Police Raid Uncovers New York Knife Cache

http://www.officer.com/article/article.jsp?id=6877&siteSection=1 ^

[Stew Padasso]

Police Raid Uncovers New York Knife Cache

............ ERIKA MARTINEZ Courtesy of The New York Post

The owners and employees of five Queens shops were busted last night after police seized more than 350 illegal knives from their businesses.

The sweep, called Operation Cutting Edge, began with undercover cops buying knives from the stores about two weeks ago, Deputy Chief James Hall said.

Warrants were issued, and the stores were raided last night.

"I think as firearms become more difficult to obtain, we are now starting to see a trend toward the use of knives," Hall said. "It's a trend we plan to reverse."

Seized in the raids were knives ranging from $5 switchblades to $550 gravity knives.

Also found were exotic weapons like canes with swords concealed in their shafts, throwing stars, knuckle knives, nunchucks and a $400 belt knife, with a blade buckle.

Two women and one man were arrested in a Bayside shop, two other women were nabbed in Astoria.

Another shop in Astoria was searched, and a man arrested.

A Woodside store and a Flushing store were also raided, and a man was arrested at each.

All were charged with weapons possession, cops said.

[Stew Padasso]

Here ya go.

[battlegearboat]

...also found were several spoons and an ashtray.

[JOE6PAK]

Don't ever take a KNIFE to a GUN fight!

[SouthernFreebird]

Knives are illegal in NY...?

[CWOJackson]

Switchblade knives are illegal in most places. Gravity knives are close behind. The stores knew they were selling illegal knives.

[ChefKeith]

Self defense is illegal in NY!

[flashbunny]

Everything is illegal in NY. Except paying taxes.

[Stew Padasso]

"Everything is illegal in NY. Except paying taxes."

Or fines. What can you do in NY anymore?

[backhoe]

When I was a young man, I crewed on various small craft & yachts around here- and I carried a switchblade.

Not as a weapon, but as a tool- if you need to cut something in a hurry on a boat- like a whipping-out line that has snagged your foot- you probably will have only one hand free.

A pocket knife is worthless in those circumstances, and a sheath knife is a hazzard if you fall while wearing it- so I had a small switch made by Doon Steelworks in Deradun, India.

I guess my bigger point would be that it is the operator- not the device- that makes a knife a tool or a weapon.

[Brian Mosely]

Also found were exotic weapons like canes with swords concealed in their shafts

Heaven forbid...

[AAABEST]

Got in here early to make sure these stupid cops have and these stupid laws have a mouthpiece?

Stupid is as stupid does.

[CWOJackson]

Stupid cops?

Considering switchblades knives are illegal in every major U.S. city that I know of I'd say it was the folks selling them that were stupid. Shops selling switchblades are busted all the time from the east coast to the west. Nothing new here but I guess there aren't any good police corruptions stories out there this morning.

[Cicero]

When I was a kid I had a great knife collection. I can understand why cities might want to make switchblades illegal, so they can put muggers and perps away for a longer term if they are caught with them.

But law enforcement should use discretion. It's just plain moronic to bust knife shops or, for that matter, to bust people with switchblades if they are apparently honest citizens just going about their business. This kind of law should be on the books for use when it is appropriate, not for sweeping application.

Giuliani was a genius who knew exactly how to enforce the laws to keep the peace. Bloomberg is a moron. First we have the smoking police--200 officers who do nothing but arrest people for possessing cigarettes or ashtrays. Now we have the pocketknife police. This is NOT the way to encourage citizens to be law abiding.

[AAABEST]

OK, I'll put you down as supporting laws banning knives as well as the raids that follow.

You probably support bong raids too, so I guess we just see things very differently.

[CWOJackson]

"It's just plain moronic to bust knife shops or, for that matter, to bust people with switchblades if they are apparently honest citizens just going about their business."

Unfortunately the bad people who would use these illegal knives don't always come with an obvious label.

[TheRightGuy]

Seized in the raids were knives ranging from $5 switchblades to $550 gravity knives.

Pinging for professinal weapons advice.

OK, I'll bite. What is a gravity knife? And why would it be illegal as opposed to an anti-gravity knife???

[CWOJackson]

LOL!

You can put me down for anything you want...which has about as much impact as you do. None.

You folks are reaching awfully far here this morning aren't you. Couldn't come up with a decent police corruption story? So you have to try and fabricate a police state emergency out of an arrest that could have been made in anyone of hundreds of U.S. cities.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Stab.

[CWOJackson]

A gravity knife is one where the blade slides into the handle. When the blade is inside, you can point the handle downward, press a button and gravity will cause the blade to slide out to the locked open position and lock.

Many localities have classified them in the same category as switchblades and made them illegal. This stems back to many cities anti-gang efforts.

Whether the knives should be illegal or not could be addressed by local voters but with the various thumb throw knives available I have no clue why anyone would want a switchblade anyway. They open just as quickly and are usually far better made.