CA Laws and Courthouses

[Steven Roos]

This morning, I was going to the local courthouse, and I was carrying my Large Classic Sebenza with me. When I got to the security check at the door, I was told I had to leave my knife in my car. He tried to tell me that the limit was two inches, despite the sign that said something along the lines of "Pursuant to CA P.C. 171b, no person may possess a knife with a blade greater than four (4) inches in a public building."

Just a second ago, I looked up CA P.C. 171b and found this:

171b. (a) Any person who brings or possesses within any state or
local public building or at any meeting required to be open to the
public pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part
1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of, or Article 9 (commencing with Section
11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of, the
Government Code, any of the following is guilty of a public offense
punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one
year, or in the state prison:
(1) Any firearm.
(2) Any deadly weapon described in Section 653k or 12020.
(3) Any knife with a blade length in excess of four inches, the
blade of which is fixed or is capable of being fixed in an unguarded
position by the use of one or two hands.
(4) Any unauthorized tear gas weapon.
(5) Any taser or stun gun, as defined in Section 244.5.
(6) Any instrument that expels a metallic projectile, such as a BB
or pellet, through the force of air pressure, CO2 pressure, or
spring action, or any spot marker gun or paint gun.

According to that, as long as it isn't an illegal knife (according to other parts of the P.C.), a fixed blade, or over four inches, it is okay. Is it just me, or is the security guard all wet?

 

[The Deacon]

Neither really, what you ran into was a situation where "policy" says that something that is not illegal is still not allowed inside certain public buildings. If the blade had be over 4" the knife would have be confiscated and you may very well have been arrested. Some post the rules where you can see them before you enter, some don't.

 

[blackeye4you]

If you were in a California Courthouse it wasnt a security guard at the door it was a sherrif's deputy. They take care of detentions and court service's usually before they move to a Squad Car unless of course they decide to stay in detention services. They are responsible for all inmates and getting them to and from court and most of the court secuity. The only other personel is the Marshells and they are in charge of the actual court goings on.
The Sherrif locks an inmate in a courtroom holding tank and then they are turned over to the Marshells office untill they are returned to the Sheriffs custody so they can count transport feed and tuck them back in bed. One thing not to do is argue with them because you will lose.

I have seen people argue over searches and they either get ejected from the court building and offices or they get detained. These guys have heard and seen it all. They for the most part have a good sense of humor but not when argued with.

 

[sygyzy]

Not direclty related to your specific situation, but more of your interpretation...

I believe you are correct. As long as it is not an illegal knife, you can carry any length blade.

 

[JohnnyLightOn]

Paul's answer is right. Even if there is no California law prohibiting your carrying that knife in the courthouse, if the court's "policy" says it's not going to happen, then it's not going to happen. Period.

If I were the presiding judge of a court, and I set policy saying that no knives over 2" were to get in the door (or deferred to my officers to develop and enforce a safety policy), then that's what my bailiffs, marshals, and deputies would enforce. They're going to listen to my authority, not anyone else's. Press the issue and they would confiscate the knife and maybe arrest you. The D.A. can figure out if you broke any laws later, in the meantime you can cool off.

In general, I am all for asserting our rights as citizens. In too many circumstances we can be told that something is illegal, when in fact it is not. However, I am familiar with this area and I strongly advise you not to press this issue with regard to courthouses. Sorry for being blunt. Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and courthouses are not a good battlefield. You could very easily wind up with a more restrictive law being passed that would affect more places than just courthouses.

Regards,

Johnny