Month: February 2018
Considering the leniency of America’s weapons laws, it might seem like a no-brainer that you can carry that new Bowie knife out in public. However, before you head out the door, you should stop and check your state’s laws governing knife carrying in public. While Bowie knives might not be mentioned specifically, you’ll find that there are rules governing blade length and method of carry for all knives and some knives are excluded almost universally. You’ll find that quite a few states take a dim view of butterfly knives (balisongs), as well as switchblades and other automatic knives. Bowie knives are no exception to this rule.
As an example of the laws governing knife carry in the US, let’s look at the state of Colorado. This state allows pocketknives to be carried both openly and concealed, so long as they have a blade shorter than 3 and 1/2 inches in length. They also allow fixed blade knifes and dirks/daggers, so long as the blade is shorter than 3 and 1/2 inches. Of course, your Bowie knife is likely a bit longer than this, as the blade should be at least 6 inches long to qualify as a Bowie. Therefore, you cannot carry your Bowie knife in public within Colorado, whether concealed or in the open.
Another example of the great disparity between state laws concerning knives is Arizona, in this state, you can carry any type of knife openly, including Bowie knives and even automatic knives. However, they have to be worn outside of your clothing and sheathed, unless it is a small pocketknife.
As you can see, the laws governing Bowie knives in the public view vary considerably throughout the US. Your state’s website can be the most valuable resource to which you have access. You should also consider contacting your local police department or sheriff’s department, as they can provide you with information.
As you can see, determining whether or not you can take that Bowie knife with you out of the house can be a bit confusing. Speak with your local police station, or consult your state’s specific website to find out what laws govern your ability to carry a knife in public, whether concealed or out in the open.
You can arrange to have legal research and writing done by a variety of services. One might think that nowadays in the democracy that we live in all the laws would be easily accessible to any ordinary citizen, but unfortunately that’s not true. Of course, you might be able to do some kind of limited legal research on your own but that’s all. For instance, if you know the number of a specific law you’d like to read, then you might stand a chance. However, if you are searching to find how a genuine law applies to your area of concern, then you’d have to read hundreds of pages until you find it and that simply won’t do.
Outside legal research is very useful especially when you want to research a whole area of law. In case you know how the law is organized, you might try, otherwise don’t waste your time as you won’t succeed. There is only one reason why our laws are so arduous, concealed and complex and it is because it gives power to legal professionals such as lawyers and legislators. This is how they get work which we could have otherwise done by ourselves. Consequently, if you need to understand a specific area of law concerning your business or rights, then you’d better consult a professional who will do your advanced search, or else you might waste many hours in vain trying to do it by yourself.
Generally you can try to cope without legal researchers. Often there are times when you can learn how to do legal research on a certain topic and you might be quite successful at it. For instance, I once fought for saving some of the last wetlands in the San Francisco bay. As our campaign lacked money for legal researchers we did it by ourselves. However, in our case there has already been much pioneering environmental work done, so it was not that difficult to do advanced legal search; we even managed to find the existing endangered species laws we needed. Legal research can easily frighten you and make you quit when you try it for the first time, that was the situation with us. However, we were determined to succeed and didn’t give up. After all, if you put some considerable efforts into fighting with the legal system, then even you, an ordinary citizen can take part in the democratic process.