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Knife laws in Ohio - a question that I need a polcie officer or lawyer to to answer..


Scruit

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A lot will depend on the officer. A Leatherman is a tool but could be deadly weapon. One officer may see a knife of such-and-such design as being ok, and another may see it as a weapon. I have a 1/2" drive breaker bar in my trunk, along with a socket and ratchet set that I used recently. It could kill, but is a tool.

Whatever you carry... If you can convince the officer it is a tool and you are carrying it for a legitimate purpose, then you're fine.

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Another thought on weapons, specifically in the car...

Consider that most weapons require you to be out of the car to use - however getting of the car in a road rage situation is probably going to be considered escalation.

I've seen a few road rage video on youtube and a common tactic of the attack is to prevent the victim getting out of the car, rendering them unable to kick/punch (or even elbow!) effectively.

I guess the advice is that if you can drive away then drive away - but if you cannot and are being approached by someone who is obviously going to attack you then get out of the car, lest you be pinned down. Just bear in mind that getting out beings its own set of problems.

Unless you have a weapon you can deploy from inside the car...

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I'd rather the crazies not have knives that they can conceal in the palm of their hands. A 1-inch blade on something that can be hidden in the palm of their hand could be devastating in a surprise attack, especially from an experienced edged weapons expert.

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There is a lot of gray in this area. Basically, it comes down to intent. Your car, motorcycle, scooter, butter knife, ink pen, can of soup...etc can be considered a deadly weapon if you intend on it causing harm to a person. If a homeless person carries a steak knife to cut the occasional piece of meat he comes across, he is legally carrying it. If he is carrying it because "the streets are rough and I got my ass kicked last year", he is carrying a concealed weapon.

I drive my truck to take the kids to swim practice. My truck is not a deadly weapon. However, should I see a person that I have had a beef with and I swerve to hit him with my truck, now it is a deadly weapon.

It is generally accepted (in central Ohio) that a knife that is in plain view, i.e. inside your pocket with a clip on the outside or on the outside of your clothing, is not a concealed weapon because it is immediately apparent what it is.

When I was a brand new officer, I arrested 2 people who had just broken into some cars. As my coach was searching the first one, I searched the second one. The one that I searched had a machete handle sticking out of he backpack. My coach began to question me about what all I was going to charge him with. I ran through the things from the initial offense...criminal damaging, theft, etc. Then, I said misdemeanor CCW. At that point, he told me to call another officer (who also is an attorney) to get his opinion. I was told that I could not charge him with it because even without seeing the blade, I immediately knew it was a machete by seeing the handle, which meant it was not a concealed weapon.

Hope it helps (although probably didn't).

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SO on a similar note what would a LEO do if I was pulled over and they found my 72 hour bag in my car? Just a question? I don't keep it in my car or anything!! But my bag has somethings in it that a LEO might not find to be a tool.

It depends, does your butt plug vibrate? If it does, you can say it is a neck massager. Now it is a tool! Problem solved!!:D

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So i guess your night stick can be classified as a multi tool in the same way. ;)

Like I said earlier...it depends on intent. If I plan on smashing someone oved the head...weapon. If it is used for recreational cavity expansion...not a weapon.;)

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Matt, a friend of mine was walking from a friend's house to his with a samurai sword in a sheath strapped on his back in plain site. He was arrested and convicted of carrying a deadly weapon in Akron.

That is why I said it is gray area. In Franklin County that charge would never fly. We have an extremely liberal court system here. While it may illegal in Ohio, Franklin County interprets the law differently. But to be honest, I would have a hard time seeing that happen anywhere (just my oppinion).

Edited by FZRMatt
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"Ready at hand" is key. In a bag in your trunk is "transporting", not carrying. You can transport a gun without a ccw if you put it in the trunk.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

Unloaded (including mags) of course.

What about transporting loaded rifle mags in a bag in the hatch?

As long as there's no long gun they fit in the car. Also if your CCW is a Glock 17 and you have a rifle in the car that that will accept and fire those mags, its considered illegal.

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