Anyone know the California knife law on carrying a knife?

[killgar]

From https://legaldictionary.net/loitering/

Definition of Loitering​

1. To linger in a public place without purpose, to move slowly, making purposeless stops

Loitering laws suck, because it's mostly in the eye of the beholder if you loiter or not. One could argue that for many of the EDC knife photos that we see on BF - say, sitting in a Starbucks, taking a knife photo - the photographer was loitering.

How anybody on BF could defend anti-loitering knife laws is beyond me.

I wasn't defending anti-loitering laws. I was referring to the "loitering" laws of San Mateo (screenshots below), which can be found through the same link you provided.

I don't typically linger, wait, or delay in public with no lawful purpose. Nor do I stand idly about or linger aimlessly in public, at least not to the extent that I have encounters with law enforcement.

I've managed to live almost 56 years without ever being charged, or even accused of "loitering". Nor do I fear that I will for sitting in a public place designated for people to sit. I don't believe that LEO's are looking to hassle ordinary citizens for simply standing or sitting in public, that certainly hasn't been my experience with LEO's in California. But if that's a common enough occurrence in San Mateo that you fear being charged with loitering for sitting at a Starbucks, I would suggest moving.

San Diego is nice. And like I said, I've never been hassled for "loitering" down here.

But I will defend anti-loitering laws to this extent- California has a large population of drug addicted and psychotic street people who cause all manner of problems in public places and in front of businesses, hassling and making life harder for ordinary people and business owners. If anti-loitering laws give law enforcement the ability to remove those people or move them along, then that is something I support.

Imagine that, someone on BF defending anti-loitering laws.

 

[ACfixer]

Guys, I lived in SoCal from 1962 until 2020. I have never once in my nearly 50 years of carrying a knife had my knife taken away, cited, or measured by any cop, ever, have you?

No this is not to be construed as any legal advice whatsoever, and a plague of boils shall fall upon you if you do, but c'mon. As much as I despise California's weapons laws, unless you run afoul of the law in some other meaningful way how is this going to ever be an issue? I mean if you're the kind of guy that attracts cops, maybe it's something to be concerned with if you have a traffic warrant and get pulled over and get testy with the cop and stuff like that, you might pick up an add-on charge. But for the rest of us that aren't wanted or constantly make LEO contact it's really nothing I would be too concerned with. Can you honestly see getting cited or charged with carrying a Buck 110 in your pocket anywhere in the state? All IMO of course.

All knife and gun laws are unconstitutional in my book, so perhaps I am biased.

 

[JTR357]

I've lived in NJ (AKA baby California) my whole life (56 years) & I carry what I want. The trick is to stay out of and away from trouble. An illegal knife charge is usually a secondary charge after you're being arrested for something else. There was only one instance in time when people were getting spotted & charged for illegal knives that I can remember & that was during the Cyruss Vance (probably spelled the asshat's name wrong) days of NYC. I may be wrong so don't quote me on it.