Can you carry a knife longer than 1.5" in MA?

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Bluesman

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Looking through MGL chapter 269 Section 10
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/269-10.htm

I noticed that in section 6.b it references things that you cannot have in your possession or under your control:

" having a blade of over one and one-half inches"

It is hard to tell exactly if this is a stand alone requirement or part of the previous long run-on sentence?

any thoughts it seems ridiculous.
 
this has been covered a bunch of times in the last week or two. It is part of the longer sentence and applies to switchblades and double edged blades
 
One would think these knife,taser,expandable baton,etc rules would not apply if someone had a LTC.
These are all good less than lethal choices to carry if we were allowed.
 
Ultimate said:
In MA, there is NO blade length limit.

Boston has a 2.5" limit. Worcester has a stupid 2.5" limit but only if you get caught with it while you are being arrested for a crime.

Other local laws may be different.
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Does that 2.5" only apply to folding knives? I.E. Can I carry, say, a 4" buck knife in a holster?
 
Carry a fish hook and lure on your person all the time, so you can say you're on to a fishing trip.
 
No blade length restriction in Massachusetts

There is no blade length restiction in Massachusetts. If you want to carry a folding knife with a 6" blade - go ahead. If you want to carry a fixed blade knife with a 7" blade - you can.
Boston (not Massachusetts) has an ordnance against >2.5" blade length - but there are exceptions.
In Massachusetts, you cant carry a switch blade - or even own one - unless the blade is 1.5" or smaller
You cannot carry a double edged knife - or even own one.
Butterfly knives are legal
Assisted opening knives are legal with the exception of ones that open with your index finger. An assisted opening knife is a knife with a tortion bar that assists in the opening of the knife.
A Kershaw Leek for example is not legal in Massachusetts. Part of the blade extends beyond the handle when closed. You press this extended part of the blade with your finger to start the knife open. The torsion bar takes over and the knife flips open.
If the assisted opening knife has a thumb stud - that is legal. Start the knife open with the thumb stud about 10% of the way. The torsion bar takes over and the knife pops open.
 
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Fox said:
In Massachusetts, you cant carry a switch blade - or even own one - unless the blade is 1.5" or smaller
You cannot carry a double edged knife - or even own one.
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C. 269 § 10 prohibits carrying such knives on one's person or under one's control in a vehicle. But which statute are you citing that prohibits simply owning such? If one could not possess any double edged knives, you'd have a lot of upset sword collectors out there!
 
Fox, you better tell Wal-mart that they are selling illegal knives! [shocked]

They did (and may still do, haven't looked lately) sell Kershaw Leek knives in MA.

I think if you study the law more carefully, you will learn that assisted-opening knives are legal in MA, the Kershaws being included.

I expect many LEOs in MA however would not be knowledgeable of the intricacies of MA knife laws, just as they aren't knowledgeable of the intricacies of MA gun laws.
 
I am correct. Wal-Mart is not legally selling Kershaw Leek knives. It has already been brought to court in Massachusetts - and they were found to be a switchblade. And the decision was appealed to the court of appeals. They upheld the decision.
An Army Navy store on the North Shore was the test case about 4 years ago. Their Kershaw inventory was confiscated, they were brought to court - and they lost. And then they appealed and they lost. And in the decision - the court of appeals interpreted the definition of a switchblade to include index finger opening knives - and in the same statement allowed thumb stud assisted opening knives
They just haven’t gone after Wal-Mart yet. The next time someone is arrested with one - and they find that it originated from Wal-Mart - they will. I’m sure it will just result in Wal-Mart removing the inventory as Wal-Mart is a big fish with deep pockets.
But if a cop lifts one off you and decides to charge you – they will look directly at the Court of Appeals ruling.
 
Fox said:
I am correct. Wal-Mart is not legally selling Kershaw Leek knives. It has already been brought to court in Massachusetts - and they were found to be a switchblade. And the decision was appealed to the court of appeals. They upheld the decision.
An Army Navy store on the North Shore was the test case about 4 years ago. Their Kershaw inventory was confiscated, they were brought to court - and they lost. And then they appealed and they lost. And in the decision - the court of appeals interpreted the definition of a switchblade to include index finger opening knives - and in the same statement allowed thumb stud assisted opening knives
They just haven’t gone after Wal-Mart yet. The next time someone is arrested with one - and they find that it originated from Wal-Mart - they will. I’m sure it will just result in Wal-Mart removing the inventory as Wal-Mart is a big fish with deep pockets.
But if a cop lifts one off you and decides to charge you – they will look directly at the Court of Appeals ruling.
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do you have a cite for this?

Many people on this forum carry kershaw leaks, if this is true it would be interesting
 
I'll post the case info later. When a court makes an interpretation of a law, it is no longer up for interpretation. I spoke to an attorney who is the president of the Braintree Rifle and Pistol Club. He provided me all the case information from the legal publications.
My suggestion is to be careful. If you got pulled over and voluntarily showed the knife to the officer, you may get charged. This exact situation happened to another person in Massachusetts with an assisted opening knife. The officer asked him if he had any weapons – and the guy showed his knife. And if your charged - there is case history on the knives. You can no longer argue the ambiguity of the law.
 
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hollewud7 said:
do you have a cite for this?
Click to expand...

+1. I'd like to see the actual case(s) please, as this is an interesting topic. I'm also still waiting on an answer as to why you cannot even own a double bladed knife.


(btw, Fox, I deleted your message that you edited to just say "aa", I'm assuming that's what you wanted.)
 
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I am aware Boston has the 2.5" law, but is it really legal to carry 5" or 6" knives elsewhere? Someone here said Malden (IIRC) has a similar law as Boston? Are you sure of this?

Is there any truth to the rumor if a policeman holds the knife to the palm of his hand and the blade is longer than his palm is wide than it is illegal?

I was always under the assumtion (other than Boston) that 4" was the legal limit to blade length.
 
Blade lengths

There may be other towns that have blade length restrictions. The only one I am farmiliar with is Boston.
There is no truth to the palm of your hand measurement. I believe that came from a rule of thumb police officers used to use with kids and knives - back in the day that kids could carry a pocket knife without being expelled.
If the knife was longer than the palm of their hand - they would take it away. Their is no legal basis.
As far as assisted opening knives - there are plenty to choose from without taking a chance with index finger opening knives
Kershaw makes a large number of index finger opening knives without the torsion bar. They are nearly as fast. And they are legal. Kershaw is making the change because of the growning problem of assisted opening knives with index finger opening.
Also - there is a number of really fast assisted opening knives from Kershaw, Benchmade, SOG, and Gerber that open with the thumb stud. The new Benchmade's in particular are really fast - they use a better steel than Kershaw, and they are 100% legal.
Even if switchblades were legal, and even if index finger assisted opening knives were not a problem, they wouldnt be my first choice. The best knives (unlike guns) are still legal to own and carry in Massachusetts!
 
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Xak said:
I am aware Boston has the 2.5" law, but is it really legal to carry 5" or 6" knives elsewhere? Someone here said Malden (IIRC) has a similar law as Boston? Are you sure of this?

Is there any truth to the rumor if a policeman holds the knife to the palm of his hand and the blade is longer than his palm is wide than it is illegal?

I was always under the assumtion (other than Boston) that 4" was the legal limit to blade length.
Click to expand...

I posted a link to and quote from the Malden city ordinances with my original post re: Malden's laws. You can find it earlier in the thread. As Fox said, it was an "old school" guideline to determine if the blade was too long, but you really need a ruler [rolleyes] Each city may be different, and you need to check their code/ordinances.

In Malden, a LEO isnt going to see a knife clip and ask you to pull it out to measure it. Its usually if you're going in for something else, its another charge they can hit you with. Or if you're getting searched for whatever it is you were doing, it may then become the reason you're going in, not just random knife length checks...
 
As far as double edged knives - no one can legally sell one to you. You cant carry it or have it in your car. So how can you legally get one to your house? I think its foolish. For example - just about all dive knives are double edged. But you cant drive to your boat with one. Same with swicth blades.
 
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The following is a stand alone paragraph in Ch269 sec 10. "No person having in effect a license to carry for any purpose, issued under sec 131 or sec131f of Ch 140, shall be deemed to be in violation of this section."
What does that mean?
 
Fox said:
As far as double edged knives - no one can legally sell one to you.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to C. 269 § 12 (No manufacturing or sales of dirks and switchblades)? It does not prohibit the sale of double edged knives.

Fox said:
You cant carry it or have it in your car.
Click to expand...

You can't have it in your car? According to what law? C. 269 § 10 only says it cannot be carried on your person or under your control in a car.

Fox said:
So how can you legally get one to your house?
Click to expand...

I'd take it from the store securely contained in it's original packaging (which in no way could be considered "carrying on my person"), place it in my trunk, drive home, take it out. End of story.
 
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TNHunter said:
The following is a stand alone paragraph in Ch269 sec 10. "No person having in effect a license to carry for any purpose, issued under sec 131 or sec131f of Ch 140, shall be deemed to be in violation of this section."
What does that mean?
Click to expand...

That paragraph is contained in, and is referring to 10(a), not 10(b)-10(o).
 
Fox said:
There may be other towns that have blade length restrictions. The only one I am farmiliar with is Boston. Some of my customers carry Cold Steel folding knives with 5" blades. Perfectly legal - except maybe in Boston..
There is no truth to the palm of your hand measurement. I believe that came from a rule of thumb police officers used to use with kids and knives - back in the day that kids could carry a pocket knife without being expelled.
If the knife was longer than the palm of their hand - they would take it away. Their is no legal basis.
In my store - that is one of the most frequent things we see - someone coming in and measuring the blade against the palm of their hand. It doesnt mean anything.
As far as assisted opening knives - there are plenty to choose from without taking a chance with index finger opening knives
Kershaw makes a large number of index finger opening knives without the torsion bar. They are nearly as fast. And they are legal. Kershaw is making the change because of the growning problem of assisted opening knives with index finger opening.
Also - there is a number of really fast assisted opening knives from Kershaw, Benchmade, SOG, and Gerber that open with the thumb stud. The new Benchmade's in particular are really fast - they use a better steel than Kershaw, and they are 100% legal.
Even if switchblades were legal, and even if index finger assisted opening knives were not a problem, they wouldnt be my first choice. The best knives (unlike guns) are still legal to own and carry in Massachusetts!
Click to expand...


i would really like to get to the bottom of this kershaw assisted opening knives stuff, this is very confusing
 

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