California Hinderer maximus carry question

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Cappy2cap

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Is the new Hinderer Maximus legal to carry openly with clip on side pocket (normal pocket knife carry) in California?

As far as I can tell it has the same mechanism as the Hinderer XM 18 except for one thing:

It can't be manually pulled open with the opposite hand because the blade is sharp on both sides and thus sits inside the handle fully when closed (i.e. Neither sharpened sides protrude from handle when closed). Otherwise it's the same as the XM18. It's approx 3.5" long

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I have no insight into Cali knife laws but I'm curious what makes you question its legality? Because it is a dagger?

I know that Knife Rights has a law app. I've never used it because I know my local laws well but I think I'll go download it "just because."
 
SpySmasher said:
I have no insight into Cali knife laws but I'm curious what makes you question its legality? Because it is a dagger?

I know that Knife Rights has a law app. I've never used it because I know my local laws well but I think I'll go download it "just because."
Click to expand...


I understand double edge isn't illegal. But I'm trying to decide if it was shown in a court of law, would the fact that it is too much like a switchblade in both looks and deployment, make it illegal for any carry type (open or concealed)? It has no other way to open it other than a flip.
 
It's not even assisted. I can't see how it's remotely like a switchblade which is a mechanism not an appearance.

Then again, I'm not the Attorney General. :)
 
SpySmasher said:
It's not even assisted. I can't see how it's remotely like a switchblade which is a mechanism not an appearance.

Then again, I'm not the Attorney General. :)
Click to expand...

Here is my thinking. The XM 18 has the same mechanism but also has a thumb stud and it's built to be opened either by flipping or pulling open with opposite hand or pushing open with thumb. It has options.

The Maximus fully encapsulates the blade when closed. There is no portion sticking out to open it. There is no other option of opening it other than a push of your thumb to flip it into locked position. A switchblade has a spring but still needs just a push of the thumb to open into locked position. Also there is no other way to open a switchblade other than the push of your finger on the button. There is no other way to open the Maximus other than a push of the finger. They both open with the same technical motion, a push of the thumb. The only thing separating them is the lack of a spring mechanism. Not to mention the bias the double edge would create.
 
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Kind of a legal issue...double edged fixed blade, concealed is a crime (wobbler-felony or misdemeanor). A double edged FOLDER carried concealed is a gray area, and since it's a rare configuration, probably not a lot of case law exists for it...so, you are in the realm of legal unknowns.
 
Like a cop told me once, "it depends what you were doing when you were caught with the said knife."
If you were drunk and threatening people, it's probably a felony. If you were blocking traffic while helping a little old lady across the road, it's probably a "have a nice day."

He told me this while I was showing him my new OTF auto which was double edged.
 
I've carried D/E folders. I live near a police station. I had the opportunity to discuss gear with a motorcycle cop. He was checking out this Dalton A/F and really liked it.

 
I carry a flipper in CA nearly everyday. There's nothing illegal with regular flippers in CA (as long as all other parts of the knife are illegal). There's no spring mechanism so it's not a switchblade. Flippers are legal in Los Angeles, SF and other areas of CA. (Note: They are still restricted from K-12 schools and govt buildings)

I'd be more worried about the dagger. Remember to check municipal laws as many cities laws on knives are more restrictive than CA state law.
 
As far as I knew blade shape was irrelevant. Dirk or Dagger refers to any implement that can be used to harm another person. And under that definition dirk or dagger can be anything like a kitchen knife, tanto, maybe even a screwdriver. The issue really(as far as I understand) is concealment. As long as you carry it openly you should be ok, in theory. But that's where local laws come into play. Because of a bunch of cholos that used to hang out in McArthur park with Machetes back in the day, Los Angeles has a 3 inch limit on any blade you carry openly. Some people have stated that the limit doesn't apply to folding knifes. But, to be on the safe side all the knives I carry are 3 inches maximum. Since I used to be pretty sure the issue was not with blade shape but rather size I've carried a CS counter point 2 inside my pocket many times. The other issue to consider with knives is ease of deployment. Switchblades with blades larger than 1.9 inches are illegal. If you have a folding knife with loose screws that will cause it to deploy by simply shaking it a little bit you could be accused of carrying a switchblade. Ultimately, it all depends on the criteria of the officer that you're dealing with as with anything. As of late I just carry a "friendly" looking knife anyways. It does everything I need. If I were you, I would just print a picture of the knife along with the specs and just take it to your local police and ask if it would be ok for you to carry. If you ask different policemen you will get different answers, in my experience. Good luck.
 
So glad Fresno has no municipal codes on blades.
 
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