Carrying a fixed blade etc.

I thought I read somewhere automatics are flat out illegal to possess in MD ??

CrazySanMan said:

The way I understand Maryland's knife laws (and I never go anywhere without at least one knife) is that non-automatic folding knives are good to go with no blade size limit. Any fixed blade, no matter what size, cannot be carried concealed. A large folding knife can be legally carried concealed even with the blade locked open.

It always irked me that I could concealed carry my Cold Steel Pocket Bushman with 4.5" blade locked open by it's strong lock but I could not slip my Esee Candiru (5" overall, 2" blade) into my pants pocket without carrying a concealed and deadly weapon.

In Colorado the laws say I can concealed carry a knife with a blade length (measured from the end of the handle) that is 3.5" or less (3.25" inside Denver) and there is no difference between carrying a folding or fixed blade knife. Up in the small mountain towns it's common to see people open carrying Kabars on their belt.

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I read the Colorado law, as MD has no size restriction, and a friend is a Denver cop. We got into the size discussion, and he claimed a 3 1/2" size restriction. It's size restriction is for "stilettos", which is a a specific type of blade. Not technically any folder.

ironpony said:

I thought I read somewhere automatics are flat out illegal to possess in MD ??

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No, they are not. You can carry them so long as it is not concealed, and a pocket clip is not considered concealed. It is illegal to sell, barter, or trade an auto-knife. But you can give them away as gifts.

ironpony said:

I thought I read somewhere automatics are flat out illegal to possess in MD ??

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https://www.akti.org/state-knife-laws/maryland/

Here it says Baltimore is, but other local laws may apply.

https://kniferights.org/legislative...bans-assisted-openers-in-emergency-ordinance/

This also says that it is the same in Ocean City.

cb51 said:

All this had an effect on how I saw knives. I always had a love for knives, and collected them and carried a few on me all the time. Mostly slip joint pocket knives. Maryland was funny about sheath knives, and one concealed was a no-no. But a folding knife, as long as it was not a "switchblade" was okay even if it had an 8 inch blade. So I never got to carry my fixed blades much, so most of them got sold off along the way.

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WHAT?? Are you insane?? You can cut your fingers on such knives! Take it from one who knows...you don't want to cut your little pinkies on those kind of knives! And carrying one? Don't you know you could hurt yourself!

You might even go from having one of those to having a...GUN or something. If you get in trouble, do what Hillary Clinton, Rosie O'Donnel and others do, get bodyguar...er...call the police. Yeah, that's the ticket!

But if you decide to get a defensive knife (heaven knows you'll never get a concealed gun permit in this wretched state), check out Cold Steel. They've got the sharpest, strongest blades and you're less likely to hurt yourself -- unless you like fingering the blade edge a lot or seeing which is fastest, your hand or the knife spring! (When I was 11, I was stripping bark off a piece of wood with my new Boy Scout knife. Bein' a slipjoint, my blade somehow got lodged in the knot of wood. I tried getting it out, but I couldn't. So I pulled it out and the datgum spring snapped the blade out and onto my right thumb, just under the joint.

My friends, I had never seen blood flow in such prodigious and copious amounts in my short life. And stopping it was a real chore. Fortunately for me, my grandma was there and we got it under control. I got a few stitches and managed to live, but from that moment on, I developed, and still nurse, a deep-seated and eternal hatred of all knives not having a lock on 'em. Since then, I have only had a couple of Barlow knives (a friend owned a chain of hardware stores there in Paducah). But I didn't do much whittlin' with them. And using a slipjoint for defense isn't something I'd ever relish.

Years later, I owned one or two liner locks and decided I didn't trust them. Then a few frame locks...better. Then, lock backs. I was home again! Then, axis locks and, finally, the blessed Tri-Ad lock. If there was any knife lock that was virtually as strong as a fixed blade, it had to be this lock. And even if a Tri-Ad could be made to fail, it would never harm a hair on the heads of their users. At least I don't see how.

So in Maryland, that's the only thing a person can legally carry in lieu of a concealed pistol. And here's the thing...I have a HUGE Cold Steel Espada XL folding knife with a 7.5-inch blade. The bloody giant is more of a sword than a knife, and, when it's pulled from a pocket, the blade opens automatically. It's 16 inches long, but will still fit in my pants pocket.

We fortunately live in a time when there are many great knives to choose from. I love Spyderco, but they're too expensive for what you get. I also like Buck, but Buck is stuck in the past and won't leave its 420HC. CRKT makes okay knives, but they have been going to cheaper steels. And when people complained about their liner lock knives, they came out with a variation on the liner lock that certainly beats the liner locks, but just doesn't compare with the Tri-Ad. That said, I liked Cold Steel's old lockback knives more than I do their modern knives. I just do.


Two of my all time favorite defensive knives were the old Voyager
and the old Vaquero. They are lighter than the more recent models.

Will Maryland always have such liberal knife laws? Who knows? Knives are very good defensive tools because only an idiot would want to get in a knife fight. Also, knives don't make noise. A gunshot can be heard for blocks, but knives can be used silently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydUUkyReiKs&t=722s

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glistam said:

The statute just says "a dangerous weapon" and gives dirks and bowies as examples, while explicitly excluding non-auto folders. It's just that the statute is too vague for anyone to feel secure doing so, as it leaves the legality of the fixed blade up to the authorities to judge.

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But wouldn't it just be easier to carry a folding knife? Many knives nowdays can be virtually as strong as fixed blades. Anything can be a "dangerous weapon" from a roll of dimes to a rock. And virtually all folding knives are legal if concealed, even if their blades are as large as a fixed blade.

If people keep their noses clean, they can get away with carrying almost anything not specifically forbidden. Unless you're a member of a biker gang, chances are you'll be okay. (The only real reason they'd go after you for carrying a handgun is for moral reasons, and they consider all handguns, except those used by cops, to be immoral. And, BTW, if you ever are detained for carrying a concealed handgun, try telling them you use it for postnatal abortions. They may actually give you a permit!)

I sometimes carry a large folding knife, and when I worked at NIH, I was forbidden to have any knife with a blade over 3.25-inches. One day, one of the secretaries noticed me opening a large, taped package (I got them every two weeks, as they contained drafts) with my Voyager 5-inch. She reported me, and my boss called me in to find out more. She told me what the secretary had told her and I showed her my Voyager 3-inch knife and told her it was in the regulated norm. She looked at it, but of course I didn't show her the 5-inch knife in my other pocket. She looked confused and asked me not to carry it anymore since it bothered the secretary, and that I didn't need it. Okay, I replied, that was fine by me as I had been intending to speak to her on a similar matter. I explained to her that long blades bothered me, too, and that I had seen other people in the office, including secretaries, using long scissors with blades exceeding seven inches. Since we were on the topic, I suggested we find some scissors with shorter blades, preferably under 3.5-inches.

No one ever bothered me about my knife since.

The thing about liberals are that they are born hypocrites. Hypocrisy is at the core of everything they believe and hold dear. And when shown up, they generally just go into a sort of shock. But I did stop carrying my 5-inch knife very shortly thereafter. You see, I got a 6-inch Voyager that was just as concealable. I no longer felt the need for the 5-incher. I was more discreet, however.

P-12 Norm said:

No, they are not. You can carry them so long as it is not concealed, and a pocket clip is not considered concealed. It is illegal to sell, barter, or trade an auto-knife. But you can give them away as gifts.

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Sooo, you can carry an auto in your pocket by the carry clip? (Clip exposed) If I’m reading you right.

These below are for Cold Steel. (Sorry your namesake is upside-down. Dang if I can figure how to rotate it.)

The Benchmade is my EDC, included for size comparison; the Cold Steel folder was taken to the next-to-last HPRB meeting, because it is a penknife, and legal for carry. I thought at the time it might be amusing to have it in my pocket. Jeff has from time to time mentioned the scare factor of my Benchmade . . . I thought he was about to give birth when I whipped out the folding kukri. I also took its picture with its big brother.

Got this Cold Steel Espada a few years ago. Barely fits in the pocket. Not a practical carrying knife by any means, a pocket sword it is such:

Cold Steel said:

But wouldn't it just be easier to carry a folding knife? Many knives nowdays can be virtually as strong as fixed blades. Anything can be a "dangerous weapon" from a roll of dimes to a rock. And virtually all folding knives are legal if concealed, even if their blades are as large as a fixed blade.

If people keep their noses clean, they can get away with carrying almost anything not specifically forbidden. Unless you're a member of a biker gang, chances are you'll be okay. (The only real reason they'd go after you for carrying a handgun is for moral reasons, and they consider all handguns, except those used by cops, to be immoral. And, BTW, if you ever are detained for carrying a concealed handgun, try telling them you use it for postnatal abortions. They may actually give you a permit!)

I sometimes carry a large folding knife, and when I worked at NIH, I was forbidden to have any knife with a blade over 3.25-inches. One day, one of the secretaries noticed me opening a large, taped package (I got them every two weeks, as they contained drafts) with my Voyager 5-inch. She reported me, and my boss called me in to find out more. She told me what the secretary had told her and I showed her my Voyager 3-inch knife and told her it was in the regulated norm. She looked at it, but of course I didn't show her the 5-inch knife in my other pocket. She looked confused and asked me not to carry it anymore since it bothered the secretary, and that I didn't need it. Okay, I replied, that was fine by me as I had been intending to speak to her on a similar matter. I explained to her that long blades bothered me, too, and that I had seen other people in the office, including secretaries, using long scissors with blades exceeding seven inches. Since we were on the topic, I suggested we find some scissors with shorter blades, preferably under 3.5-inches.

No one ever bothered me about my knife since.

The thing about liberals are that they are born hypocrites. Hypocrisy is at the core of everything they believe and hold dear. And when shown up, they generally just go into a sort of shock. But I did stop carrying my 5-inch knife very shortly thereafter. You see, I got a 6-inch Voyager that was just as concealable. I no longer felt the need for the 5-incher. I was more discreet, however.

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Well observed, well done, well written. Classic post. I applaud you, sir.

fidelity said:

Intent is important too. Can't carry a fixed blade for self defense against another human or with the intent to harm others. Have to have an articulable, credible, other reason for the carry. Minors have more restrictions related to time of day for folding and fixed blades.

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Isn't intent a factor in carrying any weapon in Maryland? Technically, if you carry a large blade of any type for defense, that's illegal, isn't it? It shows an intent to do someone harm, thus escalating a situation. I'm no attorney, but I'd f like to know as I've been known to carry a 7.5-inch folder in this wretched state. It opens automatically as it's taken from the pocket.

If shown to a jury, I might have a difficult time explaining why it's not a weapon.

Cold Steel said:

Isn't intent a factor in carrying any weapon in Maryland? Technically, if you carry a large blade of any type for defense, that's illegal, isn't it? It shows an intent to do someone harm, thus escalating a situation. I'm no attorney, but I'd f like to know as I've been known to carry a 7.5-inch folder in this wretched state. It opens automatically as it's taken from the pocket.

If shown to a jury, I might have a difficult time explaining why it's not a weapon.

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Some may carry a large folder due to dexterity problems that would involve a smaller one.

.