ChatterBank0 min ago
Is it illegal to own a machete?
22 Answers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_an d_west/8226778.stm
What exactly was this man's crime?
What exactly was this man's crime?
Answers
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It does not say where he was brandishing the machete.
It is certainly illegal to be havei a machete on public property - like outside on the street. It is an offensive weapon.
On the other hand, I do not think it is illegal to have it and brandish it inside your own home, unless you are threating somebody with it at the time of course.
It is certainly illegal to be havei a machete on public property - like outside on the street. It is an offensive weapon.
On the other hand, I do not think it is illegal to have it and brandish it inside your own home, unless you are threating somebody with it at the time of course.
Yes, I fully understand that in all likelihood this chap is not somebody I would like to meet in a dark alley. I imagine that he did not have benign intentions.
But what if all of my knives are in the dishwasher, and I go next door to ask to borrow a knife. Must I vacuum seal it in plastic and obtain a receipt before I carry it home?
What if I am feeling environmentally friendly at the supermarket, and I opt not to take a carrier bag, as the knife is my only item of shopping?
How about if I buy a scythe at the garden centre, and on the way home, there are brambles hanging down over the public footpath. Would I be allowed to hack them down?
I appreciate that it's all about context, but I want to know how far the law has gone in criminalizing innocuous behaviour.
But what if all of my knives are in the dishwasher, and I go next door to ask to borrow a knife. Must I vacuum seal it in plastic and obtain a receipt before I carry it home?
What if I am feeling environmentally friendly at the supermarket, and I opt not to take a carrier bag, as the knife is my only item of shopping?
How about if I buy a scythe at the garden centre, and on the way home, there are brambles hanging down over the public footpath. Would I be allowed to hack them down?
I appreciate that it's all about context, but I want to know how far the law has gone in criminalizing innocuous behaviour.
The reason I asked the question is that i've seen someone using a machete in their front garden - and it wasn't a jungle , so to speak .
He was standing on the pavement working on his garden , just over the front wall .
Would he be then classed as being in a public place , given that he was standing on the pavement ?
He was standing on the pavement working on his garden , just over the front wall .
Would he be then classed as being in a public place , given that he was standing on the pavement ?
spacechimp
The law says:
"It is an offence for any person, without lawful authority or good reason, to have with him in a public place, any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except for a folding pocket-knife which has a cutting edge to its blade not exceeding 3 inches." [CJA 1988 section 139(1)]
The phrase "good reason" is intended to allow for "common sense" possession of knives, so that it is legal to carry a knife if there is a bona fide reason to do so.
Borrowing cutlery from next door or transporting it home from a supermarket where you legally bought it is "good reason".
I cannot think of a 'good reason" for waving a machete about.
The law says:
"It is an offence for any person, without lawful authority or good reason, to have with him in a public place, any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except for a folding pocket-knife which has a cutting edge to its blade not exceeding 3 inches." [CJA 1988 section 139(1)]
The phrase "good reason" is intended to allow for "common sense" possession of knives, so that it is legal to carry a knife if there is a bona fide reason to do so.
Borrowing cutlery from next door or transporting it home from a supermarket where you legally bought it is "good reason".
I cannot think of a 'good reason" for waving a machete about.
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