Need legal advice regarding knives in Massachusetts

[Bushpig]

I just got pulled off the highway by a cop and dropped by a fucking abandoned burger king. The cop was a jerk and refused to return my pocket knife. I have nothing if attacked by wild animals now and it was a $40 knife. Is there anything I can do?

Pic is his car with number. Just happened about 10 or 15 minutes ago.

 

[Older Than Dirt]

You aren't going to get attacked by any animals in Mass. A rock in a sock will defend you from the home-bums.

Cop probably was allowed to do that, and figures he was a nice guy cause he just took it and didn't take you in. Any assisted opening knife with a blade over 1.5" is illegal, any double-edged blade is illegal to have in a car. A bunch of other rules, and enough confusing-ness to make his job easy. Having clicked on pic and seen he is a Statie: they are pretty by the book (and total pricks), you were lucky. Staties in all nearby states also suck hard, avoid.

Connecticut as i recall has a 3" limit, so may want to wait on buying a new knife til you are a bit west. NYC but not the rest of NY state is 4", and KNIVES MUST BE FULLY CONCEALED IN NYC.

Good reference here:

https://www.akti.org/state-knife-laws/massachusetts/

 

[Bushpig]

I'm not really scared. I'm just pissed that I was robbed. Without any compensation, the cop gets a decent knife for nothing.

 

[Older Than Dirt]

Yup, that sucks, i too have donated to many police officers' knife collections.

Any real knife i would keep in my pack when hitching, they won't often have any excuse to go through your pack and find it. Those Moraknives are good and under $20, so it doesn't hurt as much when the pigs take it.

 

[Bushpig]

Yeah. I'll be stashing my knife in my pack while walking interstates from now on!

God. I'm still fucking mad at that cop.

 

[Older Than Dirt]

Don't walk the Mass or Conn Turnpikes, you will get rousted by every Statie that passes. You can hitch the entrances before the "No Pedestrians" sign, and they will leave you alone, and any other roads in those states you will be fine; town cops will often give you rides. Same thing in NY- stay off the Thruway.

You had a really good and lucky day today- you lost a knife, but are not sleeping in a cell. That means the cop was in a good mood, or scared of getting Black Lives Matter-ed. Usually they arrest for walking the pike.

 

[Beegod Santana]

In mass you can't have any visible weapons on at the turnpike rest stops. You're not supposed to be walking on the interstate at all so I would assume that was his justification. I grew up in the Commonwealth and they've acquired many a blade off me there over the years. General rule is smaller than your palm, no spring assist and if it requires a sheath it's best to keep stashed away. Staties are pretty by the books, locals do whatever they want. Court system there sucks, good luck is all I gotta say.

If you keep the hitching to the rest areas on 90 they tend to let it slide. I've pulled it off many times and picked up many people doing it over the years, walking down the highway is still a big no. Just use rt 20. It's pretty much the same road.

Bears are on the rise is western and central mass, but a knife probably won't help much if you get attacked in the night.