Kiku

What constitutes as a knife collector? Owning at least one or more knives? If so, then just about everyone in NJ is a knife collector because they own, presumably, at least one or more kitchen knives. Kitchen knives are knives. So if you already have at least one or more knife in your kitchen, you ARE a knife collector! If the only knife you own is a $2.99 cheap piece of crap 3" paring knife (Made in China), you ARE a knife collector! If that 0.5" semi-sharp blade on a Swiss Army knife is the only knife you own, you ARE a knife collector! So IF what you guys are saying is true, one can always use the "I am a knife collector!" argument to avoid having their prized knives confiscated. It would be very interesting to check with the authorities to see how many confiscations of bladed weapons have occurred in NJ and how many of those were from those claiming to be a knife collector. And here is an interesting scenarios to consider: "In a large crowded plaza on one sunny afternoon, John Doe, in the middle of a heated exchange with James Smith, suddenly whips out, out of nowhere, his 6" ultra-rare limited-edition Bowie knife to inspect whether his prized blade was damaged in the process." But everything's fine for Mr. John Doe who brandished his big knife in a public space because he is a knife collector who was on his way to a pawn shop to have it appraised... How well will the knife collector argument hold in the above scenario? There's nothing to be gained from ambiguous bladed weapon laws in your state if you own knives. I suppose one can get out of trouble by hiring a really good lawyer and rig the jury full of easily-swayed two-digit-IQ dimwits.

Thanks for the info, fishnut. Correct me if I am wrong here, but I thought switchblades are illegal to OWN throughout the entire NJ? I am glad nobody took your knives away. I am sure police has far more important work to do than to bust into someone's home to confiscate their prized collections.

What are you talking about? Why would the police come to search my house? I was speaking hypothetically in my earlier post about a scenario in which IF the police were to find a dagger in one's possession, especially like the one linked in the original post by the forum member "antimatter", then coming up with a legitimate "explainable lawful purpose" that will hold up in the court would be virtually impossible. I'm no lawyer, but merely claiming machirology as one's hobby isn't going to let that person off the hook. As forum member "USRifle30Cal" pointed out, if and when the police does come to search one's house with a warrant, then the chances are that person has a BIGGER problem than merely owning an illegal weapon.

Why make up fake business cards just to prove to others that machirology is one's hobby? Since when in NJ require business cards to justify one's hobby? It's an absurd notion. If verbal justification for owning "illegal" knives in one's own home isn't good enough to get that person out of trouble, then the chances are that it won't matter whether that person coughs up some fake business cards to support machirology as his/her hobby. I've thought very hard about an "explainable lawful purpose" for owning a dagger that can pull oneself out of legal trouble in NJ. I have yet to come up with one. Better yet, what if one happens to own a dagger 'inadvertently' in NJ, then tries to get rid of it by selling it online? If it is illegal to own one, then I am quite sure it's also illegal to sell it in this state.

A dagger is defined as a stabbing weapon with two or more edges. #1. The tactical knife you linked has a spearpoint geometry - it is made for stabbing, a key characteristic of a dagger. #2. The tactical knife you linked also has more than one edge - another key characteristic of a dagger. From legal perspective, the knife you linked IS a dagger because it meets conditions #1 & #2. In accordance with New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice 2C:39-3e, Translation: You CANNOT legally own a dagger without an "explainable lawful purpose". If a police searches your home and finds that knife of yours, you will most likely get arrested. And good luck trying to explain in court why you need to have a dagger designed for close quarters combat in your possession. In many ways, I think owning a knife in NJ is more troublesome than owning a gun. -Kiku-