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legal knife blade size in mass for carry

C

corivers

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I don't know if this is the spot to post this, but a lot of people carry knives along with their firearms as part of their edc....now my questions are:
what is the maximum size of a folding knife you can carry in mass?
and
are you allowed to carry fixed point knives? maximum size fot that too.

i remember hearing something about it can't be bigger than 5" from blade to handle and i also heard that it was just 5" for the blade.....any help is appreciated.

Happy New Year.
 
There is no limit in the state of Massachusetts. Local town and cities may have a limit though, like Boston and Worcester (New) 2.5" limit on the blade.

There are restrictions on the type of knife you can carry though...

Mass MGL Chapter 269 § 10 said:
(b) Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person, or carries on his person or under his control in a vehicle, any stiletto, dagger or a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn at a locked position, any ballistic knife, or any knife with a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism, dirk knife, any knife having a double-edged blade, or a switch knife, or any knife having an automatic spring release device by which the blade is released from the handle, having a blade of over one and one-half inches, or a slung shot, blowgun, blackjack, metallic knuckles or knuckles of any substance which could be put to the same use with the same or similar effect as metallic knuckles, nunchaku, zoobow, also known as klackers or kung fu sticks, or any similar weapon consisting of two sticks of wood, plastic or metal connected at one end by a length of rope, chain, wire or leather, a shuriken or any similar pointed starlike object intended to injure a person when thrown, or any armband, made with leather which has metallic spikes, points or studs or any similar device made from any other substance or a cestus or similar material weighted with metal or other substance and worn on the hand, or a manrikigusari or similar length of chain having weighted ends; or whoever, when arrested upon a warrant for an alleged crime, or when arrested while committing a breach or disturbance of the public peace, is armed with or has on his person, or has on his person or under his control in a vehicle, a billy or other dangerous weapon other than those herein mentioned and those mentioned in paragraph (a), shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than two and one-half years nor more than five years in the state prison, or for not less than six months nor more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction, except that, if the court finds that the defendant has not been previously convicted of a felony, he may be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars or by imprisonment for not more than two and one-half years in a jail or house of correction.
Click to expand...
 
Still don't understand it???

I have read this before. I even printed it out and read it again.
Mostly one big rambling statement!!!
Is it lllegal only if you get caught doing a felony or could you get arrested just for the posession??
I passed up on a knife because it was a "dagger type"
Then last Sat. I was in a gun shop and they had one in the showcase for sale. It was a double-edged dagger (both features illegal).
I asked the store owner about it and he showed me ...1/2 of the knives in the case were double edged!!!
Also:Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person
Where do we find the explanation for that??

OK I know I am slow to understand, but what is going on here?
 
Last edited:
i don't understand either

KenK said:
I have read this before. I even printed it out and read it again.
Mostly one big rambling statement!!!
Is it lllegal only if you get caught doing a felony or could you get arrested just for the posession??
I passed up on a knife because it was a "dagger type"
Then last Sat. I was in a gun shop and they had one in the showcase for sale. It was a double-edged dagger (both features illegal).
I asked the store owner about it and he showed me ...1/2 of the knives in the case were double edged!!!
Also:Whoever, except as provided by law, carries on his person
Where do we find the explanation for that??

OK I know I am slow to understand, but what is going on here?
Click to expand...




it says that you can't have a blade over an inch and a half????
 
thanks

thanks or the quick replies...i still can't understand why i'm allowed to carry a firearm, but not certain knives....this state has horrible laws in regards to weapons.
 
I told the shop owner the same thing!!!

Scrivener said:
Which would seem to make the blades referred to as being in the display case illegal in MA.
Click to expand...

I mentioned the reference to the law to the shop owner and he just showed me all the knives he had for sale??? He wasn't too woried I guess.
I will print him a copy of the law.
Well thanks for the replys.
 
Old Glory said:
That is probably the most poorly written statute I have ever seen.
Click to expand...

No kidding!
It's way too vague as to what and when you can and cannot have.
You can have and carry an automatic knife as long as the blade is under 1.5".
But can't have one over 1.5", along with double edged knives, nunchuks, throwing stars, etc. if there's a warrant out on you, or if you're in the commission of a crime?

Headscratch.gif
 
Keep in mind that that statute is for carrying on your person or in your direct control in a motor vehicle. You are perfectly legal to own just about any weapon you want so long as it stays in your home.

So technically those knives in the case are legal to own if you can get them home =]
 
Can someone explain the double edged business? I want to get a fighting knife for the BOB. Every knife is at least double-edged at the tip. For example, is a K-Bar legal?
 
So what if I wanted to give my dad a colt bayonet (double edged and long blade), can it not leave my house? If you buy one basically you break the laws by having it in your car to bring it home?
 
KenK said:
I mentioned the reference to the law to the shop owner and he just showed me all the knives he had for sale??? He wasn't too woried I guess.
I will print him a copy of the law.
Well thanks for the replys.
Click to expand...

Ohh, I'm sure he'll really appreciate that... haha

These laws are a disgrace. Sometimes when I hike, I carry a Gerber Machete, I don't really give a piss about these knife laws.
I've been looking into getting one of these SOG Tomahawks. For EDC of course...

pd3uvC0eJ6A_lqYTpnG44jxnMMJfcTsGNnSG4-1Jet3GVRuwYxrCzv2RNeC6bSFCgWpTorVDtN2PONwmSZRCA0JHKzgglcxM-WaNCQ4cir2QXw0JhRlsI3u9YqjhIiThyNaRh7CgnjiffdSSS0gGzn807Kox14h7dVLZM8-GFq11D9LdY2M
 
IANAL.

If the "Swedge" or "Swoosh" is sharp enough to cut, then I'd say that it's double-edged.

If not, it's not.

Since the purpose of the knife is to stock a Bug Out Bag, and not for daily carry....if you NEED it, whether or not it's "legal" will be far down the list of problems on your plate. If it's bad enough that you need a "fighting knife" ...who cares whether anyone likes it or not?
 
BE4TNUT said:
So what if I wanted to give my dad a colt bayonet (double edged and long blade), can it not leave my house? If you buy one basically you break the laws by having it in your car to bring it home?
Click to expand...

The law is for carry/direct control. Just like the city knife ordinances, it does not apply if you are transporting it. Of course, to be safe, I'd toss it in the trunk.
 
We loose power a lot. Again this morning no less. Now that we have a baby, I'm more likely to head to a shelter if the house gets cold rather then just rough it in front of the fire with candles. So the BOB might be used in more then no-law-n-order SHTF situations. So staying quasi legal is still an important consideration. Shelters are often schools, so there goes any firearm.
 
Chuck said:
Can someone explain the double edged business? I want to get a fighting knife for the BOB. Every knife is at least double-edged at the tip.
Click to expand...

In caselaw on the subject, the courts said that it covers any double edged blade, not just ones that are completely sharpened along both sides.

Chuck said:
Shelters are often schools, so there goes any firearm.
Click to expand...

You can't have knives, guns, BB guns, or any other dangerous weapon on school grounds.
 

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