Knife Amnesty...

[mat]

???

Okay, so there is currently a knife amnesty and BBC news quotes:
"Knife possession legislation is being reviewed across the UK."

What is the current law for me, who has a Opinel knife (like a pen knife) which I take to the allotment?  What happens if I was stopped and found to have a knife on me???

What happens if I go out walking in the hills with my pen knife in my rucksack?

Anyone know what the law is???

(p.s. I am female, and not one to use it on any living thing, let alone a person!)

mat

[mat]

[sarah]

interesting point. i dont know answer though. i too (like most gardemers i suspect) carry a knife, a swiss army one, and i've never thought about it really. I would like to assume tht the police would use their discretion, but... . dont know what they would make of my father in law who carries a machete in his van!

[MonsterMum]

There was a police officer being interviewed on the ITV news earlier today who said that it's perfectly legal to carry a pen knife with a blade up to 3.5" long as long as you have a valid use for it

[Gadfium]

I think it's to do with having a valid use for the knife e.g. hiking (it'd be daft to go for a hike without one), gardening, going across to cut Gran's lino.

[tim]

Wonder who assessed the critical effect of the extra half inch over 3.5"?

Depends on whether you wear your heart on your sleeve?

Not a day goes by without my using my Victorinox.

[Robert_Brenchley]

it's about having a lawful reason to have the knife; if you need it for something, it's a sensible size, and it's reasonable to have it on you at the time, that's OK. If you're lurking about in a subway with a twelve-inch carving knife down the back of your trouser belt, that's a different matter.

[mat]

Thanks Guys... I need to measure my knife; I think it is 4" but it sounds as though the extra 1/2" will not be a problem from your comments!

I was asking, as I realised at the end of one day a couple of weeks back, that I had gone to Tescos after the allotment - with the knife accidentally still in my pocket - and some shops have said they will start screening...

mat

[supersprout]

I wouldn't worry mat. A gardening knife travels in my rucksack (which passes for a handbag) at all times - essential for e.g. cutting string/tape, opening parcels, prising, fishing keys out of drains, hacking mud off boots, and borrowed by knifeless tradesmen everywhere. If screening happens, it won't be Good Life lay-dees who are first in the queue.

[ACE]

Machete in the van, penknife in my pocket, and stanley in the toolbox, a veritable arsenal, but all essential tools. And 'tool' is the word to describe them, not weapon!

[Merry Tiller]

Rarely go anywhere without a penknife, only work but try getting one airside at an airport

[Roy Bham UK]

 :o Hmm! I have an old butchers chopper or is it cleaver on show in the back of my car :o praps best cover it up eh? but very handy tool for slicing up the stalks of the P/S/Broc, cabbage, sprouts etc: oh! and wood. ;D

[moonbells]

I am a thorough Victorinox addict. Have at least four of the tiny ones on various keyrings with blade, file, scissors and screwdriver. Plus a whopper computer fixit one (toolkit in pocket form) and two gardening ones - tri-bladed which are tricky to get. One's a reserve for when I lose the other!

One I found in the middle of a rainforest after carefully leaving all of mine in the UK :o.

At any time at the lottie I'll probably have three of them, assuming I've got car keys, garage keys and a garden one! All of which have been used for string, cutting veg, trimming those inevitable broken nails...!

Having said that, if I ever find myself under attack at the lottie, it won't be a knife I use to defend myself. Hubby taught me elementary quarterstaff fighting... with a rake!  ;D

moonbells

[mat]

Sounds like my little Opinel knife is a childs toy compared to some you guys carry around  ::)  I'll stop worrying  ;D

The rake idea is a good one  ;D
mat

[Merry Tiller]

I have a billhook, anyone attacks me and they'll need an ambulance... and probably quite a few buckets ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

:o I wouldn't go near a lottie person with an array of garden tools at his/her disposal :o even a garden fork would keep me at bay :o ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Anyone who tries it on at my allotment needs their head examining, if there are psychologists in hell that is. I think I'd probably start with the grass hook, swung at throat height.

[Merry Tiller]

That's the spirit, ALLOTMENTEERS FIGHT BACK  ;D ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Honestly you lot!  ;D

The thought did strike me though the other day when I popped into Asda straight from gardening and I had my pen knife in my pocket and my curved blade gardening knife in my handbag.  What with those, 2 pairs of shears, 2 tree loppers, a saw, several pairs of secateurs and a sythe in the boot, I think my pen knife is the least of my worries!  :o

[Ceratonia]

This case might worry some of you then - basically this man had a Victorinox in his car and was driving to a meeting in London. He ended up being arrested and charged, made 5 court appearances and was eventually found not guilty by a jury. The fact that he had a baton in his briefcase too probably didn't help his case.

http://www.antiwar.com/spectator2/spec602.html

And a sensible, interesting (unofficial) police viewpoint on the above case

http://coppersblog.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_coppersblog_archive.html

[loulou]

this one is probable stupid but this one is my fear
alone at home with the kids (5 and 2) hot day all doors open husband at work
stranger walkes in  what do you do ( kitchen knife ) there over the size  allowed
with any luck it will never happen but stranger things have happend at sea
how would  a court look at that because if anything likethat ever happend im pritty sure they wouldnt be walking out of my house   i do fret over things llike that and i would probberbly do some dammage to them for 2
reasons reason one   my kids are in the house  there safty comes first
reason two  how dare he even think of entering my house with my kids in

iv offen read the news and thought what would i do in that situation
and there has been a lot of car jackings near me so in my car is a bat (and ball) along with spade  rake trowle oh and dont for get the hand bag the only things in it are heavy items as i dont use a handbag its under the seat just in case i use the one under the seat as a storage bag ie a cup a falsk a first aid kit  there is a couple of other unusual things in there too all house hold but not normaly found in a handbag ( i couldent fit the kitchen sink in which was a shame )  i am sutch a fretter about things like that silly some times but you just never know nowadays