Re: Good grief ...

nofarkenway@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:
>
>Depends on why you are carrying a knife. Put a Swiss army knife in
>your pocket with the specific intent of using it to peel your lunch
>time apple and you don't have a problem. Carry the same knife to
>"defend" you and your girfriend and you are, in the eyes of the law,
>"going armed in public," and could be dragged in front of eh
>magistrate to face the music. This happened to one well intended young
>bloke in Brisbane a few years ago. Some cop decided to poke his snout
>into the contens of teh young fellows pocket and IF said young bloke
>had said the knife was to peel lunch time fruit he would have been
>safe. Instead he claimed the knife was for self defence.

Almost immediately after the Weapons Act was ammended (1997) a young
cop in the town near where I live (Qld) booked a 75 y.o. ex stockman
for carrying a pocket knife in a pouch on his belt.  There was
absolutely no suggestion of his carrying it for self defence.

The law as it's written varies from state to state.  In Q it's
according to occupation (a meat worker or a butcher can legally carry
a knife in a public place), in others you only need to give a reason.
Whether it's strictly enforced or not is something the police no doubt
decide.

FWIW, the Weapons Act in Q also has provision to allow the police to
inspect gun safes.  The Police Minister at the time (Russell Cooper)
assured us that this would by prior appointment only and wouldn't be
accompanied by the thud of jackboots through our homes.  They now turn
up on our doorsteps unannounced (supposedly the subjects are randomly
chosen by police computer).  They also have the power to search for
firearms (and drugs) without a warrant, so I doubt if anyone's likely
to tell them to piss off and come back at a more convenient time!

-- 
John H