Assisted openers in Washington

[Aldrich1987]

Hey guys, first post here.

Are assisted opening knives legal in Washington state? Looking at knife laws I've seen several different interpretations of Washington's law.

(1) Every person who:

(a) Manufactures, sells, or disposes of or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as slung shot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or spring blade knife, or any knife the blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device, or any knife having a blade which opens, or falls, or is ejected into position by the force of gravity, or by an outward, downward, or centrifugal thrust or movement;

(b) Furtively carries with intent to conceal any dagger, dirk, pistol, or other dangerous weapon; or

(c) Uses any contrivance or device for suppressing the noise of any firearm,

is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW.

Thanks for your help!

 

[tom19176]

Wow, and they say NY is bad !!!! The wording of that law includes any knife that can be flicked open, and to me ( a former NY LEO) it would include a assisted opener, BECAUSE it does not use the definition that the federal law uses about a button in the handle of the knife, and the word spring knife does not imply the other arguement about a AO has resistance that needs to be over come to open as way of not being "automatic". It is a spring knife in the sense that a spring opens it 85% of the way.....I would not carry one there. I am shocked that a state like yours has a worse law on the books than NY.....Any folder that you can flick open in any direction and even holding the blade while flicking is illegal by this law, and it doesn't even need to lock open .....Is there any other exceptions when you could carry a knife like fishing, hunting?

 

[Aldrich1987]

Thanks for the reply Tom, that's what I was afraid of. But no I'm not surprised by this, our state has some of the dumbest and stupidest laws you could imagine.

I might send off a few letters to the PD and sheriff's offices, see if I can get a response out of them.

Anyone else want to weigh in?

 

[acourvil]

I'm not expert on WA law, but it seems that "spring blade knife, or any knife the blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device" is the critical part of the statute. There's certainly an argument that because you need to push the blade or a stud to open it, that it is neither a spring blade or "automatically released." This seems like the kind of thing that likely has been interpretted by a court or covered in the legilative history, but without that it is not completely clear. If it has not been made completely clear, it is not the kind of thing I would want to have to debate with a LEO out on the street - or have to continue that discussion back at the station or in court.