Legality of carrying a personal emergency pry bar?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I know pry bars have been discussed elsewhere, but my question is a legality one. I guess it's better to ask the police or look up the laws directly, but, I was reading in a survival book that one should always carry a small pry bar or entry tool on their person because you never know when you will be in a collapsed building, bus, vehicle, or other thing, and have to pry and break your way out.

Would this be considered a "breaking and entering tool" if a policeman saw you with it, or does it depend on the officer and the situation? I'm thinking something that is about the size of a large folding knife, or around those dimensions, as opposed to a crowbar type thing.

Like this from KABAR:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/425454 ... teel-blade

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Also, would the fact that it has an edge make it be considered a large knife or not?

[The Deacon]

As with many things, the answer would depend on the prybar being discovered by the police, and the circumstances under which they discovered it., If you're observed loitering outside a building at 2am, and frisked, most cops are probably going to consider any prybar to be a burglar's tool and the specific one you referenced a weapon. Most cops also have a low tolerance for certain types of behavior and, since there's rarely ever a specific law against acting like an ******* in a public place, they can get very creative if you give them sufficient reason to do so.

FWIW, I worked in building with poorly maintained 80 year old elevators for about eight years before I retired and carried a 12" Stanley Wonder Bar in my attache case every day. Never had to use it, never had a problem with the police, but I did get odd looks from security at some of our other offices,

[demoncase]

As with many things, the answer would depend on the prybar being discovered by the police, and the circumstances under which they discovered it., If you're observed loitering outside a building at 2am, and frisked, most cops are probably going to consider any prybar to be a burglar's tool and the specific one you referenced a weapon. Most cops also have a low tolerance for certain types of behavior and, since there's rarely ever a specific law against acting like an ******* in a public place, they can get very creative if you give them sufficient reason to do so.
,

To quote Terry Pratchett: "Lockpicks are only geographically legal. Having them in your own home is perfectly legal.
Having them about your person at midnight inside a bankvault that is miraculously empty of money without a proper explanation is so far from legal it can't be seen with a powerful telescope"

[phillipsted]

Considering that this KaBar is named a "Entry Tool" - the name itself would probably be used by a Prosecutor in trying to establish intent to commit a crime. That's why I probably won't ever EDC a "Warrior"... :cool:

TedP

[ASmitty]

since there's rarely ever a specific law against acting like an ******* in a public place

If only these kinds of laws were more prevalent. Unfortunately they'd probably just get used to persecute people though.

[Blerv]

A large edged bar like that Ka-Bar or a County Comm E.O.D. should fall into fixed-blade legality. Non-edged ones should fall into normal tool categories unless you hit someone with it. I would have a reason for carrying it prior to being asked though.

[vampyrewolf]

I've got a small 6"x1"x1/4" Ti prybar in my bag... and it really came in handy when we needed to pop the window on the elevator at the Legion to get the key out (yeah... the emergency key was ON the person trapped in the elevator).