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Friday, February 09, 2007
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Is a Knife Considered a Concealed Weapon?

Every now and then I check out the Police Blotter on the WauwatosaNow site.  Today I read the following (emphasis mine):

A 20-year-old Milwaukee man was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon during an investigation in the 6500 block of Milwaukee Avenue at 9:25 p.m. Jan. 26, which originated on a Milwaukee County Transit bus. According to the report, police were called to the bus because three disorderly men were verbally harassing other passengers. The officer asked the three to get off the bus and searched them before letting them go, finding a knife on the man. The man told officers he carries the knife for protection, because "I walk to work and there are lots of dogs around. Where I live there are crackheads all over. I have it just in case."

I understand that Wisconsin doesn't have a concealed carry law, but my understanding was that this only applied to firearms.  This page mentions a ban on "switchblade" knives, but also notes that there is no maximum blade length law in Wisconsin.  Is this incorrect?  Could I be charged with carrying a concealed weapon if I'm searched and they find a pocket knife?  Does anyone have specific information on this?

I'm an ex-Boy Scout, so you can imagine why I'm asking.

# Posted at 1:12 PM by Nick  |  Comment Feed Link 5 Comments  |  No Trackbacks

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Friday, February 09, 2007 1:32:12 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
This is a question for our good friend SpottedHorse.
Give him a hollar I bet that he will have the answer/
sliverthetomcat
Friday, February 09, 2007 1:44:40 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
The government is intent on making sure it's illegal to do anything that might conceivably be EFFECTIVE in helping to protect your life.

Running, pleading, or pissing your pants are still allowed as far as I know.
elliot
Friday, February 09, 2007 2:09:02 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
Pissing your pants would be public urination, would it not?
Dean
Friday, February 09, 2007 7:53:33 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
Here are the relevant statutes:

941.23. Carrying concealed weapon

Any person except a peace officer who goes armed with a concealed and dangerous weapon is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

and

939.22. Words and phrases defined

In chs. 939 to 948 and 951, the following words and phrases have the designated meanings unless the context of a specific section manifestly requires a different construction or the word or phrase is defined in s. 948.01 for purposes of ch. 948:

(10) "Dangerous weapon" means any firearm, whether loaded or unloaded; any device designed as a weapon and capable of producing death or great bodily harm; any electric weapon, as defined in s. 941.295(4); or any other device or instrumentality which, in the manner it is used or intended to be used, is calculated or likely to produce death or great bodily harm.
jesusisjustalrightwithme
Saturday, February 10, 2007 7:23:59 PM (Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00)
If I'm not mistaken, there are a couple of rules for knives. Blade length, for one. Also, switch blades are illegal. You could carry a hunting knife in a sheath on your belt, although, the cops would question, as well as strongly discourage you from doing so in a city. As for lockblades, as long as they're in a sheath on your belt, there's usually not a problem. When you have a lock blade such as, say, a buck 110, in your pocket, hidden, that could be considered concealed. Again, I may be mistaken.
Billiam
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