Legal Risks of Carrying a Multi-Function Knife

Based on Clause 4, Article 3 of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosive Materials, and Support Tools 2017, primitive weapons are those with simple structure and operation principles and are manually or industrially crafted or produced, including: daggers, swords, spears, halberds, lances, bayonets, sabers, machetes, sticks, batons, clubs, bows, crossbows, and throwing stars.

It can be seen from the above regulation that multifunctional knives are not considered primitive weapons according to the law.

However, Point b, Clause 1, Article 1 of the amended Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosive Materials, and Support Tools 2019 provides regulations on weapons with features similar to hunting guns, primitive weapons, and sports weapons, which are manufactured manually or industrially without technical standards and designs of legal manufacturers, with the potential to cause injury or danger to human life and health, destroy material structures, similar to hunting guns, primitive weapons, and sports weapons.

Therefore, multifunctional knives can be considered as weapons with features and effects similar to primitive weapons.

According to Clause 2, Article 5 of the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosive Materials, and Support Tools 2017, regulations on prohibited acts include researching, manufacturing, producing, buying, selling, exporting, importing, storing, transporting, repairing, or using illegally.

Therefore, carrying a multifunctional knife can be seen as storing, transporting, or using weapons illegally, and for this act, you may be penalized according to Point c, Clause 5, Article 10 of Decree 167/2013/ND-CP, with fines ranging from VND 10,000,000 to VND 20,000,000. In addition, a supplementary penalty may be applied according to Clause 8, Article 5 of Decree 167/2013/ND-CP, which is the confiscation of the multifunctional knife you carried.

The above is the content the Editorial Board sends to you.

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