Hunting knife legalities

Longranger

Hi lads, just wondering about the legal status of carrying a knife while hunting. I've often walked from my home to the local quay to go fishing with a foot long filleting knife hanging on my belt and never had a word said,but can the same be said for when i'm out hunting? I'm asking because herself bought me a beautifu hunting knife for my birthday but it's got an 8 inch blade. Can i carry it legally while hunting or do i have to consign it to the display case?
Cheers
LR

kildare.17hmr

Its not illegal to carry a knife if your carrying it for a legitimate reason be that fishing or hunting iirc. If you were walking around town with it while shopping and were stopped you would be in trouble

Cass

As said if you can provide a legitimate reason for carrying the knife then you should be okay.

1990 Firearms & Offensive Weapons Act, section 9.

So if you are stopped, can show you have a good reason (gutting/boning a fish, deer, etc) then you most likely will be let on your way. Of course there is a level of common sense required. When out i carry a knife. However if i stop at a shop, petrol station, etc (IOW any public place where the knife cannot be carried with good reason) i remove the knife, and leave it in the car until i reach the area i intend to shoot.

Tawny Owl

I agree I would put the knife in an area that will not attract attention even when on your person it's a good day out is what your after not hassle so enjoy

garv123

As said you have a valid reason for carrying it so it's grand.. and as said again if its on your belt take it out of the holster and leave it in the car if you are going into a shop or somewhere in public..

I left mine on going into a shop by complete accident one morning. Only realised it after I had ordered my roll. No one said anything about it even though it was on clear display but the face I was in full camo gear and wellies they knew it was for hunting.. If i had it when I was wearing Sundays finest grey tracksuit kit they would be a lot more bothered about it..

steyrman2

On this matter what about carrying a leatherman i have seen loads of lads with them i also carry one now and again

garv123

steyrman2 wrote: »

On this matter what about carrying a leatherman i have seen loads of lads with them i also carry one now and again

Some people say they never leave the house without a small one on them... Its a multi-tool but it still has a knife on it and I cant image "incase i need it" is a valid reasoning for carrying it.

Cass

I carry one myself. Leatherman that is.

The law states a knife or pointed blade. This covers everything from a kitchen knife, hunting knife, down to a screwdriver or swiss army knife. IOW if it has a pointed blade, and is being brandished in a threatening manner or you simly have it with no good reason you can be done for it.

It really is at the discretion of the Garda as to what action s/he takes, which would be directly related to what it is you are carrying (leatherman, knife or screwdriver), your behaviour (skulking around or coming form a hunt/work), and your attitude (evasive/confrontational or upfront, and co-operative).

Sparks

steyrman2 wrote: »

On this matter what about carrying a leatherman i have seen loads of lads with them i also carry one now and again

Legally, it doesn't matter if it's a machete or a two-inch-long miniature swiss army penknife (or a leatherman) - all are covered by the same chunk of the law, and a Garda could arrest you under the act for carrying any or all of the above, or anything else that they deem you're about to use to commit a crime.

And in some cases (say, if you were carrying a firearm in a hip holster or one of the many other things the average Garda on the street would not think highly of), you'd wind up having to defend yourself in court by proving your innocence, rather than the Garda having to prove your guilt. The 1990 Act is a bit surprising that way, but then, that's Irish law for you - it ain't Hollywood and our legal system isn't founded on the whole "innocent until proven guilty" idea. Or rather, the "proven guilty" bit doesn't always work the way you'd expect...



edit: all that said, I've carried a swiss army knife everywhere for the last eighteen years or so, and usually a leatherman or a gerber as well. 99.99% of the time, a Garda isn't going to arrest you if you're not giving them cause to, and someone doing their shopping while carrying a penknife in their pocket isn't as high on their list of priorities as someone trying to use a flick-knife to steal that shopper's wallet...

tomhalloween

What about importing Knives?Has any one had any problems in this regard? I ask this as I am considering ordering some for camping purposes but I am wary about doing so in case i get into trouble with the authorities.

kildare.17hmr

Where do you want to order thwm from? For camping there are more than enough knives to choose from on sale in any camping/outdoor/hunting/fishing shops, why the need to import them?

tomhalloween

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Where do you want to order thwm from? For camping there are more than enough knives to choose from on sale in any camping/outdoor/hunting/fishing shops, why the need to import them?

Hi there and thanks for the quick reply. I was hoping to buy from an American site mainly for the reasons it has a vast selection to choose from and I find the prices very competitive.

kildare.17hmr

Got a link to the typeof knife your looking at?

tomhalloween

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Got a link to the typeof knife your looking at?

PM sent

kildare.17hmr

Here is one of the reviews



Dan
Texas
01/21/2011
Pros: Materials , Weight , None
Cons: Sheath/Scabbard , Blade Sharpness , Handle Material
A very strong knife, but plagued with a poor edge and a poorer sheath
This is a very strong knife, and with its hollow handle, one can easily attach a shaft to it making it into a spear which is great fun to throw at targets, and with its strong design it can withstand that kind of stress. However, the good things end there. The sheath that it comes with is a joke. It is very oversized and because of that the knife does not fit securely in it, which is dangerous because it could easily fall out unintentionally, say if the wearer fell for instance. Also, despite what cold steel says, it does NOT come out of the box razor sharp. On the contrary, the bushman is not easy to sharpen and does not hold an edge for long ether. In conclusion, the bushman is a cheap and a very strong knife, (perhaps the strongest fixed blade in the $20 range, at least as sold on this site.) but has the short comings of what I believe is a poor edge, and a poorer sheath.

tomhalloween

Maybe not a such a good choice!Thank you for that but would you envision any problems importing a similar knife?

shooter88

The only problem with importing knifes is if it is a butter fly knife flick knife or any knife concealed (hidden in belt buckle etc)..your average "swis army" / multi tool / fixed blade shouldn't be a problem iv got a few off the net and no hassle

kildare.17hmr

tomhalloween wrote: »

Maybe not a such a good choice!Thank you for that but would you envision any problems importing a similar knife?

Wont be a problem importing.

You should get a decent fixed blade 4 ir 5", that will be fine along with a multi tool for camping

tomhalloween

thanks for info guys

Grizzly 45

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Here is one of the reviews



Dan
Texas
01/21/2011
Pros: Materials , Weight , None
Cons: Sheath/Scabbard , Blade Sharpness , Handle Material
A very strong knife, but plagued with a poor edge and a poorer sheath
This is a very strong knife, and with its hollow handle, one can easily attach a shaft to it making it into a spear which is great fun to throw at targets, and with its strong design it can withstand that kind of stress. However, the good things end there. The sheath that it comes with is a joke. It is very oversized and because of that the knife does not fit securely in it, which is dangerous because it could easily fall out unintentionally, say if the wearer fell for instance. Also, despite what cold steel says, it does NOT come out of the box razor sharp. On the contrary, the bushman is not easy to sharpen and does not hold an edge for long ether. In conclusion, the bushman is a cheap and a very strong knife, (perhaps the strongest fixed blade in the $20 range, at least as sold on this site.) but has the short comings of what I believe is a poor edge, and a poorer sheath.

Must have got a turkey or reject of a Bushman there.
Any knife I've ever bought from CS came "razor sharp" out of the box.
Razor sharp being a rather misused term INMHO when it comes to knives
How long does razor sharpness hold up on your face scraper before you have to ditch it or the blades?? So how long will a razor sharp knife last if you are cutting every day things apart from A4 paper??;) A good working edge that you can get as sharp as possible and touch up easily if need be should be the marker.

I have one of the older versions and it is my EDC sheath knife.I dunno how he cant say it isnt sharp.I've had this knife over 12 years ,and really used and hacked and cut with it and it is still sharp enough to gut and skin deer and goats.
The old leather sheath is designed like the finnish Pukko[?] sheaths that swallow it up to and beyond the handle.CS Bushman is IMO a lot better knife at $30 dollars than some $300 custom survival knives out there.

garv123

I bought knives online no problem.
The only time you might have an issue if its something illegal here you try and import like a flick knife.

You may get caught for VAT but that's about it.