Buying and carrying knives: the law

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Basic laws on knives

It is illegal to:

sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 years old (16- to 18-year-olds in Scotland can buy cutlery and kitchen knives)
carry a knife in public without good reason – unless it’s a knife with a folding blade three inches long (7.62 cm) or less, e.g. a Swiss Army knife
carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
use any knife in a threatening way ...