Knife as a safety gear

[Aditya07]

Hello all, I don't know the whole rules about knife carrying in EDC.

My main question is What if an Indian girl or woman carries a knife in her EDC for the safety reason is it legal? What if any situation happened during her for self-protection? Will anyone helps me to understand the law?

[Vineet]

It’s legal to keep knives having blade not more than 9” in length and 2” in width.

[mundaire]

It’s legal to keep knives having blade not more than 9” in length and 2” in width.

The above is generally true as per the Arms Act 1959.

However, individual jurisdictions can place additional restrictions on the carrying of knives/ blades. One would need to check with the local authorities / lawyers to know what is permitted in your particular jurisdiction - to avoid legal hassles.

[Woods]

A flashlight and a knife are the first and almost indispensable safety gear. And it has been so for time immemorial notwithstanding their size you may carry . Both of them not only provide protection but have many many more utility applications too . Both are great survival tools also .

As far as legal limitations of carrying a knife in India is concerned, different States of India have issued their notifications under Section 4 of the Arms Act prescribing different sizes to categorize knives under " prohibited " class .

For example - State of Madhya Pradesh categorizes a knife as prohibited if it's blade is longer than 6 inches or broader than 2 inches . Such a knife would be a " prohibited " weapon only if it has a "sharp edge" and is being carried in a "public place" . On the other hand in State of Himachal a knife carried under similar circumstances is a prohibited one if its blade is longer than 9 inches or broader than 2 inches.

[Woods]

I forgot to add - "spring actuated knife " ( also called KHATKEDAR ie the thing whose blade opens with push of a button due to spring actuating the action of it ) of whatever size is a prohibited weapon in most of the States in a public place . Also please note that a personal car is not a public place for a knife to come within purview of prohibited class .

[4X4]

Even a 6 inch long kitchen knife would be sufficient for self defense, there are many videos on YouTube where they teach how to self defend using Knife Fighting Skills. Please refer to these , knowing a few techniques can help you when a situation arises.

[mundaire]

Just to add to the confusion, sharp edged instruments for use in kitchen/ agriculture are almost always exempt from restrictions placed on blades, under most rules. So agricultural choppers/ machetes or kitchen cleavers would be fine, "so long as" you can offer a valid reason for having them in your possession in public! For example, it would be fine for a farmer to be carrying a 10" or even 18" machete with him, in the vicinity of his sugarcane fields, but he would have some explaining to do if he were to bring it into the city...

[Woods]

A curious case is also that of folding wood saws .

Once I was gojng on a car camping trip to random places in Himachal . Assembly election procedures were underway in the State so there were few police check posts on the road . At a place we two brothers went for lunch in a roadside eatery and when we returned two police constables were standing besides the jeep . They asked us to let them have a look inside the car . We explained our errand and opened the rear door . We were just assure of ourselves that nothing objectionable could be found but they pointed their finger to the folding wood saw that was kept in such a way that it would be the very first thing to come in sight . Lo and behold it was looking just like a huge knife due to looks of it's handle . Then it took a really lot of explaining, excuses and haggling to come out of it . It would have been very easy for them to not agree with us and fix us in some trouble .

Reminds me of Chinese system - prostitution is very strictly prohibited by law and government turns a total blind eye to prostitution. Public at large owing to various reasons visit prostitutes and this serves as a tool of government. They can fix whomsoever they like to .

[eljefe]

All good about size and legalities. Unless you are mentally prepared to slash cut and run,and have practiced again and again, forget it. Obviously stirring the pot

[mundaire]

All good about size and legalities. Unless you are mentally prepared to slash cut and run,and have practiced again and again, forget it. Obviously stirring the pot

Fair point El Jefe! But that holds true for any item of self defence... whether a stick/ baton, stone, knife or even a firearm. Got to know how to use it, be prepared to use it and have the "juice" to use it, if & when things come down to that.

[timmy]

My concern here about a woman carrying a knife is how this works out in too many scenarios I've read in the news recently, and how they might reflect what a woman could be expected to face.

When I consider a knife, club, or stone in such situations all of them have limitations in common: if a woman is approached by a gang of goons, these weapons are much more limited in their defensive possibilities than in a situation where she's approached by a single goon.

Conversely, a firearm is more likely to be suited for dealing with a group, when one has 5, 7, or 8 rounds with which to deal with the group. Furthermore, the consideration of having a knife thrust toward one or a club swung in one's direction is not similar to having a firearm discharged in one's direction.

My worry with a knife is that several goons might well end up taking it away and using it for their own purposes, making the choice of carrying a knife as a self-defense weapon risky.

Don't get me wrong, having protection is better than not, but the issue isn't quite as straightforward as, say, wearing a seat belt. Furthermore, training with any self-defense weapon plays a critical role in using one, but keeping a knife from being taken away from a woman is something that, in my opinion, would require some training from real expertise, not training from watching youtube or practicing at the range.

Yes, a knife may be better than nothing (or, it could make matters worse), but a firearm is a much better way to go, if possible (which, I admit, is a big "if").

My point here is that a woman carrying a knife for self-defense is something that should be considered from a number of aspects very carefully. I knew a New York City woman who carried a cheap box cutter for self-defense. These are cheap sheet metal retracting sheaths that hold a razor blade. Brandishing one of these things may make a goon think, and the wounds they cause can be gruesome to look at, but they are very unlikely to disable a determined attacker and even less effective when facing a group of attackers. Such a choice, in my mind, is not "a knife or nothing," but rather "the risk/reward possibility or nothing."

Determination to use whatever one carries, combined with the discretion to know when to use it is a given for any weapon.

[marksman]

Import of a knife with a blade more then 9" and width of 2" is restricted unless meant for farming etc as a special tool. How ever in Mumbai , an EDC which is also known as a pocket folder knife cannot be carried on one's person if the blade exceeds 3" One can carry bigger knives out of city limits though in forests and other Govt land.

Marksman

[Aditya07]

Great to know, Thank you all.

[Woods]

I bought this little creature four or five years ago from Amazon . It says its a Colt , I highly doubt it to be some Chinese knockoff but I have no complains and it has been used in cutting vegetables & fruits , preparing tinders for campfire and some more . It has a kydex sheath and I love it .

[eljefe]

Thata supposed to be a ‘neck knife’
Not exactly the blade geometry required to be a kitchen knife, but hey, if it works…