Knife laws questions to the experts

[Sylvain]

Are balisongs knives (butterly knives) legal to own and carry in Indiana?

Are automatic OTF (out the front) knives legal to own or carry in Indiana?

I heard on this forum that OTF knives are illegal in the state for some reasons, is that true?

Just making sure before I bring some new toys back home.

I just know that throwing knives are a no no for some reasons but besides that what are other things I need to know about the knife laws.

Im not aware of anything against carrying fixed blades or any lenght requirement for any types of blades either.

So as long as you are over 18 you can carry any type of knife, concealed or not on your person right?

 

[cubby]

Are balisongs knives (butterly knives) legal to own and carry in Indiana? yes. for the STATE.

Are automatic OTF (out the front) knives legal to own or carry in Indiana? no.

I heard on this forum that OTF knives are illegal in the state for some reasons, is that true? yes, these knives are illegal in indiana.

Just making sure before I bring some new toys back home.

I just know that throwing knives are a no no for some reasons but besides that what are other things I need to know about the knife laws. throwing knives are legal. throwing STARS are not.

Im not aware of anything against carrying fixed blades or any lenght requirement for any types of blades either. there is none. for the STATE.

So as long as you are over 18 you can carry any type of knife, concealed or not on your person right? knife does not need to be conceal. and owner does not need to be 18. AFAIK.

the above does not account for LOCAL laws.

 

[eldirector]

Butterfly = legal
Auto - illegal
throwing knives = legal

Cities and towns commonly have carry/length restrictions, with certain exemptions. Brownsburg, for instance, has a 3.5" blade length restriction. Exemptions for home, carrying from place of purchase to home, and for hunters/fishermen on hunting/fishing trips (I'm ALWAYS on a hunting trip - every day).

Oh, and their ordinance includes hatchets. If you take one camping, make sure you are also fishing/hunting! Taking a hatchet off of your property can get you fined in Brownsburg.

Would be nice to clean up this patchwork set of ordinances as well.

 

[eldirector]

Oh, and to my knowledge, there is no age limit. Can't take a knife to a school, but around here, must boys have a pocket knife.

 

[Sylvain]

Thanks for the answers guys!

Im dont know the lenght of any of the knives I own and im not going to measure them anytime I spet into a new town.Im not sure who can/wants to do that.

 

[eldirector]

Thanks for the answers guys!

Im dont know the lenght of any of the knives I own and im not going to measure them anytime I spet into a new town.Im not sure who can/wants to do that.

If anyone asks, give them your answer in millimeters, and just say "and that is way less than 3.5 inches".

In practice, no one really cares. Just another "tool" when the local PD needs a reason.

 

[Sylvain]

If anyone asks, give them your answer in millimeters, and just say "and that is way less than 3.5 inches".

In practice, no one really cares. Just another "tool" when the local PD needs a reason.

Yeah, im not American so im not used to inches anyway.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I heard on this forum that OTF knives are illegal in the state for some reasons, is that true?

Yes, see Blackboard Jungle. Yes, really, our laws are based on movies.

It's the menacing "snick" that the movies liked as more people are afraid of knives than guns (everyone has cut themselves in the kitchen but few people have taken gunfire). The switchblade is weak as a weapon but as a prop it is aces.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNYuSHk6S_c

I just know that throwing knives are a no no for some reasons

Perhaps you are thinking of Chinese throwing stars?

This statute was based on the pilot episode of Kung Fu where the monks are training in the courtyard. Someone got their garage door all messed up as the kids were missing a wooden man (not a mook jong but this one) and then someone passed a law.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IyS56_BeVA

Remember, laws are motivated by fear and ignorance and sometimes money.

So as long as you are over 18 you can carry any type of knife, concealed or not on your person right?

Yes, open, concealed, under your hat, in your socks. Most knife people I know carry multiple knives. No problem here.

 

[Sylvain]

Thanks once again Kirk.And for the laugh.
Yes I was thinking about "chinese stars" but typed "knives" for some reasons, my bad.

I bougth a OTF knife in France, I have a little collection that I keep there so that I dont have to carry 50 knives anytime I take the plane to Indy.
Even in France "chinese stars" and OTF knives are legal, can you believe that?
That's when you know that a law is ****ed up lol, when a weapon is illegal in the US but legal in France.
I bought one because I was curious about how they work and why they are so "evil".
Besides being expensive (all knives in France are about 2 or 3 times the US price, just like our guns, $1200 for a Glock made next door in Austria but that's another story)

I wanted to see if you can pierce your hand with one.And yes I tried on my own hand (after a test on paper) and it doesn't even hurt my hand.
I think many people think that you can switch the blade open through someone's body the same way it opens in the air.

 

[eldirector]

Only slightly off-topic:

Does France have the same tiered law/ordinance system that the US has?

In the US:
Federal
State
County
Township
City/town

There are no "American" laws on knives, but many States have laws, and many/most cities and towns do. Makes for a mish-mash of laws that is nearly impossible to follow. On the plus side, if gives "small, local" government a lot of power (where it should be).

 

[3point5]

I have always carried auto conversions, I buy them from gun shows or online. Last couple I bought, I was talking to a state trooper that was on duty while I purchased them.

 

[Sylvain]

Only slightly off-topic:

Does France have the same tiered law/ordinance system that the US has?

In the US:
Federal
State
County
Township
City/town

There are no "American" laws on knives, but many States have laws, and many/most cities and towns do. Makes for a mish-mash of laws that is nearly impossible to follow. On the plus side, if gives "small, local" government a lot of power (where it should be).

No in France everything is national, we have a National Police that enforces the same laws anywhere in France, even in French Guiana (in South America) and other french territories.
That is sometimes weird, like the laws about carrying machetes, for example, are the same if you are in the business district in Paris or if you are in the jungle in Cayenne (French Guiana).
Of course the police will decide to enforce this laws at a local level even if they are legally the same for everybody.
You will probably get arrested if you carry a big machete next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris but the police will ignore you if you are in a place where you actually need a machete.

It's easier to keep track, that's for sure.
Some cities can have local ordinances like on traffic laws or stuff like that, but nothing that can go against national laws.
A city cannot ban something that is legal at the national level.

 

[Bradsknives]

Thanks once again Kirk.And for the laugh.
Yes I was thinking about "chinese stars" but typed "knives" for some reasons, my bad.

I bougth a OTF knife in France, I have a little collection that I keep there so that I dont have to carry 50 knives anytime I take the plane to Indy.
Even in France "chinese stars" and OTF knives are legal, can you believe that?
That's when you know that a law is ****ed up lol, when a weapon is illegal in the US but legal in France.
I bought one because I was curious about how they work and why they are so "evil".
Besides being expensive (all knives in France are about 2 or 3 times the US price, just like our guns, $1200 for a Glock made next door in Austria but that's another story)

I wanted to see if you can pierce your hand with one.And yes I tried on my own hand (after a test on paper) and it doesn't even hurt my hand.
I think many people think that you can switch the blade open through someone's body the same way it opens in the air.

Almost all of your higher quality OTF knives (Microtech & Benchmade) will have a built in release/safety mechanism that releases the blade if it hits anything on it's way out. You can just reset the blade if that happens. People that don't know any better and watch too much TV and movies think OTF knives should be able to go through a board or wall when fired. All of the current OTF knives are not designed to do this, thus the release/safety mechanism that are designed into them.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

There are no "American" laws on knives,

There are federal laws on knives.

18 USC §1716

15 USC §1241, 1244

For a decent summary: Switchblade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[eldirector]

There are federal laws on knives.

18 USC §1716

15 USC §1241, 1244

For a decent summary: Switchblade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Huh.... learn something every day.

So, Switchblades are illegal in some places by federal law, might be illegal other places by state law, and then might be illegal in yet more places by local ordinance?

Isn't that special.

 

[grunt soldier]

Huh.... learn something every day.

So, Switchblades are illegal in some places by federal law, might be illegal other places by state law, and then might be illegal in yet more places by local ordinance?

Isn't that special.

i would say more annoying than special also please hide your ninja stars or the ninja star cops will be along shortly to arrest you

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Switchblades are illegal because of this . . . they lead to male dancing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8R9GiLImSw

Notice how much more fit the gangstas were in the 1960s. No sitting on the sofa smoking chronic and eating Cheetoes. There were dance battles to participate in!!!