St.Mary's County knife length?

SOMDude · Mar 17, 2016

Hello there everyone....
I apologize if this question has already been asked.
I was looking to buy a new folding knife, and I've really been eye ballin the Cold Steel Holdout series.... Especially the holdout 1, but there is one problem... The holdout 1 has a 6in blade, and I don't know if that length is legal to carry in St.Marys and Charles county...
I know MD state law doesn't have length restrictions, but I didn't know if the county's have any, and I can't find any info on the web...
Thanks for any and all help...

Roneut · Mar 18, 2016

St. Mary's doesn't have any knife laws. Here's the official site for county laws:
https://www.municode.com/library/md...de_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIGELE_CHA286ANCORE

In fact, I've been at this legal thing a long time and I have never seen any counties that have length restrictions. A few big cities here and there, but most of them are unenforceable. E.g. Frederick, MD has a 3" limit and yet downtown is a major knife store called EdgeWorks which sells all manner of >3" knives, swords and even autos (which is actually against state law), so my guess would be the cops don't actually care.

DanGuy48 · Mar 27, 2016

glistam said:
St. Mary's doesn't have any knife laws. Here's the official site for county laws:
https://www.municode.com/library/md...de_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIGELE_CHA286ANCORE

In fact, I've been at this legal thing a long time and I have never seen any counties that have length restrictions. A few big cities here and there, but most of them are unenforceable. E.g. Frederick, MD has a 3" limit and yet downtown is a major knife store called EdgeWorks which sells all manner of >3" knives, swords and even autos (which is actually against state law), so my guess would be the cops don't actually care.

Auto sales are OK to LEOs, so there is that. I'm not sure but I think I read that possession of autos is not illegal, just carrying. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Federal reservations might have restrictions...I remember NIH used to be 2 1/2 inch when I used to visit there.

dist1646 · Mar 27, 2016

DanGuy48 said:
Auto sales are OK to LEOs, so there is that. I'm not sure but I think I read that possession of autos is not illegal, just carrying. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Federal reservations might have restrictions...I remember NIH used to be 2 1/2 inch when I used to visit there.

My understanding is that LEO and military are exempt. Possession is legal. Carrying or selling is prohibited.

Roneut · Mar 27, 2016

DanGuy48 said:
Auto sales are OK to LEOs, so there is that. I'm not sure but I think I read that possession of autos is not illegal, just carrying. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

dist1646 said:
My understanding is that LEO and military are exempt. Possession is legal. Carrying or selling is prohibited.

Nah, CR 4-105 is the prohibition on sale of autos, and it has no exceptions even for police or military. Here, see for yourself: http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/Statute_Web/gcr/4-105.pdf

But it also doesn't say you can't own them or carry them. CR 4-101 is the carry law, and it only prohibits concealed carry. So open carry is legal.

DanGuy48 said:
Federal reservations might have restrictions...I remember NIH used to be 2 1/2 inch when I used to visit there.

Yup, federal facilities limit to folders <2.5" because they are federal land, with there own separate set of laws that stand apart from state law. So no matter what state you are in, if it's fed land you follow fed law. I know because I work at one

dist1646 · Mar 27, 2016

glistam said:
Nah, CR 4-105 is the prohibition on sale of autos, and it has no exceptions even for police or military. Here, see for yourself: http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/Statute_Web/gcr/4-105.pdf

But it also doesn't say you can't own them or carry them. CR 4-101 is the carry law, and it only prohibits concealed carry. So open carry is legal.

Yup, federal facilities limit to folders <2.5" because they are federal land, with there own separate set of laws that stand apart from state law. So no matter what state you are in, if it's fed land you follow fed law. I know because I work at one

Interesting! I carried my Buck 110 folder on many Federal installations and was never even looked at twice! Is this something implemented post 9/11?

Roneut · Mar 27, 2016

dist1646 said:
Interesting! I carried my Buck 110 folder on many Federal installations and was never even looked at twice! Is this something implemented post 9/11?

I'm not sure actually. I didn't start working at federal places until several years after 9/11, when that law mandating fences and other security measures was already in place.

I did notice that enforcement is...goofy and not very consistent. Some places are super tight and make you go though airport-style searches every day even if you work there for years, while others pretty much wave you in. Where I work they check you and will turn you away or confiscate, but make exceptions for knives used by construction/maintenance workers, cooks, and medical supplies.

DanGuy48 · Mar 28, 2016

glistam said:
I'm not sure actually. I didn't start working at federal places until several years after 9/11, when that law mandating fences and other security measures was already in place.

I did notice that enforcement is...goofy and not very consistent. Some places are super tight and make you go though airport-style searches every day even if you work there for years, while others pretty much wave you in. Where I work they check you and will turn you away or confiscate, but make exceptions for knives used by construction/maintenance workers, cooks, and medical supplies.

I think it might have been post 9-11. I actually used to carry a butterfly knife in a horizontal knife sheath on my belt at NIH. After 9-11, they put up the big security perimeter and you had to go through inspections unless you worked there.

Funny story, I switched to a small Kershaw assisted opening knife with regulation blade right after that. I was unpacking some equipment to install for one of my regular customers and he saw me open it and got real interested in it. The next time I saw him, he had one just like mine and was showing it to me. He leaned close and said in a hush-hush voice that he needed something else since he was worried about being caught now with the boot knife he used to carry. Ha!

Thanks for the info above on Md law.

St.Mary's County knife length?

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