Ohio knife question

Kestrel64

Kestrel64

Joined
Jun 30, 2006
Messages
256
I have a question for you folks. I have a CRKT Halligan Stiff Kiss in the sheath clipped to my sunvisor of my car. It is in plain site and definitely not concealed. I was wondering about the legality of this if I were to be pulled over. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
 
i just talked with a friend who is a state trooper. he said it is illegal plus a good way to get shot. any knife, gun or weapon of any kind that is easily accessed will get you in trouble.
 
I was told by the state trooper that pulled me over that any knife in the vehichle, but not on your person (ie: in a sheath on your belt) is considered to be a "CONCEALED" weapon. A friend got charged for concealed carry when the police found a machete in his trunk (along with his weedtrimmer, workgloves, and gas can that had all been used to clear brush in his grandparents woods the week before.)
In my case I had taken the sheath off my belt and lay it in plain sight on the passenger seat because I didn`t want to sit on it. I showed him my business card (I was working in the Busse custom shop then) and since it was a simple traffic stop I was given a warning for the knife and a ticket for the speed.
It`s pretty much up to the officer whether or not he wants to make a big deal of it or not.
 
Chosen-frozen said:
I was told by the state trooper that pulled me over that any knife in the vehichle, but not on your person (ie: in a sheath on your belt) is considered to be a "CONCEALED" weapon. A friend got charged for concealed carry when the police found a machete in his trunk (along with his weedtrimmer, workgloves, and gas can that had all been used to clear brush in his grandparents woods the week before.)
Click to expand...

So does that mean it's legal to carry a visible knife on your person while in a car in Ohio? I thought it was just the opposite--that you had to put it in an inaccessible place like a trunk or glove compartment, meaning that neither on your person nor on the sunvisor were okay.

When I pack and dress for backpacking, I'd like to wear my camping knife on my belt while driving to the woods for the sake of convenience, but thought it was illegal.
 
i always thought that in ohio you can carry any knife as wherever as long as its not concealed and being on your belt or having it clipped to your pocket with the clip are considered not being concealed ....... atleast thats what my knifed dealer in ohio told me.
 
Local P.O. have told me don't keep it concealed and you shouldn't have any problems, but I haven't talked to a State Trooper about this yet. I'd like to though. Reading state laws is one thing, but hearing from the people who do the traffic stops what they would do and how they would interpret things seems to matter more.

Either way, I've had all sorts of fixed and folding knives on me and in my car at various times and haven't had a problem yet. If you never get stopped by a cop it's pretty easy to do. :D
 
Kestrel, considering the part of the country you live in, I'd say you are courting trouble by carrying a knife that way. Some cops might not be worried about that, but I fear a great many others would be, and they can cause you a helluva lot of trouble that would require a lawyer, thousands of your hard earned dollars, and one or more court appearances to get you out of it, even IF you are successful. If you're not, GOD HELP YOU! Way too many cops these days seem to be using their badges and guns to enforce their own political agendas, and don't think for a minute they don't have their agendas.
 
I tend to agree there. I believe that legally speaking, you can't have a knife as a weapon, either weapon-looking, or modified to be a weapon, and local cities put length restrictions of them, too. In your case, I'd have to wonder why you want to put it on your visor...smells like a weapon to me, and therefore illegal. In other words, you may not have yours concealed, but you've staged it as a weapon...at least, that's what it looks like to me.:thumbdn:

(not a lawyer, find your own truth, etc--disclaimer)
 
Thanks for all the advice...I appreciate it. It is there mainly for self-defense if I ever need it...and hopefully never will. It has never cut anything at all, and rarely even leaves the sheath. Thanks for the advice...it is difficult reading the laws and trying to interpret what is "legal" and what isn't.
 
Hi guys, first post here, I teach CCW classes for Ohio residents and have a lot of experience with Ohio Weapons laws. In Ohio it is illegal to have ANY weapon accessible to you in your car, period! The only exception would be a handgun under the ORC CCW requirements, with a permit. But for anything else, if it can be used as a weapon it is illegal under Ohio Revised Code (ORC) for you to have access to it while in the car.

I have a friend who works for a lumber mill that was arrested for having his ax in his back seat while driving home from work. He now has a misdemeaner weapon charge on his record. The arresting officer stated that the ax was accessible in the back seat and should have been in the trunk, the judge agreed.

I have also personally advised a young man who had a fixed blade knife of 2.5 inches in a sheath on his belt when pulled over. He used it for work at a car dealership where he was a mechanic. Same result, misdemeaner weapon conviction. In Ohio any fixed blade knife is considered a weapon and will get you in trouble if the officer that pulls you over decides to make a big deal out of it.

Now in Ohio, any weapon that is not a gun will only get you a misdemeaner weapon charge. Gun offenses would be a felony.

Anything that can be a weapon and is within arms reach (i.e. in your cars cab) will get you in trouble. Even a baseball bat can get you in trouble if it is on your backseat.

The way to deal with this and comply with the law would be to keep all fixed blades (and axes), and any other weapon in your trunk. Ohio law specifically mentions that if you have to leave your car to get to a weapon (i.e. in the trunk) than it is not immediately accesible to you and is allowable. There is also an exception that folding knives are not defined under ORC as a weapon so they are OK to be on your person or in your car's cabin/visor/glovebox while driving. folding knives are the same as tools in the ORC's eyes. Be aware that as soon as you open the folding knife it becomes a weapon under Ohio law and can get you in trouble (self defense would be allowed as an affirmative defense however).

Ohio is pretty strict about any and all weapons in a car. Of course, if you are polite to the officer during the stop you reduce your chances of getting searched and hidden knives being found. But if you keep your knives in the trunk and never get arrested than the officer will never have the right to search your trunk, only the area immediately accessible to you (i.e the cab). Then your knives will absolutely never get you in trouble.

Hope this helps out some.
 
And If you keep your knives and other defensive tools in your trunk you have now defeated the whole purpose in investing in them, training with them and carrying them.

I am from Ohio and it is one of the worst run states I have had the misfortune of living in (and I grew up there). I hope to god and all that is holy that it will eventually rear its head out of the pool of raw sewage it's been in for about 40 years.

Please don't get me wrong Ohio is a great place to live except for the constant struggle between the flying tires and the sherrifs, Jim Karnes (ie Al Capone Now he may send someone to break my knee caps) is a reason Franklin Country sucks all by himself, the BS weapons Laws, the high taxes, the terrible roads and infrastructure, the horrible public schools, The cities of Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, Cinncinnati, and especially Toledo (A.K.A. Little Canada). Why we keep electing the pathetic politicians is unbeleivably (dem or rep they are both incompetant). Other than those small things I love it there and will move there when I retire from the military.

Born in Kentucky, raised in Ohio (franklin Co) although I prefer to live in Licking Co.
 
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