California, is it knife unfriendly?

hardheart

hardheart

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
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Gonna be spending some time on the west coast, just wondering what I should leave behind. Anyone have problems with 4" folders?
 
I don't think California has a length limit on concealed folders. Cold Steel makes 5" and 6" blades for sale there.
 
Lifelong CA resident and have carried a Police and Military (both 4") over the past 10 years or so. Some cities supposedly have a 4" limit, but I doubt LEOs would sweat it unless you're looking/acting gangsterish. Keep it within 4" and you should be fine.
 
California has no size limit on folders unless as posted above your at a k-12 school. I've been told in some cities they have ordinances with size restrictions, but just follow the advise posted above and you should be fine.
 
In my experience,the PRC (People's Republic of California) is very freedom unfriendly, so watch what you do and say when speaking to California officialdom.
Physically, it is a beautiful state, but looking at who runs the place, I think they ought to fence off the whole state and airlift in head shrinkers.
 
what are the legal restrictions in a K-12 school? Can you carry anything?

Nitin
 
Don't carry a fixed blade concealed, carry your folder concealed, don't have any double edged knife, and don't have one that is easily flipped open by gravity. You should be good to go. I routinely carry large folders, but I also am pretty law abiding so have never had any kind of run in with an LEO.
 
neetones said:
what are the legal restrictions in a K-12 school? Can you carry anything?
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All knives (both folders and fixed) must have blades under 2.5" long. You still can't conceal fixed blades, and I'm betting a fixed blade, no matter how small, wouldn't go over well. Keep a LM Micra, SAK, or maybe even a Benchmite in your pocket and you'll be A-OK.
 
Fixed blade concealed carry is a felony statewide, regardless of length. In LA county, open carry of any knife is restricted to 3" and under. No length restriction for concealed folder carry, except for certain municipalities, courthouses, schools, etc. I haven't found any restrictions on double-edged knives. Switchblades 2" and under are legal, balisongs are not. Be discreet and you'll be fine.

Oh yeah, be careful around Berkeley/Oakland/SF, they have some weird local laws there that don't make much sense.
 
Not so bad, at least for myself and how I usually carry. My BM Skirmish is the only folder over 4". I don't wear a FB on me, except for the very rare occasion of a necker when my clothing doesn't give me options for a clipped folder. I'll bring a couple demure pukkos along anyway, maybe leave behind my more 'tactical' fixed, or bring 'em and leave in a in a case/roll. I'll be there almost a year, I have a bali I like to flip, and was thinking of getting a classic styled stiletto for the collection before I leave. Guess those stay here, and I'll have to find other stuff to play with. Well, just an excuse to get a CA legal auto as well :D
 
California knife laws are actually pretty lenient (except for concealed fixed blades), and I've found that most places don't have restrictions beyond the state law. In SF, the "weird local laws" steeldriver mentioned only apply if you are fighting or loitering, so they actually only apply to criminals. Berkeley is a "nuclear free zone" :rolleyes: so leave your WMDs at home.
 
hi, the problem w/ ca is that it is a mass of local knife laws. san diego has a 3" limit for folders....they say you can carry a concealed fixed blade (the officials that is) but if you ever got patted down i'm sure it would be confiscation during daylight, and a trip downtown at night. no sheath knives, period. cant wear a buck folding hunter cause it won't meet the blade requirement. you can carry a auto w/ a 2" blade (officials again) but never let it be seen or use it. being a military town, the tacticals for the ranger wannabes reign supreme. they have private areas out of the city where they play soldier, paint ball and all that. no, san diego is not a knife town in any way. and to think, when i was in college here (60's) it was pretty much wide open, gun racks, w/ rifles in the surrounding towns, 4" limit in the city and if you had to empty your pockets (many times for me) the police just looked and told you to put your suff back in your jeans..................this is one repressive environment, on many fronts............hal
 
More specifically for schools:

K-12: must be under 2.5" blade, non-locking. Of course, kids regularly get kicked out of school for carrying such dangerous weapons as fingernail clippers.
Public University: no restriction of folder blade length, but fixed blades must be under 2". Go figure, you can carry a 6" folder but a 2.1" fixed blade is illegal on campus.

I don't think the assisted opening thing has really been addressed yet. They did pass a law a few years ago that specifically exempts one-handed openers from the switchblade law as long as it has a spring or detent that must be overcome to open it.
 
I was in LA over christmas, and I carried a Gunting every day I was there, and nobody batted an eye...
 
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