Leatherman/ Gerber and the Law

Halo

Halo

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There is a thread on the merits of Leatherman / Gerber on Scuttlebut which has prompted me to ask:-

Has anyone ever been stopped by a policeman when wearing a multitool ? Is suspect it could be regarded as a bladed weapon and certainly was when I tried selling my Wave on Ebay. It would suit me to carry a multitool all the time but I dont want some mad keen copper makng an issue when I am walking round a shoppng centre or similar.

What does the committee think ???
 
Had a stainless steel Gerber, it was rubbish went rusty very quickly - very disappointing and the pliers part broke

Used to carry them all the time in a pouch on my belt in clear view, was never stopped
 
I've got a Gerber 47530, which I think cost about £70 odd ... used it for years, kept it aboard at least 5 boats, looked after it, rinsed it off now and then and keep it in a little black pouch thing it came with .... it's as good as new
 
During my gap year with the Army lots of soldiers carried a Leatherman or Gerber on their belts, a habit I kept as a student and for quite a few years thereafter. I'm quite a hands-on techy person and it frequently came in handy. Unfortunately the fact that the blade locks means that in practice nowadays it could get you into trouble as a weapon even though I'm quite sure that's not what Parliament had in mind when they framed the law. I stopped carrying it about five years ago, not as a result of a specific incident but just a reducing level of trust in the Police to behave sensibly.

I have thought about filing off the little nub that makes the blade lock, turning a smaller gerber into a penknife for which the burden of proof is where it belongs (they have to show you were carrying it as a weapon, rather than you proving you weren't). But that seems a bit silly, not to mention somewhat dangerous - a mate gashed his finger rather badly with a non-locking penknife a couple of years ago.

Pete
 
You are allowed to carry a knife, including one with a locking blade (like a Gerber) provided you have reasonable cause to do so. The guidance comes from a government website and gives some ideas on what might constitute 'good reason' to carry a knife beyond the 3 inch folding limit and for locking blades.

"Good reasons for carrying a knife or weapon
Examples of good reasons to carry a knife or weapon in public can include:

taking knives you use at work to and from work
taking it to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
if it’ll be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry
if it’ll be used in a demonstration or to teach someone how to use it
A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.

Last updated: 9 September 2016"
Source: https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

I would think it reasonable to include going to the boat in the "using the knife at work" bit of this guidance and have therefore never even stopped to think about carrying my Gerber over the past many years. I discussed this with my son, a Met Police copper and he was of the same opinion: he would certainly not have considered it improper for me to have such a knife in my possession en route to the boat. At other times it might have been more of a problem.

However, as he also said, the chances of being pulled over by a policeman and searched for a knife are very low unless you've done something else to draw their attention to you...
 
duncan99210 said:
I discussed this with my son, a Met Police copper and he was of the same opinion: he would certainly not have considered it improper for me to have such a knife in my possession en route to the boat. At other times it might have been more of a problem.
Click to expand...

But that exactly confirms what the OP's concerned about. He doesn't just want to take a multi-tool to the boat, he wants to carry it at all times just like I did for a decade.

Frankly, on the boat is one of the places I don't really need a multi-tool, because I have an emergency knife mounted on the binnacle and one on the mast, and a well-stocked tool locker a few feet from the companionway. A multi-tool is a bit of a master-of-none device, so the place you use it is when you didn't expect to need any tools and hence have nothing better. That's everywhere from the pub (I've fixed more than one wobbly chair) to the Post Office (cutting open a parcel) to a public toilet (dismantled a stuck lock to escape). A multi-tool that you don't carry all the time is somewhat pointless.

Pete
 
I carry a safety knife (fixed blade) and a multi tool with my sailing kit or on my belt when going to and from boats, we also have a couple of what people might call hunting knives on the belt or in the car when we move horses. All good reasons to carry them but I'd probably leave them in the car if going to Tescos.
 
prv said:
But that exactly confirms what the OP's concerned about. He doesn't just want to take a multi-tool to the boat, he wants to carry it at all times just like I did for a decade.

Frankly, on the boat is one of the places I don't really need a multi-tool, because I have an emergency knife mounted on the binnacle and one on the mast, and a well-stocked tool locker a few feet from the companionway. A multi-tool is a bit of a master-of-none device, so the place you use it is when you didn't expect to need any tools and hence have nothing better. That's everywhere from the pub (I've fixed more than one wobbly chair) to the Post Office (cutting open a parcel) to a public toilet (dismantled a stuck lock to escape). A multi-tool that you don't carry all the time is somewhat pointless.

Pete
Click to expand...

I think the same way.
 
I carry a multi tool on my belt on the boat to avoid the tedious trek to the tool box for a knife, pair of pliers, screwdriver etc when I'm doing some task and encounter a stiff shackle pin, cord end that needs trimming and the like. Yes, all the 'real' tool are down below and will be used if required but often the multitool does the job, which is why it's there!
 
oldvarnish said:
this seems to be what the law thinks:
http://www.ukpreppersguide.co.uk/uk-knife-law/
Click to expand...

this is more appropriate - https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

"Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason.
Lock knives .. can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener.."

My understanding is that carrying one of these 'just in case' isn't good cause, and I know of a rigger who was done when he walked off site wearing his work knife. Also, woe betide you if you're found keeping one of those in your car door.
 
I had a folding pruning saw (£5.95 from B&Q IIRC) confiscated at an airport, the 9mm pistol (and ammunition) I was allowed to keep on me, such is the flawless logic of the RAF police.
 
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I always used to carry my Swiss army knife in my pocket, until one day at a football match I put my hand in my pocket for some change and realised that it was not a good idea. Doesn't come off the boat anymore.
 
I took one of my multitools into the workshop and removed the large knife blade. It also has a very small knife blade which is fine for cutting any size of rope except the thick mooring warps. Anyway it means I can carry it with impunity, it has the tools and nippers that I use 99% of the time anyway. Like someone said on the thread, a multitool you can't carry around isn't really a multitool.
 
Do you need a locking blade?

I have one of the larger Leatherman's with a couple of locking blades, but most of the time I carry a Leatherman Juice.

IMG_0875.jpg
It covers most of my daily needs and is legal to carry
 
Halo said:
There is a thread on the merits of Leatherman / Gerber on Scuttlebut which has prompted me to ask:-

Has anyone ever been stopped by a policeman when wearing a multitool ? Is suspect it could be regarded as a bladed weapon and certainly was when I tried selling my Wave on Ebay. It would suit me to carry a multitool all the time but I dont want some mad keen copper makng an issue when I am walking round a shoppng centre or similar.

What does the committee think ???
Click to expand...

Luckily in the UK we have common law system and most police officers have a large degree of common sense. They are not going to bother a middle-aged white bloke in a yacht marina with a leather-man on his belt. If you were a hoodie and were walking around an inner-city area late at night then quite rightly you would be arrested.
 
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