Credit card knives illegal because they don't look like a knife: RNC

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary held a show and tell Friday with prohibited weapons taken off the streets of St. John's to instruct the public on what's considered an illegal weapon.

Police called the news conference a day after they announced 79 credit card knives were confiscated from two separate people who were selling them online.

• Credit card knives are prohibited weapons, RNC warn

​"These weapons have no other function that we can think of other than a dangerous purpose," said Const. Steve Curnew, while pointing to knives which flip into what appears to be a plastic credit card.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, any blade less than 30 centimetres that is concealed and doesn't appear to be a knife is a prohibited weapon.

"Someone caught with a [credit card knife] on their person can be charged criminally under the Criminal Code for carrying a prohibited weapon."

The RNC was tipped off by members of the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team earlier this week that someone was selling credit card knives on NL Classifieds.

Since then, police have learned of one other person as well as a retail outlet that sell the knives, which are considered to be a novelty item by some.

The blade on the credit card knife folds into a plastic, credit card-like holder.

"That's what makes it different from a standard pocket knife," Curnew said. "With a pocket knife, you take it out of your pocket, people know it's a pocket knife, they can tell it's a knife."

Watch the video above as Const. Curnew shows reporters other items considered illegal.