In Russia, according to Federal Law No. 150-FZ “On Weapons” dated December 13, 1996, the term “edged weapons” is interpreted as: “a weapon designed to hit a target using human muscular power in direct contact with the target.” According to the law, edged weapons include swords, sabers, checkers, epees, daggers, Finnish knives, dirks, brass knuckles, stilettos and other objects (including knives of certain parameters) specially designed or adapted to hit a living target. Melee weapons can be piercing, piercing-cutting, slashing, crushing, etc.
At the same time, there is a lot of controversy and confusion around the term “edged weapon,” especially since the law does not provide absolute parameters for the unambiguous identification of any weapon. For example, according to current legislation, weapons in Russia do not include products certified as products for household and industrial purposes (penknives, kitchen knives, shoe knives, garden knives, etc.), which are structurally almost completely similar to edged weapons, but they are not.
- What is considered a cold weapon in Russia? Signs of edged weapons
- Types of bladed weapons
In each specific case, the issue of recognizing a particular product or object as a cold weapon is resolved only with the help of a special forensic examination, which is carried out on the basis of GOSTs, departmental instructions and standards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. For example, with certain reservations, experts can recognize a knife with a blade length above 90 mm as a “melee weapon,” and a machete with a meter-long blade will be recognized as an “entrenching tool.” A small camp ax and a sapper shovel will also fall into the same category of entrenching tools, although both of these “tools” in the army are quite considered as weapons of hand-to-hand combat... In this material we will try to understand the intricacies of the current legislation and determine which knife is a bladed weapon.
What is considered a cold weapon in Russia?
According to Article No. 1 of the Federal Law “On Weapons” N 150-FZ of December 13, 1996, edged weapons are weapons designed to hit a target using human muscular power in direct contact with the target (although there are also thrown edged weapons), thus obvious examples of such weapons are knives, sabers, swords, stilettos, brass knuckles, and other objects used to hit a living target.
At the same time, kitchen knives, penknives, garden knives, hatchets or machetes are not bladed weapons, since they are classified as products for household or industrial purposes, even though they sometimes have more impressive dimensions or functional danger than those samples that are combat bladed weapons. weapons (for example, a bayonet from an AK-74 assault rifle will be smaller in size than a meter-long steel machete, and such a “tropical saber” can cause much more damage to a person).
The law cannot independently classify any product with a blade as a weapon or as a household product; this is done by forensic examination; only it can establish whether this or that product is a bladed weapon and what type/type it can be classified as, if recognized as such .
Signs of edged weapons
The signs of bladed weapons used by forensic experts are given in GOST R 51215-98 (Cold weapons. Terms and definitions), several main criteria and signs can be identified by which an expert bureau or certification center classifies a weapon as a bladed weapon:
- blade hardness level;
- length of the blade part;
- handle design;
- butt thickness.
Types of bladed weapons
In Russia, the Federal Law “On Weapons” N 150-FZ, as well as GOST R 51215-98, divide all edged weapons into three main types:
- combat edged weapons;
- service edged weapons;
- civilian (for sports, for hunting);
Moreover, any of these types of bladed weapons can also be classified by type: thrown weapon, impact weapon, bladed weapon, chopping weapon, piercing weapon, etc.
Purchasing bladed weapons under a license
The law strictly prescribes that the law can only buy edged weapons upon receipt of the appropriate state license, which is issued by internal affairs bodies based on a citizen’s application. A license to purchase bladed weapons is issued for a five-year period.
To obtain a license to purchase bladed weapons, it is necessary to submit along with the application a medical certificate in form N 002-О/у, confirming that the applicant has no diseases that prevent the possession of bladed weapons (no mental illness, absence of alcohol or drug addiction). This certificate can be issued only in medical institutions that have the appropriate state license in accordance with Part 21 of Art. 13 of Federal Law N 150-FZ “On Weapons” dated December 13, 1996 and clause 9 of the Procedure for conducting a medical examination, approved by Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 441n dated June 30, 2021 “On the procedure for conducting a medical examination for the presence of medical contraindications to the possession of weapons and chemical and toxicological studies of the presence of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their metabolites in the human body.”
Please note that all products that are structurally similar to edged weapons, but are not them (models, dummies, props) are purchased without any additional permission or license.
The rules for purchasing by citizens aged 18 to 21 are being tightened.
In accordance with the current rules, in order to purchase a product (firearm, smoothbore, hunting, sports), it is enough to reach the age of eighteen and obtain a hunter’s license.
The Government is currently considering a project aimed at limiting purchase opportunities for adults under 18 years of age. The change is due to the need to reduce turnover, as well as the psychological characteristics of the development of adolescents at this time.
It is proposed to prohibit the issuance of weapons to those persons who have not served in the army, and also for whom hunting is not a means of legal profit.
The document is still under consideration, so there is no reliable information yet whether it will be accepted.
What is carrying and storing edged weapons?
Carrying a bladed weapon is literally the movement or presence of a person with a bladed weapon on his person outside the place of its permanent storage. At the same time, there are no special requirements for storing cold steel weapons; you do not need a special safe or similar devices at home; storing such weapons is much easier than a hunting rifle, for example.
According to existing laws, there are several options for the legal (free) carrying and storage of edged weapons:
- military personnel (including naval dirks and award-winning edged weapons);
- workers of reindeer herding farms in the Far North;
- employees of legal entities in the performance of their official duties;
- by individuals during relevant sports events (trainings);
- individuals at cultural events (antiques).
Moreover, all these categories of persons are obliged to take into account the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation when carrying and storing edged weapons, on the basis of issued licenses or special permits. At the same time, for more than 15 years in Russia there has been a legal conflict related to the fact that since 2003, criminal liability for illegal storage and carrying of bladed weapons has been abolished.
Buying hunting knives
Who has the right to purchase hunting knives?
It is allowed to purchase hunting knives from the age of 18, if you have a permit to store and carry hunting weapons (permit of the ROX series for smooth-bore or rifled hunting weapons).
What documents are needed to purchase hunting knives?
- passport;
- permission to store and carry hunting weapons (permit of the ROX series for smooth-bore or rifled hunting weapons).
Hunting knives are not registered in licensing departments. When sold, they are registered by employees of gun stores in the books of a legal entity.
How many units of hunting knives can you purchase?
This quantity is not limited. You can buy at least a hundred of these knives. No collecting license required.
Responsibility for illegal storage and carrying of bladed weapons
And so, since there is no criminal liability for storing and carrying bladed weapons, what illegal actions with bladed weapons are punishable by the current Criminal Code of the Russian Federation? Part 4 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishes only:
Illegal sale of... cold steel, including throwing weapons, is punishable by compulsory labor for a term of up to four hundred eighty hours, or correctional labor for a term of one to two years, or restriction of freedom for a term of up to two years, or forced labor for a term of up to two years, or arrest for a term of three to six months, or imprisonment for a term of up to two years with a fine in the amount of up to eighty thousand rubles or in the amount of wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to six months or without it.
At the same time, transportation, transfer without the purpose of sale, as well as storage of bladed weapons are NOT criminal offenses. You can be punished only for sales!
But for the illegal manufacture of bladed weapons, in accordance with Part 4 of Article 223 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, you can be punished by: compulsory labor for a term of up to four hundred and eighty hours, or correctional labor for a period of one to two years, or restriction of freedom for a term of up to two years. , or imprisonment for a term of up to two years with a fine in the amount of fifty thousand to eighty thousand rubles or in the amount of wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to six months, or without it.
Moreover, if you manufactured a weapon for sale, then such a crime will be classified as a totality, that is, the punishments will be summed up under Art. 222 and under Art. 223 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Arbitrage practice
Example 1. Citizen A was detained by law enforcement officers with a knife belonging to the “edged weapon” category.
In accordance with the Administrative Code, citizen A was fined 500 rubles, and in addition, a dangerous item was confiscated. Subsequently, the knife will be sold and the amount transferred to the owner.
Example 2. Law enforcement officers detected an attempt to manufacture bladed weapons in artisanal conditions. In addition, a sample of illegal weapons that he had previously manufactured was seized from the suspect.
Criminal proceedings have been opened against the violator, and he was awarded a fine of 50 thousand rubles. Since the offender is the sole breadwinner of the family, a sanction in the form of compulsory work for 480 hours was taken against him.
Example 3. A citizen in the city was detained by law enforcement officers with a knife of unknown origin. The dangerous item was confiscated and the offender was fined. The citizen challenged the actions of the police and insisted on conducting an examination, which should determine the parameters of the product, criteria, etc. The result of a thorough study is that the knife belongs to the category of household use.
Can I carry a knife with me?
Let us repeat - according to the current Federal Law “On Weapons”, carrying a knife is not prohibited; only carrying a bladed weapon is prohibited, which is not every knife. Moreover, even in the case of edged weapons, there are situations when you simply need to carry them - to carry them from the store to your home, for example.
In fact, even if you are stopped by police officers or the National Guard and they find you have a knife or even an item that is a bladed weapon, they will not legally be able to punish you for this fact alone. However, here it is important not to make a mistake yourself and correctly answer the police’s questions. For example, they will probably ask - why do you need a knife with you? If you answer that for self-defense, and your knife turned out to be a bladed weapon (according to the criteria of GOST R 51215-98), then you will immediately be charged with violating the requirements of Article 6 of the Federal Law “On Weapons” N 150-FZ, which clearly prohibits on the territory of the Russian Federation, carrying by citizens for the purpose of self-defense edged weapons (except for cases of transportation or transportation of the specified weapons). At the same time, the list of civilian self-defense weapons is clearly defined by Art. 3 of the Federal Law “On Weapons” of the Russian Federation and there are no knives, dirks, daggers and sabers, as well as any other bladed weapons in this list!
What kind of knife can you carry with you?
If you are stopped by police or members of the National Guard and discover that you have a knife with you, then events will develop depending on whether your knife is a bladed weapon or not. According to GOST, a knife is classified as a bladed weapon if it has the following characteristics (all at once):
- blade length - more than 90 mm;
- blade thickness - more than 2.4 mm;
- blade steel hardness - above 42 Rockwell units;
- safety handle (guard/limiter between the handle and blade, protruding more than 5 mm).
If your knife does not meet the criteria for a bladed weapon, then the police cannot have any legal claims against you, but if your knife is a bladed weapon, then you must have a reason to carry it and an appropriate license for it. Any controversial situation (whether your knife is a weapon or not) can be resolved if you can provide the police with documents from the store issued when purchasing the knife, which confirm its household purpose.
In any case, if you were stopped with any knife, and you did not state that you were carrying it for self-defense, then you CANNOT be held criminally liable for illegally carrying a bladed weapon! Moreover, regardless of what shape, size and type the knife was, if it became an instrument of crime, the responsibility of the owner of the knife for this will be determined by the court!
If you are a member of one of the Cossack units and wearing a Cossack uniform also means carrying bladed weapons, then you need to obtain licenses, obtain a special permit to carry and register this weapon, after which you can wear it as part of the uniform.
If you are a hunter and have a hunting license, then you have the right to carry a hunting knife (even if it is a bladed weapon), but only while hunting , and when returning from hunting, the knife must be put away in a special case, since the law does not allow the carrying of such hunting weapons in populated areas.
Is it possible to store a saber at home?
The legislator does not establish special rules regarding the storage of edged weapons. It is recommended to keep the dangerous item in a special protective case and store it in a locked place at home, preferably in a safe.
As for wearing, there are even fewer requirements. With a license, the user can legally carry any bladed weapon. An exception would be situations when he visits closed security facilities, airports, public events (parades, concerts, etc.).
Vladimir, you may not have noticed, but in the “Rifled Weapons” forum a topic has appeared that is a logical continuation of the topic you opened, “Attention everyone! It begins!”: https://guns.allzip.org/html Thanks for the valuable information. Panzerfaust 01/26/2008 18:17 quote: And now the question is - how will the Ministry of Internal Affairs know that I have this knife?
And in the hunting ticket it says what kind of chemical weapons you own... Vovan-Lawer 01/28/2008 11:46 quote: Originally posted by Panzerfaust: One of the methods: when checking a firearm, the SM checks the permit and sees that it is “for storage and carrying ", which is issued to those who have a hunting license. And on the hunting ticket it is written what you own from the hunting organization... Firstly, I am not obliged to present my hunting ticket to a police officer if I am not in the hunting grounds.
5 credits tags: collectible weapons, dirk, saber, storage of edged weapons, bayonet-knife category: legal advice you discuss everything at the everyday level. A legal opinion is needed. At the moment, neither the norms of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation nor the Norms of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provide for liability for the acquisition, storage and carrying of bladed weapons. Part 2 Art. 20.8
The Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation is not subject to broad interpretation. There is a clear connection....weapons and ammunition to them. That is, we are talking about firearms and not about cold steel.
Can I replace my driver's license due to its expiration date at a location other than where it was received and where I was registered? Anastasia, good afternoon, I want to enroll my child in kindergarten, age 0, my husband is a military man, it’s possible to arrange it without a special request... Complain good afternoon, I want to enroll my child in kindergarten, age 0, my husband is a military man, is it possible to arrange it without a queue?
Sergey Hello! Please tell me... There is an individual entrepreneur (registered in the Moscow Region) whose main activity is sale... Storage of bladed weapons, 98k bayonet And a fellow district police officer is obliged to check the conditions of its storage. And if not... Do you hope that when imposing an administrative penalty, they will take into account complaints: “Oh, well I didn’t know it was XO”?
The issue of recognizing a certain object as a cold weapon is decided by forensic examination. Distinctive features of edged weapons Edged weapons have the following distinctive features: 1.
blade length is over 90 mm; 2. The blade thickness is over 2.4mm;3. the angle of convergence of the butt and blade is no more than 70 degrees; 4. blade roll is no more than 9 mm; 5. The hardness of the steel is at least 25 Rockwell; 6. the blade penetrates to a depth of at least 20 mm; 7. there is a pronounced limiter for the fingers; 8.
Federal Law of July 21, 2014 N 227-FZ) entails the imposition of an administrative fine in the amount of five hundred to two thousand rubles or deprivation of the right to purchase and store or store and carry weapons for a period of six months to one year.4.1. Is it possible to keep edged weapons at home? What edged weapons do citizens have the right to have? The rules for carrying edged weapons require a license for it.
Info
Citizens who have permission to carry, including storage of hunting firearms, have the right to purchase hunting bladed weapons. When purchasing this weapon, the seller notes the entry in the citizen’s hunting license.
In this case, a permit to carry this bladed weapon will be a permit to carry a hunting weapon. 2.
After the treasure hunter hands over the saber to the police department, the rare weapon will be sent for historical and cultural examination, and if it is recognized as a worthy exhibit, it will be transferred to the museum. However, moral satisfaction from a completed duty is not exactly the feeling that a treasure hunter wants to experience as a reward for exhausting hours of searching. In the event that you still want to keep the found checker or sell it, you can use the options suggested below.
A public security police officer, on condition of anonymity, agreed to talk about possible options for the fate of the found saber. “If you want to keep a saber at home, please,” says the operative, “but for safety reasons, do not sharpen the blade sharply.”
5 credits tags: collectible weapons, dirk, saber, storage of edged weapons, bayonet-knife category: legal advice you discuss everything at the everyday level. A legal opinion is needed. At the moment, neither the norms of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation nor the Norms of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation provide for liability for the acquisition, storage and carrying of bladed weapons. Part 2 Art. 20.
Responsibility for illegal carrying or storage At the moment, for violation of the rules for carrying or storing edged weapons, liability is provided with administrative liability. Before the advent of Law N 162-FZ of 2003, Article 222 of the Criminal Code could be used. A fine is imposed on the citizen with or without the confiscation of weapons.
Info
But still, weapons have no place in a family’s living space. Why deliberately provoke negativity? If, nevertheless, the spouse does not agree to take his armor out of the house to somewhere far away, then the only suitable place for storing weapons will be the north-west of your apartment or house. BUT provided that in the northwest you do not have a bedroom and no one sleeps there.
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Dima What is the responsibility for the lack of paint on the license plate on the numbers Complain What is the responsibility for the lack of paint on the license plate on the numbers Nadezhda city of Mytishchi Institutskaya district, I ask you to explain to me the payment for heating in my house since m...
Surrender cannot be left As soon as the employees of the licensing department at the Main Internal Affairs Directorate for the Irkutsk region heard our question about the saber, they immediately reminded us about the campaign for the voluntary surrender of weapons. The fact is that not a single article of the Federal Law “On Weapons” provides for the legalization of cold steel or any other weapon.
Attention
Since the found saber, by default, does not have a registration number and documents confirming the legality of its acquisition, it is impossible to register it. At the same time, the found saber is a treasure that must be handed over to the state,” recalls Gennady Lobanov, head of the department of licensing and permitting work and control over private detective and security activities at the Main Internal Affairs Directorate for the Irkutsk Region.
True, the search engine will not even receive a reward for voluntarily surrendering the saber. There is no monetary compensation for edged weapons.
Edged weapons can be recognized as such only based on the results of certification or forensic examination. Punishment for carrying a bladed weapon may occur in the absence of a permit. What bladed weapons are prohibited? The article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the carrying of bladed weapons prohibits the circulation as service weapons, including civilian weapons, of boomerangs, shurikens, brass knuckles, flails, as well as other objects specially adapted for use as weapons with throwing and impact-crushing action. In Russia, according to Article 6 of the weapons law, the circulation of the following as service weapons, including civilian weapons, is prohibited: 1.
knives and bladed weapons, blades and blades with a length of more than 90 mm: 2. are removed from the handle automatically by pressing a button or a special lever, and are also fixed by them; 3.
Important
If you are the happy owner of edged weapons, the same story, it is advisable to keep swords, blades, knives and rapiers in sheaths and special cases, since such weapons also create so-called poisoned arrows in the space of the house. And under any circumstances, do not keep your weapon loaded. Don’t expect adventures, because in this case they will materialize, even if you didn’t intend to.
By the way, look out the window. One of the sha energies (negative) are monuments - tanks, guns and other military equipment. Ideally, there should be no such weapons nearby.
And if there is, then it is important that the barrel is not directed towards residential buildings. If you find such an object nearby and you do not have the opportunity to move, be sure to use Feng Shui protection methods.
Info
I found a saber. What to do? There is no official mechanism for legalizing the found bladed weapons, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But there is still a way out! A certain searcher has found a rusty saber or some other antique blade and wants to keep the find for himself.
How can he legitimize the weapons found? It took quite a long time to find an answer to this seemingly simple question. As it turned out, the law stipulates the obligation to register bladed weapons, but the mechanism for legalizing rare blades, in fact, does not exist.
Legal collecting of bladed weapons
In accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 21, 1998 N 814 “On measures to regulate the circulation of civilian and service weapons and ammunition on the territory of the Russian Federation” on the territory of the Russian Federation, the collection and storage of edged weapons by individuals represents the formation of cultural and historical collections (collections) for scientific, informational and educational purposes (collecting) are carried out on the basis of licenses issued by the Federal Service of the National Guard of the Russian Federation (Rosguard) or its territorial bodies in the manner established by the Russian Guard. For collecting purposes, it is permitted to purchase edged weapons removed from the arsenal of state paramilitary organizations of the Russian Federation.
It is prohibited to collect: brass knuckles, boomerangs, flails, shurikens, and other items of impact, crushing and throwing action specially adapted for use as weapons, with the exception of sports equipment and these items that have cultural value and are used for cultural and educational purposes.
Citizens of Russia have the right to store weapons collections at their place of residence in the manner prescribed by paragraph 59 of the “Rules for the circulation of civilian and service weapons and ammunition on the territory of the Russian Federation,” approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 814 of July 21, 1998.
What is prohibited to do with edged weapons?
The Federal Law “On Weapons” prohibits the following actions with edged weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation:
- transfer of bladed weapons;
- carrying weapons during demonstrations, rallies, processions and other public events;
- carrying a bladed weapon for the purpose of self-defense (except for cases of transportation or transportation of the specified weapon);
- storage and use of sports edged weapons outside sports facilities.
Regardless of the situation in Russia, the circulation (carrying and storage) of bladed weapons with impact, crushing and throwing action (knuckles, brass knuckles, shurikens, boomerangs, etc.) is prohibited.
As the main conclusion, we once again emphasize that at the moment in Russia there is a legal conflict, due to which neither the carrying nor storage of bladed weapons, even illegal and without a license, are not criminal offenses. It is likely that this situation will change in the future and the law will become stricter, so it is worth keeping an eye on changes in Russian legislation! And our website will help you with this! We welcome your questions in the comments!
