Balisong in CA?

[knife2Agunfight]

I thought that you could carry a Balisong in California as long as it was exposed. It seems like I'm wrong, but I want to be sure if they really are illegal to carry exposed?

I bought a Balisong from a store in San Francisco called "We Be Knives," (Pier 39) and they sell Spyderco, Benchmade, BK, and chinese balisongs. So I assumed that they were legal to carry open.

Can anyone help me on this?

 

[acourvil]

It's been a while since I looked at the language, but I believe that they are considered "switchblades" unless the blade is less than 2 inches. Switchblades may be owned, but not possessed in public or the passenger area of a motor vehicle in a public area.

 

[glistam]

Well first just because someone sells it doesn't even remotely make it legal to carry. In fact the store you bought it from might have been overtly violating the law by even selling it, but nobody has ever caught them because it's such a low priority crime (not like NY were the police have turned knife sale and carry into an extortion racket).

Under CA state law, a balisong is considered a switchblade. And like a switchblade, if the blade of a balisong is 2" or less in length, it is legal to carry concealed or openly. If it is longer, it is illegal to carry period. Open or concealed is still illegal. It is also illegal to sell ones with blades over 2 inches.

Here's the full legal citations that are current as of the 2012 revisions:

17235. As used in this part, "switchblade knife" means a knife having the appearance of a pocketknife and includes a spring-blade knife, snap-blade knife, gravity knife, or any other similar type knife, the blade or blades of which are two or more inches in length and which can be released automatically by a flick of a button, pressure on the handle, flip of the wrist or other mechanical device, or is released by the weight of the blade or by any type of mechanism whatsoever. "Switchblade knife" does not include a knife that opens with one hand utilizing thumb pressure applied solely to the blade of the knife or a thumb stud attached to the blade, provided that the knife has a detent or other mechanism that provides resistance that must be overcome in opening the blade, or that biases the blade back toward its closed position.

21510. Every person who does any of the following with a switchblade knife having a blade two or more inches in length is guilty of a misdemeanor:
(a) Possesses the knife in the passenger's or driver's area of any motor vehicle in any public place or place open to the public.
(b) Carries the knife upon the person.
(c) Sells, offers for sale, exposes for sale, loans, transfers, or gives the knife to any other person.