<P> When worn as part of the national dress of Scotland, the sgian - dubh is legal in Scotland, England and Wales . In Scotland under the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 Sec. 49, Sub-sec. 5 (c); in England and Wales, under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (section 139) and the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 (section 4). </P> <P> However, the wearing of the sgian - dubh is sometimes banned in areas with zero tolerance weapons policies or heightened security concerns . For example, they were banned from a school dance in Scotland, and initially banned for the June 2014 celebration of the Battle of Bannockburn . </P> <P> Airport security rules now require travellers to put their sgian - dubh in checked baggage . </P> <P> A Montreal bagpiper who got a ticket from police for wearing the knife fought the charge at court . Police gave Jeff McCarthy a CAD 221 ticket for sporting it in his kilt hose while performing at the McGill University convocation ceremony on 2 November 2016 . The case was dropped in May 2018 and his knife will be returned . </P>

The other typical scottish knife is the sgian dubh