How is blade length measured?

T

TimmyBoston

Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
58
Is it the cutting edge? Is it any length about the handle? I have a knife like a Strider where the cutting edge is actually under 3 inches, but the overall length of the steel is over 3.5, so would this be legal in a 3.5 inch state or not?
 
cmdionne said:
Measure it the way that gives the longest blade length and you know that you will always be safe.
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Every jurisdiction may have a different definition.
Every officer may have a different understanding of that definition.

As cmdionne indicates, assume the worst. :)

I believe AKTI encourages legislators to specify tip to handle as the easiest way to keep it clear, simple, and uniform. Tip to handle could also be understood as stabbing depth.
 
cmdionne said:
Measure it the way that gives the longest blade length and you know that you will always be safe.
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+2
if you're going to error
"error on the side of safety"

i go from the tip to the hilt and cosinder THAT the "blade length" i would do this not only when figuring out how long my own knives are, but also if (for some reason) i ever wanted to determine blade length on a knife i ran across on a call at work.


i would NOT double this, if it was double edged, that's just stupid. i'd fight that in court, til the bitter end, if someone ever said i had a 10" blade because my 5" dagger had 10" of cutting surface.
 
joe-bob said:
The length of the blade is from the tip to the forwardmost portion of the handle or hilt.
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That's what I thought. Thank you all for your posts. I had thought that is exactly what it meant, but I had hoped. I don't want to break any laws even if I believe some of them are very silly. Thanks again.
 
tip to usually where ever the knife would stop stabbing, or so the thought is. so gaurd handle.
heres the question though what if it is a neck knife with no scales just a piece of steel
 
For jurisdiction purposes, it's best to assume the other party will take the longest length that justifiable for the blade. Think of it this way - a 3" cutting edge mounted on a 3 foot pole still has 39" of reach in a tactical encounter.
 
my cousin (a cop) measures blades by how much cutting surface there is....so bowie knives get another inch added on them easy. though i measure from the hilt to the point....his arguments make sense when u look at certain ulus (canadian aborginal blades...legal to carry)
 
MadeInCanada said:
my cousin (a cop) measures blades by how much cutting surface there is....so bowie knives get another inch added on them easy. though i measure from the hilt to the point....his arguments make sense when u look at certain ulus (canadian aborginal blades...legal to carry)
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Your cousin is making up laws to please himself. If law is not widely known ahead of time -- consensual or statutory -- it is arbitrary and inherently unfair.

If logic were involved, the only knife law we'd need would be, "Thou shalt not use thy knife to harm another except defensively."
 
unfortunately in Toronto, Canada there is no law...it is left up to the officer to make a call and for the officer to defend his decision in court, should it come to that. i couldnt really justify using this method, i only point out that other officers of the law do use it and that the trend of what officers will use as a benchmark will vary greatly from area to area...i support people carrying knives safely and legally, my cousin believes that carrying a knife should be illegal without a permit. we are both willing to arrest, confiscate and then defend our decisions in court.

i agree with your point that unknown laws are arbitrary and inherently unfair, but i must point out that it is the duty of the citizen to research these laws, and the cops to only enforce them.

it is mostly (aside from a few exceptions) up to the officers discretion - that is the law (Toronto, ON)

this policy IMHO has been left in place to allow officers who work in tougher neighborhoods where knives under 4 inches are common place in stabbings to arrest detain and question those who seek to ruin EDC knives for the rest of us. It also allows those who need big ass bowie knives to continue to carry those....in some states (US) its automatic confiscation.
 
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You can slice all day with a 1-inch or less blade so the length laws don't care about sharpened length at all. They care how deep it could stab. Measure the absolute longest distance from the tip to the furthest part of exposed blade until you hit the handle even if you would personally consider this the tang by this point. If it is exposed and it ain't handle then it is likely legally blade. Don't take the manufacturers measurement to be accurate either as who knows how they measured it. My jurisdiction has 3.5" blade max too for concealed. I tend to like blades right at about 3" anyway thankfully so no need to push the issue.

Intent can also be an issue in some places. If you are carrying a 1" blade knife in my jurisdiction, Colorado, with the intent to use it as a weapon (presumably this means even defensively) then you are breaking the law, misdemeanor or felony depending on where you are at when you get caught (public in general = misdemeanor, any type of school = felony). In fact, the Colorado statutes are so vague this can also apply to a ball point pen, your car keys, long fingernails, etc.....
 
pinhead said:
You can slice all day with a 1-inch or less blade so the length laws don't care about sharpened length at all.
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interesting idea...makes sense...but this is totally based on your opinion as i cant find any law or case law to support your claim. What they are legally concerned with is BLADE LENGTH.

ure state's law state:
"Knife" means any dagger, dirk, knife, or stiletto with a blade over 3-1/2 inches in length, or any other dangerous instrument capable of inflicting cutting, stabbing, or tearing wounds

a blade is defined in Websters as "3a : the cutting part of an instrument"

As such, a good way to measure the Blade of your knife.
1. take a piece of string and hold it to the tip of your knife.
2. follow the contour of your blade to the tang, include the unsharpened section where the manufacturer normaly stamps his brand and location (just incase the LEO who stops u does, as pinhead suggests)
3. mark the string
4. measure the string

you will now have the longest distance that could be argued legally in even the most hostile of jurisdictions.
 
Yeah I agree that would be the maximum, but if you have a recurve with a decent ricasso your gonna end up with an extra inch or so that doesnt seem fair!
 
Any cops in here with an opinion? Seems they would be the one deciding to take action. Winding up in court to prove yourself right isn't worth it, so really the police officer is always right.
 
joe-bob said:
It seems there are alot of people making things up...not a good plan. :(
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AKTI hold no official capacity to an officer, or court. THEY ARE LOBBYISTS! While it may be useful as a defence in court (they even have a section for defense attorney and expert testimony), most people would rather it not come to that.

As such, its a good idea to use all the methods above and any ones u can think of, specific to your knife and take the LONGEST MEASURE...

that way no matter which LEO/which jurasdiction you get, u are in the clear....if a cop is already an ass by trying to make a 3.5inch knife into a 4inch by following the blade curve....9/10x saying the American Knife and Tool Institute measures the knife another way, isnt going to get you far.

best to be safe than sorry.....or worse knifeless!:)
 
MadeInCanada said:
saying the American Knife and Tool Institute measures the knife another way, isnt going to get you far.
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Keep in mind that that is also the method the manufacturers use to measure and publish blade lengths, and that does have some clout to it.
 
manufactureres also have zero legal standing, as its the customer's perogative to ensure the knife is safe to be carried....my point isnt that your wrong joe-bob...

its that you should plan for the worst (ex. an ass of a customs agent) when buying an EDC blade...that way u will never have your knife taken, or land yourself in court...or ever have to have that conversation with a LEO....best case senario.

though if i am ever stopped and harrased u can be damn sure that i'll keep that AKTI tidbit in my back pocket.
 
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