What Is a “Zombie Knife” and Why Are They Being Banned?

A controversial class of blades will soon be illegal across the pond. Here’s what we know.

Published August 29, 2024

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As regular readers of GP’s knife coverage know, the laws regarding bladed implements are a little different in the UK. And by “different,” we mean “stricter.” Like carrying a pocket knife? You’d best make sure the blade is no longer than 3 inches and non-locking.

Named after weapons used in zombie movies and TV shows such as The Walking Dead, such knives feature a long, aggressive blade measuring up to 25 inches, plus “a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence.”

Shifting from folders to fixed blades, this week brings news that regulations regarding so-called “zombie knives” are about to get real tight, though there is one small upside for their owners. Here’s what you need to know about the goings-on across the pond.

Cracking down

Basically, England and Wales have introduced a ban on “zombie-style knives,” which will go into effect on September 24th. The crackdown actually represents a strengthening of Criminal Justice Act 1988. This act went into effect in 2016 and, forgive us for getting a bit semantic, effectively banned “traditional zombie knives.”

Named after weapons used in zombie movies and TV shows such as The Walking Dead, such knives feature a long, aggressive blade measuring up to 25 inches, plus “a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence” — and have become increasingly popular with criminals, say police.

According to The Daily Mail, zombie knives date back at least as far as 2011, when New York’s own Ka-Bar released some mean-looking blades with reference to “the need for knives capable of killing a zombie when firearms aren’t available.”

The update to the act widens the net, adding ‘zombie-style’ knives and ‘zombie style’ machetes to the list of prohibited offensive weapons, which also includes butterfly knives, Samurai swords and push daggers.

16 zombie knives and axes — The makers of these implements would probably be proud to have them called zombie-style knives. The company is called Zombie Tools, after all.

The fine print

Here’s the British government’s official — and very specific — definition of what will be illegal to possess beginning September 24th:

The weapon sometimes known as a ‘zombie-style’ knife or ‘zombie-style’ machete, being a bladed article with—

(i) a plain cutting edge;
(ii) a sharp pointed end; and
(iii) a blade of over eight inches in length (the length of the blade being the straight-line distance from the top of the handle to the tip of the blade),

which also has one or more of the following features:

(a) a serrated cutting edge (other than a serrated cutting edge of up to two inches next to the handle);
(b) more than one hole in the blade;
(c) spikes;
(d) more than two sharp points in the blade other than
- (a) a sharp point where the angle between the edges which create the point is an angle of at least 90 degrees (where there is a curved edge, the angle will be measured by reference to the tangent of the curve);
- (b) a sharp point on the cutting edge of the blade near the handle.

From what we understand, the previous regs only included, crucially, knives with those attributes but also violent words and imagery. So with this update, they have just closed that loophole. Violators — even totally non-violent collector-type violators — may face prison time.

zombie tools process — Under the new rules, knives like these probably won’t, ahem, cut it.

Blade buybacks

However, there is a stainless steel lining for folks who already own zombie-style knives. From now until September 24th, they can dispose of them using “surrender bins” by contacting their local police, city council or anti-knife crime charity.

If they have evidence of the knife’s value, such as a receipt, they can receive full value in return for it. Even those without proof of purchase can get some compensation, £10 per knife provided they turn in at least three knives.

Now, what does all this mean for those of us stateside? Only a warning that if you travel to the UK from late September onward, be very conscientious with your packing.

However, if you are not heading over there any time soon, you’ve got nothing to sweat. After all, as of this writing, Montana’s own Zombie Tools is still alive and kicking.