Why is it illegal to carry a pocket knife over 3 inches?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “3 inch knife law“
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Written by: Evelyn
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Why is it illegal to carry a pocket knife over 3 inches?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “3 inch knife law“
About Evelyn
Is it? This depends upon where you live. Some places have laws barring the carry of any knife. Some bar the carrying of a knife over a certain length. Some bar the carrying of folded or open knives. Some will let you carry any knife as long as it is openly displayed. These rules vary from country to country, state to state, province to province, and even city to city.
“Why would a jurisdiction have a law against the carrying of a knife with a blade longer than three inches?”
A law barring the length of a blade over three inches makes it pretty clear that the carrying of a knife is legal, but the carrying of a knife over a certain length is illegal. Thus, the length is of paramount importance.
I would suggest that the reason against such a knife is that the legislators enacting such a law view knives with blades longer than three inches as “weapons.” Why would a blade longer than three inches be more dangerous than a blade that is one inch long? The three inch (or longer) blade is capable of doing more damage. You can pretty easily reach a lot more internal organs. We aren’t talking about a nail file We aren’t talking about a Swiss Army knife.
I don’t believe in the banning of knives of any particular length. I think all of my pocket knives are slightly shorter than three inches. I also don’t carry a knife most of the time because I’m a school teacher. Still, there is an actual reason why a jurisdiction would ban knives. It is as credible as banning any other item which can be used as a weapon. Unfortunately, you run into that same dilemma of whether banning items stops criminals from using them.
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“Why” is it illegal?
In the late 19th and early 20th century, handguns were expensive, bulky, and rarely carried by urban dwellers unless they had the means to afford them. While most cities had banned the carry of such weapons (or even severely curtailed their ownership) most had not bothered to do the same with knives, bludgeons, brass knuckles and other , assorted defensive and offensive weapons.
Since firearms were out of the financial reach of many minorities, immigrants and the “criminal class”, knives and clubs were their defensive tools. Since these groups frequently had interactions with the authorities (minorities and immigrants because who they were) the police often removed knives from these individuals. This lead to city councils and state legislatures to ban knives over a certain length as being “thug’s weapons.” These bans later encompassed switchblades and “gravity knives” as well as all so-called dirks and daggers.
Decades later ,even though technology has allowed for firearms to be reduced in size, weight and price, knives are still viewed many as being “thug’s weapons” and are banned beyond a certain length. In most municipalities, any knife, folding or fixed blade over four inches is viewed as being a “weapon” instead of a tool. While this is debatable (personally I have never viewed a double-edged knife as being a “tool”) there hasn’t been a grassroots movement to change knife laws across the country.
Sooo…decades ago municipalities picked an arbitrary length over which knives would be deemed illegal. They codified laws that enforced these bans and they have remained on the books ever since.
OPINION : Frankly, folding knives over four inches are nearly worthless. They are too large to be easily concealed (the purpose of a folding blade), they don’t have a hilt to prevent the user’s hand from sliding over the blade if used “offensively” and the locking mechanisms on all but the most expensive models are questionable in their functionality. If you are looking at a knife over four inches, I would always advise that you purchase a fixed blade.
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It isn’t illegal, at least not in California. You can carry a folding (and folded) pocket knife of any size as long as it doesn’t open in some prohibited fashion (switchblade, gravity knife , butterfly knife, etc.).
I don’t know what jurisdiction you’re referring to, but if there is indeed such a prohibition in your jurisdiction, I imagine it’s because it is easier to inflict great bodily injury or death with a longer-bladed knife.
Practically, a knife with a blade length over three inches is unwieldy and less useful than the ones I tend to carry. If I’m doing something that requires a longer knife, then I’m probably near a tool kit where I would store such a knife, and don’t need to carry it on me.
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“Why is it illegal to carry a pocket knife over 3 inches?”
There is a major issue here, Dear Questioner, which need to be addressed before your question can be answered.
First and foremost, where are pocket knives with 3+” blades illegal? In some places, it may be a nationwide law. In others, the basis of the question is moot because it’s not illegal to carry such a knife.
Now, assuming such knives are illegal where you are, the answer to the question “Why?” is simply because your local (or State, or national) lawmakers decided there is no good reason to carry such a knife.
I don’t particularly agree or disagree with such a decision, although I tend to carry a smaller pocketknife as a utilitarian type of tool. If I was thinking of a knife as a defensive weapon or survival tool, I’d use a knife with a longer fixed blade. I wouldn’t want a knife accidentally folding up on my hand while trying to use it…
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That depends on where you are. In the US, knife laws are all over the place from state to state, county to county, and city to city. Some have length regulations, some have none….
Here’s a page with a state-by-state analysis.
US Knife Laws | KnifeUp
Different countries have their own regulations.
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The question isn’t “why” so much as “where?” And the answer depends on the jurisdiction being discussed.
For the state of Georgia, USA knives over 2 or more inches are prohibited, but ONLY in school safety zones (OCGA 16–11–127.1)
Aside from school safety zones knives with blade lengths equal to or less than 12 inches are unregulated (OCGA 16–11–125.1). Knives more than 12 inches must be accompanied by a Georgia Weapons License in order to be carried legally.
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To begin, it is not illegal to carry a pocket knife over 3 inches everywhere. Knife blade-length limits like this are set by politicians ignorant of the matter at hand who then pick an arbitrary number out of the air and decide “no one needs a knife longer than 3 inches”. The same kind of mind numbingly stupid “logic” is behind most gun control laws.
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There are states laws. County laws. City laws.
All of which dictate some portion of the knife laws which apply to you at any given time.
My state of California has no blade length restriction for concealed folding knives.
My county could vote to limit blades to be 3.5” if they wanted but I don’t think they have.
Some of the cities I commute through have 3” limitations.
You really need to check which laws apply at all levels, because there is not just one knife law you need to follow.
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