CO knife laws

It seems CO law prohibits the concealed carry of a knife over 3.5". Yet I also see mention that you can make an affirmative defense that the knife is for hunting or fishing. What does that mean?

 

Probably means possessing a valid fishing or hunting licence and you're doing one or the other.

 

I asked a lawyer what "affirmative defense" means. He said it means you can use it as a defense at your trial.

 

If I were you, and had a need/want to carry a knife over 3.5" long, I'd consult a competent attorney. In GA, our concealed carry license for firearms covers knives as well, I think. I've just never needed to carry a big knife concealed, so I've never sought a definitive answer. Good luck.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I do have a CCP for CO but I don't know if it covers knives either.

 

It does not. I doubt it does in GA either. For me, I carry whatever knife I want. Never heard of someone getting jammed up over knife length in CO. If you do, you've got a proven defense so, fuggit!

 

Not to quote Wikipedia or anything, but apparently I will, because I am not a lawyer or law enforcement agent of any kind. Basically an affirmative defense means you admit you were breaking whatever law, but you had a justifiable reason for doing so and the penalty for breaking said law shouldn't apply to you. I think it has to be recognized as such as well (ie, I was speeding because I was late doesn't work, but I shot someone in self-defense does). But if you want a real official answer, go ask a lawyer.

 

Well, if ever questioned by the man, your first words should be "I am on my way to or from- Fishing/ Hunting..."

 

lol you have to have a permit to carry a knife? That's ridiculous as it is unenforceable.

 

I agree it's ridiculous but it's not unenforceable. It just depends where the courts draw the line and what common law is established around accepted 'affirmative defense'. I can see why you may not want every 15-30 year old hyped-up shithead on the street at 2 in the morning to be carrying a 6" blade. If you're on your way to the lake with your son and wearing a Life is Good tilley hat I think that's a case where the knife is being used legitimately.

I'm not saying I agree with the law. Just saying that if they want to enforce it they can - because the courts will establish case law around it.

 

Why not? If they're not doing anything illegal with the knife (that's what actual laws are for) then I see no reason that they can't carry it. This idea that we need to make everything illegal just in case someone wants to do something already illegal with it to prevent them from doing the illegal thing is absurd and an affront to Liberty. It's our duty as American citizens to challenge laws that are bogus. A cop on the side of the road measuring knives seem to fit that bill IMHO. That's all I will say on that subject before it gets political.

 

Before i started keeping this in my truck i read up on the law and if i remember correctly i found information that lead me to believe it was okay to carry it.

Ill see if i book marked the site.

 

I acknowledge you are not going to say anything else about it but you asked me a question. There are lots of reasons for such laws whether or not I agree with them. You're just choosing to dig your heels in, plug your ears and fight on principal. You can't honestly say there's NO reason for laws like this. There were 181,838 crimes reported in CO in 2014. Over 40,000 of those were assaults. Aside from those, about 3000 rapes and 3000 robberies. I can think of all kinds of reasons why people in Colorado should be better off if there were laws against anyone (including criminals) carrying certain types of weapons in certain circumstances. I carry a SOG fixed blade in my truck that's around 7 or 8" long. I'm not necessarily for such a law but I definitely see the potential benefits, as well as the *bite fist* threat against your God given rights to have weapons in case the British come back. At least try to recognize both sides of the argument. People get so polarized on these kinds of issues and it gets ridiculous.

 

Check out KnifeRights.org .

 

We can carry collapsible batons in our vehicles in CO so I'm good not needing more than my regular flip blade.