Yeah you're taking a gamble on the good will of the police officer that searches you. The way it was explained to me was, you take lock knife to and from a fis

Yeah you're taking a gamble on the good will of the police officer that searches you. The way it was explained to me was, you take lock knife to and from a fishing trip but you can't divert to the local super market on the way. Interestingly your car counts as a public place so you can't just leave a Leatherman in the glovebox (either locker or unlocked) for emergencies. A Swiss Army knife with a sub 3" friction folding blade won't break that rule. I think the only places you can't really take one are the airport or a football match. You still can't wave one about like a nob but that's a different set of laws.