Dealing with the Police

[Traymond]

So...I was stopped a few years ago...got pulled over and I got a ticket...not for speeding like I got pulled over for though...but having a pair of Sai and kama in my back seat.

I argued a bit that they were for martial arts and he finally believed me after I told him that those sai cost about 100 bux and the kama cost about 75, he finally let me keep them but he also allowed me to take with me a ticket for 125 dollars saying that I had unlicensed bladed weapons.

I now carry a laminated piece of paper signed by my Four other sensei saying that they are for martial arts related practice and not to kill someone intentionally. So, I now have no more trouble with it...

Has anyone else dealt with something like this before? And what was your outcome?

[tallgeese]

Never had, or caused, a problem like that.

In the US, you have to be pulled over for a reason. It's what's called Probable Cause. Speeding will do it, so will about a hundred other things, lights out, lane usage...you name it.

Now, once contact is iniated, the officer gets anything in "plain view" unless there are other circustaces (arrest, furative movements, smells like weed, ect.). So, if there is something questable in plain view, then they get to ask about it.

Depending on what state you're from (NY, I"m lookin' at you), ma weapons might be illegal or regualted in some way. This could easily lead to the situatin you're describing. Check your local reguations, even a note from someone might not be of use if the above facts are correct. Don't forget to check your local ordiances as well. Towns have an annoying habit of trying to make rules where no state or federal ones apply.

Best bet, not in plain view. That means a bag or such which isn't really a big deal if on the way to the gym.

[tallgeese]

On a side note, if you do have them in the backseat and are questioned about them, don't turn around to pick one up and show it to the officer. This is a sure way to get a gun barrel in your face.

I know, this should go without saying, but things like it have occured on more than one occassion.

[Traymond]

Yeah. He asked me if I had anything bladed with me and I said yeah, im a martial artist on the way to practice, and he told me to show him, and yes much to his surprise he took a step back when I pulled a pair of sickles to him.

I did not get in any trouble and their is no law restricting martial arts weapons but their is a law that says you cannot have concealed weapons, and he regarded those as concealed weapons. I would have been extremely mad if he confiscated them though, cause I had just bought them not to long ago.

[bushido_man96]

Like tg mentioned, its a matter of knowing your local and state ordinances and laws. A good idea, especially if you are an MA instructor in your community, which is business for your community, would be to have a chat with the Chief of Police and talk to him about what you teach, how you teach it, and familiarize him with the things you have and do. That way, you can come up with some acceptable way of transporting and using said weapons.

[Traymond]

So state laws differ, that I have found out the hard way, I seem to be a magnet for getting pulled over, but anyways.

In my state you can carry a laminated piece of paper from your instructor signed by a police officer. Would this hold up in your state?

[tallgeese]

I wouldn't be needed in IL.

Surprisingly, we have no real laws regarding the possession of ma weapons without the intent to use them in a crime. If that were the case, there use would be an aggravating factor in the crime and a violation of what's called an Unlawful Use of Weapon law. But they are not, and have not been added to my knowledge, to the list of Scheduled weapons in IL state law.

[Traymond]

So they couldn't get you for a concealed weapon if they were to check your bags for some reason?

[the beast]

I think the best thing to do would be to transport them in your trunk, they can't search without probable cause.

If you do have them in your backseat keep them out in the open where if you do get pulled over the officer can see them ( they are no longer concealed ) then when he asks about them you can explain the situation.

I'm by no means an expert on law but this just sounds logical to me.

[tallgeese]

No, typically conceilment is considered on one's person. If it's in a bag it's storage. So, even if they found reasonable suspicion to search your bags, they couldn't charge you with anything unless they could prove intent to use in a crime. Which is no small feat.

It's always best to be upfront about such things just as a matter of protocol. Tell them that you have them in your gym bag and why and it will go along way towards speculation as to their purpose. Technically a knife with over a certain inch blade is prohibited in IL, as are auto opening knives, but the truth is that there are so many out there they usually don't get fretted over. Unless the owner is trying to talk himself into trouble.

Again, this is just my state and specifically how things are handled in my region of the state. Your milage may vary. We typically are more concened with firearms than anything else. For that you get a FOID check run ect. Even then, carried in a car, in a bag with no ammunition with the weapon and you wouldn't be in trobule as long as you had taken the time to get a state firearms id card.

So I wouldn't worry about keeping them cased. Again, check into your local laws and oridanances before making any decisions.