll be being "legitimately used".
I've got a mini mulitool/plier thing I keep in my camelbak. It's got a blade on it, but there's a legitimate reason for having it with me. If I got stopped and searched whilst on a night out and had it in my pocket, I'd be in trouble, and rightly so.0 -
bails87 wrote:If I got stopped and searched whilst on a night out and had it in my pocket, I'd be in trouble, and rightly so.
To true
My belief is as above - if there's a legitamate reason then it should be ok as long as its not being waved about etc
Anyway, police probably would not search a mountain biker and would see the use if you had it out doing repairs0 -
I see no reason for having one in your saddle bag your multi tool will have whatever you need, as if we have not got enough people walking around with knives already.So Far!0
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I think a knife is a perfectly useful tool that people should be allowed to carry, but as ever it's the few low-life scum who carry them to carve other people up who ruin it for everyone. My grandad (and most of his mates at the time) carried a 'pocket knife' as normally as you or I would carry a mobile. it was just part of your man kit.
I'd like to think that if the police, for whatever reason decided to search a mountain biker on the trail and pulled out a first-aid kit, tube, pump, bike tool, Leatherman, compas etc out of their bag they wouldn't bat an eyelid.0 -
The law is (or was, 6 months ago), it is legal to carry a folding, non-locking knife with a blade of up to 3.5". It may be 3" though, I have a bad memory, so I'd check... If the blade locks at all, it's illegal, whatever the length.
Generally speaking, if you're kitted out, bike, tent, snow shoes, the lot, and brandishing a 12" survival knife, not many people are going to arrest you. OK, they're not going to look positively on a 12" blade, but a maybe a 6" knife....if you look the part and you can explain what you need it for, they're going to take it for what it is. However, it's up to you if you want to take that risk.
On the other hand, if you're out in your burberry cap pointing towards the sky, pants tucked into your socks, carrying a bottle of budget cider....you have so much as a screwdriver in your pocket and it'll likely lead to trouble. Common sense really.0 -
as said, useful for picking thorns out of tyres and trimming things. I wouldn't be out in the middle of nowhere without something, just in case. a leatherman tyoe with pliers would be better, but i haven't got round to it...Rock Lobster 853, Trek 1200 and a very old, tired and loved Apollo Javelin.0
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i carry a leatherman style tool, in which is a 2 inch blade, i cant see any isue with it...I like bikes and stuff0
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if you're out cycling in the countryside what are the chances that you're going to get stopped by the police and searched. just thought I'd say0
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Anything on a multitool could be used as a weapon really.
I have a nice screwdriver shaped scar on my chest - didn't get the chance to measure the length of it but it definitely smarted.0 -
You can carry a knife with a folding blade up to three inches in length.
Anything with a locking blade is illegal to carry.
You can still be prosecuted for a blade less than three inches if it is carried as a weapon.
The burden lies on you to prove you had it for a lawful purpose i.e. the defence of i need it to fix my bike would be fine out on the trails but not so in a pub. This section of law covers blades and sharply pointed articles and can affect anyhting from knitting needles to combat knives.0 -
I carry a leatherman in my pack for riding.
As far as I gather you can cary a knife as long as you have a damn good reason for having it i.e if you are a chef on your way to work and so on.
Common sense prevails eh?Niner Air 9 Rigid
Whyte 129S 29er.0 -
scale20 wrote:I carry a leatherman in my pack for riding.
As far as I gather you can cary a knife as long as you have a damn good reason for having it i.e if you are a chef on your way to work and so on.
Common sense prevails eh?
That should be the case but as I found out it depends on who stops you. In my case I had a chisel in my car door pocket that I was on route to lend to a mate. Pulled by the police for driving suspicous (making sure I wasn't doing over 30 because I had a copper right behind me). Couldn't find anything wrong with my details or car then found the chisel in the door and decided I was carrying it as a weapon.0 -
Spose you can't use common sense and coppers in the same sentence then Niner Air 9 Rigid
Whyte 129S 29er.0 -
Can't use common sense in the same sentence as Britain, for sure. Knee jerk and ridiculous, well you could certainly use those.0
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I was never prosecuted and de-arrested the same day but it wasted most of day.0
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Barrie_G wrote:scale20 wrote:Spose you can't use common sense and coppers in the same sentence then
Problem is, you can't use "common sense" and "British justice system" in the same sentence any more
Don't be ridiculous! :roll:
If he had a whole tool kit, or some decorators supplies then it would have been more believable, I'll admit that it seems a bit silly when it's in the car but hey, put it in the boot, no worries then.
I imagine an awful lot of burglars say "no I'm just taking this crowbar to my mate's".0 -
What you trying to say
It was just a case of a mate phones asks if I having a cold chisel and if I could drop it around. So grab chisel from garage, jump in car putting chisel in drivers door and off I went. Less than a mile later and flashing blue lights and PC Plod wants a word. WIsh I had put it in the boot but he was that way out it probably would have made a difference. If I'd had a bunch of flowers in the car he would have accused of nicking them of a grave.0 -
CraigXXL wrote:That should be the case but as I found out it depends on who stops you. In my case I had a chisel in my car door pocket that I was on route to lend to a mate. Pulled by the police for driving suspicous (making sure I wasn't doing over 30 because I had a copper right behind me). Couldn't find anything wrong with my details or car then found the chisel in the door and decided I was carrying it as a weapon.
It is ridiculous, but the trouble is that's exactly the type of thing people carry as weapons. If you have any aura of "wrong'un", they'll look suspiciously at you. If you're a tradesman off to work in your van, of course they wouldn't think twice. Depends very much on the individual copper though. So if you want to carry either an illegal blade for a good purpose, or a legal blade for no purpose, it's up to you if you want to take that risk.
However, if you're out on your bike kitted up, you're not in your trackie bottoms and cider stained t-shirt, and you have a simple pen knife, very few coppers are going to bat an eye. To actually prosecute you would be ludicrously extreme and highly unlikely.0 -
You can carry whatever you want to if you have a good reason, however a just in case knife has to be under three inches and fold by law, the cop will have you belive that means it cannot lock but statue and case law don't say that. In the case law the knife has always been in the fixed position without good reason, just be sensible and don't flash it a bout.
As for the chisel in the car unless it was in a tool box/bag then it should be wrapped up and inaccessible or have a cover on the tip when being transported in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. Yes in previous jobs I've had to carry tools around and know what the cops can be like.-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
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Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:0 -
At the end of the day, if your son or daughter was stabbed by a burglar, and it turned out the police had pulled him over 5 minutes earlier, found a 'weapon' in his car, thought he was up to no good, but let him keep it because he said he was taking it to a mates, you'd be fuming. He was only doing his job.0
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to stay on the correct side of the law
1. the blade must not be longer than 3 inches.
2. the blade must not lock.
3. must not me a switch or gravity knife.
4. you must not carry it in any public place.
5. you must have a legitimate reason for carrying it.
your leatherman is technically illegal due to the locking blade, but if you keep it in your pack/camelbak while out and only take it out to use it durring a repair and don't take it into a shop/trainstation/pub etc i'm sure common sense will prevail and you'll be fine except perhaps for a moan from PC. jobsworth.Fancy a brew?0
