response 1 of 4:

Jul 22 21:47 UTC 1995

Yeah, I knew a local bbser who got pulled over for speeding, and the cop
noticed his large hunting knife sticking out of the pocket of his big leather
jacket with a nice anarchy symbol on the back.  Oops!  They got 3 years
probation.  Of course, they looked all scuzzy at the time, long hair beard
and probably gave the cop the finger or something knowing them.. :-)  I guess
its not an appropriate example really, but that is an example of someone who
got in trouble transporting weaponry.
     When I was an Aikidoka at EMU for a while, I had occasion to carry a
bokken and Jo staff with me when I went to dinner and stuff, like a lot of
the other students did.  I got robin hood jokes and stares, and occasionally
a person coming up to me babbling that having a staff was 'illegal' at EMU,
but the police didn't really bat an eye.  Even when I twirled it as I was 
walking along heheh.  
     Generally when one is in a karate dojo, or fencing what one does with
swords and such is to get a duffel bag or case of some sort and put them
inside it and close it so its not really visible and hence doesn't upset
people.  
     In a sense I think that that becomes a damned if you do damned if you
don't situation in that, its my understanding that its legal to carry them
in the open but a felony to conceal weapons (Such as carrying them closed
up in a case so as not to upset people) and you're more likely to be badgered
if they're noticed.  
     My advice is to have a nondescript carrying thing and place the stuff
in your trunk, unless you plan to have the sword on hand to fight off
bandits trying to carjack you, in which case my advice is to visit the 
straight jacket store.  
     (Or move to a jungle somewhere where you can say your claymore is a
machete a salesman tricked you into buying before you realized it was too
big) 

response 3 of 4:

Jul 23 23:24 UTC 1995

Well when they arrest you, its generally for carrying a concealed weapon..
overwhelmingly on weapons charges thats what you get hit for, concealed or
stolen if they can prove that.  I know a guy (Nombrist De Beor) who used to
go around with a hunting knife on his belt in a sheath, and the cops would
badger him, but couldn't arrest him for it according to his story.  Course,
he was in a more rural area than a city, you have to deal with state laws,
county and city and all that, and the federal one on top of that.  :-) 
     In general truth is it doesn't particularly matter so much wether you're
doing something illegal as much as if you tick the authorities off they can
find something to hang on you, being as theres hundreds of thousands of laws
few of which any of us know really.  In South Lyon for instance, you can go to
jail for 90 years for 'jostling' someone while standing in a line.  Noone
knows about it cept the police course, and if someone got to be a problem,
whammo right, and ignorance is no excuse heheh.  
     I think regards to carrying knives, the best thing might be to just get
a little briefcase/attache case and put it in it, and wear a suit or something.