AO Law Question

BoxANT

BoxANT

Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
2,269
I originally posted this question in the Knife Law section, but only got one response and was hoping that perhaps some people here might have some additional knowledge of the issue.

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I am moving to Bloomington, MN in a week and was looking over the weapon laws and codes.

The Minnesota laws seem pretty good, they outlaw automatics, saps, and "deadly weapons". But when I got to Bloomington's codes I was hit with "Spring Blade Knives"

http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/code/Code12_5.html

"(6) Daggers, dirks, Bowie knife, switch blade knife, spring blade knife, push button knife, or figure or disc with sharpened points or edges commonly referred to as a “throwing star”; "


My gut reaction was that my lovely AOs are illegal I hope I am not reading this correctly.

In addition, does "Daggers, driks, Bowie knifes" cover all fixed blades? Or would I still carry a small FB?

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The wording of "spring blade knife" has me concerned. The reply I got in the Knife Law section (from Sharp Phil) said :
"Spring blade" refers most likley to a ballistic knife, probably (a knife that shoots its blade out of the handle). My read here is that a push button knife would be a gravity knife. Generally those laws were written long enough ago that spring-assist knives weren't on the radar, though that doesn't mean they might not be interpreted as something illegal.
Click to expand...


Currently my Leek and Tyrade are warming the bench due to my fears of something happening to them.
 
Hey Box,

Nothing wrong with giving the local PD a call and hearing what they have to say about it.

I think very few competent attorneys would ever post legal advice, and the people who do post may not know as much as they think.
 
gcggcg's post is good advice...just be aware that local PDs often interpret the law more stringently than it's actually written when enforcing and let the courts sort it out.

With respect to spring blade knives, I'm pretty sure that refers to a type of knife that actually launches the blade from the handle through the air at someone as opposed to any blade propelled to the open position while still attached to the handle.

Ray :)
 
gcgcgc said:
Hey Box,

Nothing wrong with giving the local PD a call and hearing what they have to say about it.

I think very few competent attorneys would ever post legal advice, and the people who do post may not know as much as they think.
Click to expand...

Whoops, re-reading my post here, I didn't mean to put any attitude in there...just meant to be wary of armchair attorneys who know every inch of the law in every state, and tell you with certainty which knife complies with which law.

Take care

Geoff
 
Let me give you the most solid advice:

Don't do anything stupid, and no one will ever know what is or is not in your pocket.

Even where it is legal, I open my AO knives with two hands, slowly, so that no one gets spooked.

It's just common sense.
 
J_Curd said:
Let me give you the most solid advice:

Don't do anything stupid, and no one will ever know what is or is not in your pocket.

Even where it is legal, I open my AO knives with two hands, slowly, so that no one gets spooked.

It's just common sense.
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+1

And speaking from experience - Most administrators and police officers will not actually know either. They're not likely to arrest you with that being the only charge - it would be an "add-on" charge if you were arrested for something else.

Honestly, it's too much of a technical detail for a street officer or administrator to worry about. They'll make the arrest and let the prosecutors office make the call on whether to charge or not. Although you're not likely to get a straight answer, your best bet is to contact the prosecutors office directly - since they'd make the final decision anyway. And if you're the type to get in trouble easily (no accusations here!), I'd try to get something in writing.
 
J_Curd said:
Let me give you the most solid advice:

Don't do anything stupid, and no one will ever know what is or is not in your pocket.

Even where it is legal, I open my AO knives with two hands, slowly, so that no one gets spooked.

It's just common sense.
Click to expand...

Good advice to anyone:thumbup:
 
Many communities have a "dangerous weapons" statute or law which essentially means that anything carried with the" intention to be used as a weapon" can be deemed illegal to carry in public. You could carry a jar of pickled beets in a threatening manner

My very rudimentary understanding of the legality of assisted openers is this:

On a AO, a person has to actually touch the blade, not a button or lever to get the knife blade out of the handle. The knife may take over after a bit, but you don't press a "button" to spring it out.
I talked with a good friend who is a cop in my city and that was his view.

I have seen another cop issue a dangerous weapons citation to a guy who was carrying a cheap Spyderco knock-off . WHen he did the initial pat down search, incident to arrest, the knife was in te guys front right jeans pocket. WHen the officer pulled it out of the pocket, the blade pivot was so loose, that the blade fell open and locked into position. There is the gravity or inertia that many of these laws talk about.

But, as others have said, most of us are not ever going to be hassled by cops, because we aren't going to act like fools.
 
J_Curd said:
Let me give you the most solid advice:

Don't do anything stupid, and no one will ever know what is or is not in your pocket.

Even where it is legal, I open my AO knives with two hands, slowly, so that no one gets spooked.

It's just common sense.
Click to expand...

The part of your post I underlined is a bit misleading, as it is over simplified. I think if you'd be spot on if you were to modify it by saying, "Don't do anything stupid, and there's a good chance no one will ever know what is and what is not in your pocket." Also, I've found that common sense is not all that common.;)

Regards,
3G
 
Thanks everyone for the input. Yes the best bet would be to call the local PD and ask them about it, granted I may not get the most insightful responses (does every LEO memorize all the knife laws?).

About the whole common sense "don't do anything stupid", I agree. However, even being extremely cautious, even the *chance* that my precious Tyrade could be confiscated makes me cringe!

gcgcgc: no offense taken :)
 
Does Bloomington, MN have Wal-Mart stores? Do they carry Kershaw AO's? There's your answer.

At least, that's my theory. :thumbup: ;)
 
Anything can happen I was in a food court a few weeks ago and my ti zdp189 mini-cyclone was in my back pocket.I had a paper in the pocket and when I pulled the paper out the knife fell out on the floor,made a most unique loud sound and then opened on it's own and spun around like a mini-cyclone on the deck.Man a lot of heads turned as I scooped up my knife and exited the area.
Living on the edge in Maryland!
 
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