Belt knives in California

[rjacquez75]

I'm Extremely Confused On Whether Or Not I Can Carry And/Or Have A Folding knife In My Belt Buckle In Ca. Can Anyone Shed Some Light On This please

 

[glistam]

Ok first I think your Shift Key is stuck. It seems to be capitalizing the first letter of every word instead of the first word of a sentence and proper nouns.

Anyhow, California does have a belt-buckle knife rule, which is defined Penal Code 16260:

As used in this part, “belt buckle knife” is a knife that is made an integral part of a belt buckle and consists of a blade with a length of at least two and one-half inches.

Per Penal Code 20410, merely possessing such a knife is a crime in the state of California.

Please note that this law does not care whether the knife is a folding knife or a fixed blade. It does however specific a blade length of 2.5 inches. Thus a belt-buckle knife with a shorter blade is not illegal to possess, though it may be restricted from carry if it is a fixed blade (for example, the popular push-dagger belt knife) due to other parts of the penal code or if a local ordinance applies.

 

[rjacquez75]

My shift key can become stuck at times, but I'm looking into that.

So what you're saying is I am technically allowed to have and carry a belt buckle knife as long as it is under 2.5 inches and is not a a fixed blade

 

[glistam]

Yes, unless there is a local county or city ordinance, which is very unlikely. Even LA only has rules on knives over 3".

 

[killgar]

My understanding of CA penal code 16260 is that it applies to the hidden fixed-blade belt buckle knives. The word "integral" is the key word. It means that the knife and belt buckle are one piece. That law does not apply to a belt buckle with a folding knife attached to it because the folder is not an "integral" part of the buckle and the buckle can still function as a buckle when the folder is removed.

 

[rjacquez75]

Ok thanks