8 ms·
I carry an Opinel in my pocket for eating in the office kitchenette or even in public places.
by ahoka 8y ago
I carry an Opinel in my pocket for eating in the office kitchenette or even in public places.
- gadders 8y agoGood job you're not in the UK (I assume) - you'd get arrested for that. Locking knives are illegal in public [1] [1] https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives
- iguy 8y agoFrom that link, it's unclear to me whether an Opinel would be illegal: it locks in place, but not with a button. Anyone know? > Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason. Lock knives: * have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button * can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener
- rtkwe 8y agoOdds are the actual laws don't make mention of button, most multi-tools with locking blades use non button locks, and the list is just an example.
- DanBC 8y agoThe law is the Criminal Justice Act 1988. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/contents https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/contents The knife stuff starts here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/part/XI/crossheading/articles-with-blades-or-points-and-offensive-weapons https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/33/part/XI/crosshe... That talks about the blade folding and being under 3 inches (you don't need a good reason to carry it in public), or the blade folding and being over 3 inches or not folding. It doesn't mention the mechanism of locking. Knives that are illegal would be covered by section 141 - "offensive weapons". The Knives Act 1997 covers marketing of knives: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/21/contents https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/21/contents The schedule to the Criminal Justice Act lists what weapons are currently illegal: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1988/2019/schedule/paragraph/1/made https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1988/2019/schedule/parag... You'll see item 1 is a knuckleduster. If you're a child and you 3d print a knuckle duster a police officer is likely to tell you to stop fucking about and they'll confiscate and destroy the item. If you're a drug dealer with a history of violent offences they're likely to prosecute. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45275791 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45275791 This is a cultural difference in law enforcement, and it's something that derails conversations all the time on HN. Discretion in charging and prosecuting offences are seen as a good thing in the UK. But it's really important to remember this element of discretion when talking about how the written law is applied.
- justtopost 8y agoHere we call that selective enforcement, and find it encourages racism, sexism, and other abuses. There is not really an ideal situation sadly.
- iguy 8y agoThanks! These are more readable than I was imagining. And indeed, about discretion. So much of how things work is outside the written law, and of varying quality.
- MrBuddyCasino 8y agoI wonder why that comment was downvoted?
- pc86 8y agoBecause it's irrelevant. I think the UK's knife laws are ridiculous - but an article on medieval eating knives is definitely not the place to discuss that.
- patejam 8y agoPeople were talking about their modern equivalents. How is it irrelevant that you can't legally have many modern equivalents in the UK?
- DanBC 8y agoYou can have them, and you can even carry them in public if you have a good reason. Poster said "these are illegal" and that's not true.
- patejam 8y agoA "good reason" doesn't seem to include "because it's convenient to have", which is the reason for a lot of people. UK is extremely restrictive with their knife laws according to their own page. I don't know why you're trying to depict it otherwise. I'm not even taking a side here.
- ahoka 8y agoNo, but I'm limited to 8cms.
- donatj 8y agoThat is so lame. Non-locking knives are simply a danger to the user. Doing any sort of vigorous knife work it's just a matter of time before you accidentally shut your hand in it, speaking from experience.
- tomjen3 8y agoAll knives are essentially banned in public in Denmark. Yeah it is lame, but unfortunately you can't challenge politicians to a duel anymore.
- dx87 8y agoDisposable plasic knives are also banned in public, unless you are using it to eat. From https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives stealth knives - a knife or spike not made from metal (except when used at home, for food or a toy)
- DanBC 8y ago> Disposable plasic knives are also banned in public, No they're not.
- DanBC 8y agoIt's also incorrect. Read the link. You're allowed to carry and use a locking knife, but you need to ahve a good reason. If you don't have a good reason you have to find another tool. This law is not aimed at the few people who carry opinels, but the many football hooligans who were carrying eg stanley knives. There are knives that are illegal in the UK. One example would be flick knives.
- eadmund 8y ago> You're allowed to carry and use a locking knife, but you need to ahve a good reason. 'I want to' should suffice. It's a general-purpose tool, and one oughtn't be required to have a specific reason to carry a general-purpose tool. This applies in the software context, e.g. to cryptography.