California knife laws?

S

smackwell

Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Messages
2
Sorry if this was posted before. I couldn't find any answers by searching. Anyway here it goes.

I've got this fixed blade Smith&Wesson with about a 4 1/2 to 5 inch blade. I'm wondering if anyone knows how legal this knife is to carry in California. I can't seem to find any definitive answers online, so I was hoping someone here might know about these laws.

Anyways I'm wondering if this knife is legal to carry, and if so, how do I carry it to be within the laws here?

Thanks for any answers in advance.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums! :)

We have an active Knife Laws forum here. I'm sure one of the moderators will move this there.

Bernard Levine has collected STATE KNIFE LAWS which is a good place to start.

I'm not personally familiar with California laws, but be careful. Local laws may be more restrictive than state laws, and special circumstances like schools may be more restrictive yet.
 
I believe in California you can carry any sized fixed blade but it cannot be concealed in any way. And of course it can't be a double edged blade.
 
Scott Dog said:
I believe in California you can carry any sized fixed blade but it cannot be concealed in any way. And of course it can't be a double edged blade.
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Depends on the area, but here in San Bernardino County, there is no length limit and any fixed blade is legal if it is openly carried.
 
And FYI, in a belt sheath is considered open carry.

So don't think that "open carry" means "in your hand". You can have it in a sheath, it just can't be concealed (i.e. it must be dangling from your belt and not covered by a long shirt).
 
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Per state law you can legally carry any fixed blade in CA so long as it is not concealed. Even double edged knives (ie daggers) can be carried. It does NOT have to be on your belt. It can be carried any way you like so long as it is in plain view.

However, you can not carry it at all in the cities of Oakland and LA. You also can not carry it on any K-12 or college grounds.

The laws in question are P.C.12020 and P.C. 626.10
 
That's what I like...straight to the point...covers all info and backs it up with the code!:thumbup:
 
The Wayne Goddard Spyderco seems to be popular in Southern California and you can purchase it at many swapmeets; however, I wonder about its legality as it can be snapped open with a quick flick of the wrist. Anyone care to comment on it regarding its legality in California? Also, does the pocket clip on it play a role? Thank you for your thoughts.
 
The lock back of the Spyderco provide the "bias towards closed" that is needed to trigger the exemption in 653k.

So reguardless of whether a knife can be opened with a flip of the wrist so long as it can be opened with thumb pressure on the blade or thumb stud/disk and has a detent or device that biases the blade toward closed it CAN NOT be a switch blade.

This is upheld by a case I just worked on, People v. Polanski. The case was a jury trial in Orange County CA, Harbor Superior Court
 
Thank you for your comments Mr. Clark. What are your thoughts regarding the pocket clip on the sides of many Spyderco's for the same location (Harbor Superior Court)? I have noticed that some people remove them and some people leave them on.
 
Not sure how the pocket clip would change anything for folding knives. In CA a folding knife in its closed position may be carried exposed or fully concealed regardless of size or blade style. So with or without a pocket clip it is legal.
 
I'm new here and a resident of Los Angeles. If I understand correctly, I am OK with any size folder? Do you have a code citation for this?

Thank you very much for your help?
 
Penal Codes are restrictive not permisive. This means that unless a law says you can not do something, then you can do it. There are no state laws restricting the size of folding knives that can be carried concealed, so any size is OK. However, the city of LA restricts the open carry of any knife with a blade longer than 3". You could carry a larger folder concealed but LA LEOs don't seem to understand the differance so it is best to stick with sub 3" folders if you are in the City of LA.
 
so you're saying you would be able to carry a concealeed blade 3" or shorter?
Even if you're a minor?
 
If it is a folding knife then yes.

CA law has no age limits. Just stay off school grounds with knives.
 
R.W.Clark said:
However, the city of LA restricts the open carry of any knife with a blade longer than 3".
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I live in Los Angeles but work and personal errands tend to take me to so many other neighboring cities (Irwindale, Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, West Hollywood, etc.) that I never even bothered to look up the LA city laws. Glad to know that 90% of my collection is still legal to carry concealed in LA. :D
 
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