ONE FOR THE ROAD

CHOOSING AN “EVERYWHERE KNIFE” CAN BE DIFFICULT DUE TO COMPLICATED KNIFE LAWS

- DOUGLAS S. RITTER

PITFALLS ON THE ROAD

First off, the answer to why there is no such thing is that, in some places, no knife is legal for most people to carry. The most notorious example of this is Philadelphia. Its draconian ordinance §10-820 Cutting Weapons in Public Places prohibits any person except first responders from the “use or possess[ion of] any cutting weapon upon the public streets or upon any public property at any time” unless it is being used in a “trade, profession, or calling.” Their definition of a “cutting weapon” covers “any knife,” as well as anything else “that has a cutting edge similar to that of a knife.” The penalty is not less than $300 and imprisonment for not less than 90 days.

How often such ordinances are enforced is another matter entirely, but do you want to take the chance that you run into the odd law enforcement officer with a bad attitude or having a bad day? That’s when it can get expensive, or even potentially life-changing. Worth noting is that in our experience, most knife arrests or violations occur as a result of some other incident that brings you into contact with an officer, such as a traffic stop, being drunk and disorderly, or something similar.

There are always exceptions to every rule and New York City is the most infamous exception to this one. Most knife violations and confiscations (illegally seized, but they don’t care) in NYC result from having a knife clipped to a pocket. NYC code prohibits any legal knife (under 4-inch blade) from being visibly carried, so it must be carried completely concealed.

PENALTIES VARY