The Knife Law

The Knife Law

Are you, like many other Danes, unsure about the rules in the much-debated knife law? On this page we have gathered all the information you need. On July 1, 2016, the new, more lenient knife law came into force — and below we will try to explain what that, quite concretely, means for you as a consumer.

Contents

Background: Issues in the knife law

You have probably landed on this page because of the big fuss there has been about buying and selling knives and multitools in Denmark. Until July 1, 2016, it was illegal to sell and carry any knife (or knife-like object) that could be opened with one hand. TV news ran stories about outdoor and sports shops that had received huge fines for selling Swiss Army knives — and private individuals and tradespeople had everything from hobby and hunting knives to multitools and the like confiscated.

The enormous fines and strange confiscations led many — including prominent politicians — to question the knife law, and the vast majority agreed that there were a number of problems in the rules that applied at the time.

All this commotion caused, among others, the Danish Hunters’ Association, the weapons dealers’ association, and a number of outdoor organizations to jointly contact politicians and, in particular, the Minister of Justice, who had to take action. The press also got involved and raised the question of the value of the legislation in force at the time.

Out of the above came a bill for a new knife law, which was sent out for consultation. The final bill was then introduced and given its first reading in the Folketing on January 27, 2016. After that it was sent to committee treatment in the Legal Affairs Committee, which produced a report. This resulted in an amended proposal that was then given a second and third reading in the Folketing — and finally adopted on May 21, 2016.

These are the rules today

The Weapons Act is, like most other laws, a bit of a beast that can be difficult to navigate. Below we have gathered the most decisive points relating to the use of knives and bladed weapons:

§ 1. Knives and bladed weapons etc. must not be carried or possessed in publicly accessible places, educational institutions, youth clubs, after-school programs and similar places, unless it is done as part of professional work, for hunting, recreational fishing, sporting activity, or another similar recognized purpose.

§1 can sound frightening if you do not immediately have a very concrete task that needs to be carried out using a knife. But it is important to stress that the last two words in the paragraph put you in a good position if you, like 9 out of 10 people who carry a knife, expect that you may need it during the day. Whether it is for opening packaging, cutting apples for your horse, or opening a bottle of wine or beer in the backyard makes no real difference, as long as you can explain your purpose.

§ 2. Permission from the police is required to acquire, possess, carry, or use:

  1. sharp or pointed weapons if the blade exceeds 12 cm,
  2. knives with a cross-guarded handle designed for stabbing,
  3. switchblades and spring stilettos,
  4. gravity knives and gravity stilettos,
  5. folding knives with a split handle whose blade can be opened using one hand (butterfly knives),
  6. knives designed to be worn around the neck or shoulder and which can be drawn from that position using one hand,
  7. throwing stars, throwing knives, throwing axes and similar items, and
  8. sword canes and other bladed weapons that appear to be another object.

There are, however, exceptions to §2. According to the police website (link): “Daggers and knives with a blade over 12 cm are exempt from the prohibition and from the requirement for police permission if they are used for professional purposes, household use, hunting, recreational fishing, sporting activity, or another similar recognized purpose.”

The bill further means that one-hand-operated folding knives are no longer categorized as especially dangerous knives, which were forbidden to possess — including in one’s own home — without police permission.

The knife law, in brief

If the above is too long and complicated, we have tried to outline the most basic points of the knife law that came into force on July 1, 2016 in short bullet form.

You may…

  • Carry knives and bladed weapons (including one-hand-operated folding knives) as part of professional work, for hunting, recreational fishing, sporting activity, or another similar recognized purpose.
  • As a general rule, it is assumed that you have a recognized purpose unless the situation clearly indicates otherwise. For example, you may NOT legally bring your knife to a nightclub, a football match, or other events where experience shows situations may escalate.

You may not…

  • carry knives with a cross-guarded handle designed for stabbing (push daggers)
  • carry switchblades and spring stilettos
  • carry gravity knives and gravity stilettos
  • carry folding knives with a split handle whose blade can be opened using one hand (butterfly knives)
  • carry knives designed to be worn around the neck or shoulder and that can be drawn from that position using one hand
  • carry throwing stars, throwing knives, throwing axes and similar items
  • carry sword canes and other similar weapons that appear to be another object

The above knives are especially dangerous types of knives and bladed weapons etc. which, under the Weapons Act, require a weapons permit. Applications for a weapons permit for especially dangerous knives and bladed weapons etc. must be submitted to the police in the district where the applicant resides or is based.

Links: More information

If you want to know more about the knife law, we have gathered a number of links to relevant organizations, unions, and associations that took part in the 2015–2016 debate on the new knife law.


We reserve the right for any errors or changes in documentation or material on this website. DolkOutdoor assumes no responsibility for damages or fines resulting from this.

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