In recent days, rumors have been growing on the Internet that from now on, carrying a simple Laguiole or Opinel knife on your person is punishable by a fine of €500 and a mention in your criminal record. What is it really? Decryption.
Should the Aveyronnais renounce their traditions? Strongly attached to the symbol and usefulness of the object, many people have the habit of always keeping a Laguiole knife in their vehicle or directly on them, each time they go out. However, according to numerous posts or articles published on the Internet, it would no longer be possible to carry a knife with you. Moreover, this would be “now punished with a fine of 500 euros and an entry in the criminal record”, like the title for example the magazine categorized as far-right, Current values.
The rumor even arrived in Aubrac
The rumor even reached Aubrac. “Regularly, customers ask us questions about the size of the knife, if they incur sanctions by having one…”notes the sales manager of a North Aveyron cutlery. “With all the communication and the distortion of truth that is around, it worries us, it risks impacting us”anticipates in any case Honoré Durand, head of the Laguiole company of the same name, and president of the union of Aveyron knife manufacturers of Laguiole, bringing together six cutlery factories including the emblematic Forge de Laguiole.
No automatic sanction
However, the reality is more complex than that. “The acquisition and possession of a laguiole is of course perfectly authorized”pose Me Marianne Bramat, Ruthenian lawyer at the Berger Montels-Estève law firm. It is when we go into public space that the situation becomes more complex. “The laguiole, like the opinel and several other types of knives, is a folding knife with a fixed blade that can be closed. Thus, it is not a weapon by definition but by destination”explains the lawyer.
This means that you do not necessarily incur a sanction by walking around with this object. “If we are stopped in the street, a law enforcement officer may ask us why we are carrying a knife”nuance Me Bramat. This is where an important notion comes into play, that of legitimate reason. An exam that “is carried out on a case by case basis”it is indicated in particular on Service public.fr, the national administration website. “During a picnic, by a worker at work, or for someone going to lunch in their favorite restaurant, this will be justifiable”details for example the one who is registered with the Aveyron bar. Conversely, wearing a laguiole is not tolerated for the purpose of self-defense or in certain places such as sports arenas. Even less so in a court, when according to the admission of several magistrates, litigants regularly go to the Rodez courthouse with their favorite knife around their belt.
“A subtlety enters into the law”
This is where the recently spread rumor finds its roots. In the event that the reason is not legitimate, carrying a category D weapon (which includes knives such as the laguiole, Editor’s note) will be punished by a fixed fine of €500 (amount reduced to €400 or increased to €1,000) and an entry in the criminal record if the offender returns his “weapon” to the police. This is a new sanction, tested since last April in the perimeter of thirteen judicial courts such as Toulouse or Montpellier, but not Rodez. New legislation which occurs as part of the modification of article 317.8 of the internal security code, dating from January 26, 2023.
“The objective is to be able to propose a rapid sanction and to unclog the courts while in France, we are seeing an increase in the number of stabbing attacks,” presents Me Longing. “On the other hand, we can very well refuse this decision and defend ourselves before a judge, and that is a double-edged sword.”
In the end, in this eternal question of carrying a knife, “nothing has changed, it’s a subtlety that enters into the law”summarizes the lawyer. Which leaves subject to interpretation, and places the knife in a position similar to objects like a hammer or a baseball bat, sometimes feeding the news sections, without being considered as weapons in their primary function. “We kind of put everyone in the same basket,” regrets Honoré Durand. “We must make a distinction between rural and urban areas, having a knife on you has nothing to do in these two contexts.” But let all Laguiole rest assured, without any changes to the regulations, the industry of this famous blade adorned with a bee still seems to have a bright future ahead of it.
