All About Pocket Knives

I'd like to start a new thread here that deals with what appears to be more and more stringent laws pertaining to Assisted Opening knives which some states are trying to classify as Gravity knives. I can only assume that many of you are avid readers of Blade Magazine and the occasional articles that they print about people that have been prosecuted for carrying a knife. Most of my collection are older traditional knives but I also have some other newer knives that are classified as assisted opening.
I could be wrong on this so don't quote me but it seems that most of the cases are in NY or on the East Coast. I live in the San Francisco Bay area and I am a very law abiding citizen that has never had any interaction with the law except for a speeding ticket or two. My point is I am getting to the point of being afraid of carrying one of those types of knives any more just because if by chance some police officer asks to see my knife and I get arrested to carrying an illegeal knife. Now the chances of that happening are slim to none but you get my point. Anyone else have any input on this subject?
Thanks,
Richard

I live in NY and carry a Buck Quick-Fire.

i will carry from time to time assisted openers. but ony the ones that you can lock.. i had one snap open in my pocket once,,,very scary thing to happen to a guy

I have and will carry locking/non-locking at various time with out worring about it.. John

Comfortable YES With a brand I trust not some jap or china CRAP

I carry what ever fits in my pocket! The heck with them dum b pocket knife laws

although OH opening knives are still legal here in the uk lock knives arnt ive just ordered a poor mans sebanza 21 a srm 710 that im going to see if i can mod its liner lock so its a slip joint, this way i think the blade is under 3inches and wont lock but will be OH opening, i prefer one hand opening for general EDC,

zed that is one crazy law. but one hand openers are not the same as assisted openers..altough they both funtion with one hand, assisyed openers here are any knife that is opened with the assistance of a spring or some sort of toriosn mechanism.. not a button or lever assisted. that would be considered switchblade,, which is illegal in this country..kersaw,buck, sog,gerber,,etc. make many wariations of assisted openers.. one hand openers are are knives that can be opened with a thumd stud mounted on the blade or like a typical spyderco with a thumb hole milled thru the blade....but lockbacks are never in question here

although knife laws vary differently from state to state.. sorry for all the typos...big clutzy fingers..that is why i posted earlier a knife popped opened in my pocket, it was a spring loaded knife..

chetr1200c wrote:zed that is one crazy law. but one hand openers are not the same as assisted openers..altough they both funtion with one hand, assisyed openers here are any knife that is opened with the assistance of a spring or some sort of toriosn mechanism.. not a button or lever assisted. that would be considered switchblade,, which is illegal in this country..kersaw,buck, sog,gerber,,etc. make many wariations of assisted openers.. one hand openers are are knives that can be opened with a thumd stud mounted on the blade or like a typical spyderco with a thumb hole milled thru the blade....but lockbacks are never in question here

oops sorry thought it was the same, yes ilegal herte in the uk as like a flik knife ,

NYC is the only problem because of the mayor and D.A. since i live in New York and only been to the city twice i don't worry at all. life is to short not to carry your favorite knife.

I just bought two AO's, one each for two of my grandsons. The last time they were looking through my knives, they expressed a great deal of interest in a Chinese, AO, Rescue Knife with the Marine Corps emblem on it, so I bought one for each of them. They're a pretty responsible 11 & 13. At the same time, I'm giving them each one of my old pouch/folders to keep their little collections in. It should work out alright.

Yes, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to carry a knife in Illinois. I don't believe it's illegal for them to own them and keep them in their house.

Great knives,
I'm selling my switch blades and assisted opening knives, I can not legally carry them here in Michigan.
Still keeping my STAG BOKER lever open just as a collectible knife.
It's ok to carry my hand gun but not an assisted open knife? go figure.

same here in pa. you can carry a handgun with a permit, but not a switchblade. no permits for that. although you can still have them in your collection..assisted openers are legal to carry, but you better know the fine print that differs a switchblade from an assisted

Here in Kentucky, the idea of getting into trouble for carrying an assisted opener is not even on my radar. (It's legal here) I'd be far more concerned about one opening in my pocket inadvertantly than I would be over legal issues. With that being said, I carry an assisted opener from time to time but actually prefer one that has a "flipper" on the back side of the blade for rapid one handed opening. There's no spring assist to it but I can still deploy it in a flash. (SOG Mini-Vulcan)

Phil

Here's a good resource for you;

http://www.donath.org/Rants/StateKnifeLaws/

This is from the FAQ at the Kentucky State Police official web site. The way I read it, if you have a concealed carry permit, these are all legal.

What weapons are covered under the CCDW license? Click here for answer

•Any weapon from which a shot, readily capable of producing death or serious physical injury, may be discharged.
•Any knife other than an ordinary pocket knife or hunting knife.
•Billy, nightstick, or club.
•Blackjack or slapjack.
•Nunchaku karate sticks.
•Shiriken or death star.
•Artificial knuckles made from plastic, or other similar hard material.

Since KY has reciprosity with VA I'm good to go!

Here's another knife link;

http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/sta-law.htm

These are from what appears to be a well maintained and updated handgun/concealed carry law site;

http://www.handgunlaw.us/#

Of course there are always disclaimers.

1967redrider wrote:Since KY has reciprosity with VA I'm good to go!

Here's another knife link;

http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/sta-law.htm

These are from what appears to be a well maintained and updated handgun/concealed carry law site;

http://www.handgunlaw.us/#

Of course there are always disclaimers.

Redrider,
This is a great site............thanks for the info and after reading the law pertaining to CA I feel much better.
Thanks,
Richard

I was opening some bags in my lab one day when the shipping guy came in and saw me flip open my OD-2 (I only have a Kershaw Leek AO, but don't always carry it). He asked me why I was carrying a switchblade? He is a US citizen but is originally from Thailand. I explained to him what the difference was and that a knife is a tool we use for cutting stuff. I have to admit the the flipping motion on the OD-2 is smooth and fast - I can see where someone might think that it is a switchblade. The tough part might be explaining the difference to a LEO that is hell-bent on running you in, so I've gone back to EDC slip-joints and lockbacks.

Mike