Is It Legal Or Illegal To Have A Multi-Tool In The Boot Of Your Car When It Has A Lock Knife Built In?

[1bellb]

I've got a "Gerber Crucial Multi Tool" that I bought from "Go Outdoors". I assumed with it being Go Outdoors that it would be a legal thing to carry around. However I've been told to check the law on it as I want to have it in a bag in the boot of my car for emergencies (along with other emergency things such as tools, blankets, water, etc...). The multi-tool has a philips and flat head screen driver, pliers, bottle opener and a short blade that locks.

Is it legal to have this multi-tool in the boot of my car for emergency uses?

[hc4361]

If it is a folding blade less then 3" long it is legal

[ubasses]

Have a read
https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

[hc4361]

Just found this:

Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason. Lock knives:

have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button
can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener


https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

[Old_Geezer]

Because obviously it doesn't do for authorities to encourage safer locking blades when one can encourage more perilous unlocking ones that might suddenly try to close on your fingers.

[EDDIE51]

Having it in the boot of your car is not 'carrying it'. In this context carrying a knife means having it on your person, in a pocket or on a belt for example.

[hc4361]

Having a knife in the boot of your car is 'carrying it' if the car is not on private land.

"What is a public place?

A public place includes any highway and any premises or places to which, at the material time, the public have or are allowed to have access. A car is also considered as a public place, unless it was parked on private property at the time."

http://www.inbrief.co.uk/offences/offensive-weapon-possessing/

[New Judge]

Quite so. But there is a statutory defence to the offence. Criminal Justice Act, 1988, Section 139 (4):

“It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that he had good reason or lawful authority for having the article with him in a public place.”

A “good reason” is not defined and it is for a court to decide. If, for example, you were heading off on a camping trip and you could convince the court that the said “Multi Tool” was necessary to help you cut ropes, whittle wood, extract stones from horses’ hooves and all the other things you might need to do whilst camping, then the court may well decide you had a good reason to be carrying it.

[vulcan42]

Isn't this another bonkers law where you are considered guilty of something you might do? surely a 3" folding knife can do as much damage as a 3" lock knife.

[EDDIE51]

^^ My point entirely, how is a lock knife more dangerous than a pen knife or a fixed blade knife? I am also sure that carrying such a knife in a tool kit which was in the car boot would be statutory defence as New Judge says.

[mikey4444]

1bell....I wouldn't worry too much about carrying one of those in you car.....I am sure that the Plod will far too busy trying to find people using a Mobile phone !

[EDDIE51]

^ If only they were mikey, I still see them on a daily basis.
'School Run Mum' and 'White Van Man' being among the worst offenders. It was a school run mum who drove head first into me on my side of the road because she was phoning the school to say she was running late! She got away with it because the police said there was no proof!

[mikey4444]

Eddiie....you have my sympathy....I was being ironic.

I have been up and down the M4 to Cardiff a lot during the last few weeks, visiting my brother in hospital, and every day I see people in my rear view mirror, busy on their Mobiles, oblivious of everything else.

Sometimes at night, I will pass a lorry, where the driver is obviously looking at some kind of screen, as you can quite clearly see the light shining up from his lap.

[New Judge]

“Isn't this another bonkers law where you are considered guilty of something you might do?”

No, not at all, Vulcan. The offence is being in possession of the article, not what you might or might not do with it. I understand the query about the locking knife vs folding knife bit. Personally I don’t see why such a distinction should be made. But the offence was drafted to prevent people carrying knives. They would then be unable to do anything at all with them. It’s the same with firearms. Generally you are not allowed to carry firearms about with you. Whether or not you might use them is immaterial.

[hc4361]

It would not be a statutory defence, Eddie. You do not need a locking knife to repair a car.

[EDDIE51]

I can think of many ways you could need a knife to repair a car , but any knife would do it does not need to be a lock knife.

[EDDIE51]

But the statutory defence does not have to involve a car repair the question says 'for emergency use' . It is in a tool kit, you could say you were going to do some work that needed a knife so you were using the car to carry your tools, or as in New Judge's example you could say you were on the way to a camping trip and needed a knife.
Just a thought, are 'flick knives ' still legal or is 'lock knife' the same thing as a flick knife?

[hc4361]

Flick knives are illegal. You need more than your statement to back up a defence. No good saying you are going camping if you're in a suit with no camping equipment. If you're going to an emergency you will be asked - who, where, what, why. Lying to the police is a worse offence.

In reality, if the multi tool gadget is not in a readily accessible place such as the glove box or driver's door pocket the police are unlikely to pursue it but in they could.

[Peter Pedant]

I am not sure people have decided that the knife is of itself dangerous - like a nail studded chair leg ( never lawful to have one or use one) but then the shop would be breaking the law to it

if it is in the lawful - like a kitchen knife or kitchen machete ( OK in the kitchen but not in your hand in a carpark ) then you have to decide whether the circumstances you would be keeping it
( bought in a outdoor shop for outdoor activities ) would be a defence as stated above

I think it would


have a luggage label in your emengency box clearly labelled - "for emergency use only"


Note you townies - you dont use a fixed knife to get pebbles out of a horse's hoof
you use a hoof pick

[EDDIE51]

^^ What do you use to get Boy Scouts out of horses hooves ?
( I was once told off for NOT having a knife when I was in the scouts!)

[sapelesam]

Have you measured the blade on your multitool? I carry a Leatherman Wave with me at all times and before I bought it I checked on the blade length, it's two and seven eighth inches, therefor legal. I would be surprised if the Gerber blade is longer.