California Stoopidity -- knife suggestion

reconranger said:
I think you will find California to be one of the better states for knives overall. Better than lots of foreign countries as well!

I can carry a 4" folder (my personal preference anyway) most everywhere I routinely go, except of course a K-12 school....so I have the same problem as you! I just leave my knife behind in the car (usually an Emerson Super Karambit), and I never park on school property, which is no big deal.

Actually, I purchased an Emerson La Griffe for carry on campus (and one for my gf who works on campus). It is under 2" and is not a folder, so it is perfectly legal! But I forgot one big thing...fixed blades have to be carried unconcealed. So, I could walk around campus with a La Griffe around my neck, but I think it would attract some unwanted attention. I am thinking about hanging something along with it however (my work ID badge), so it doesn't stand out all by itself....hard to decide!

http://www.emersonknives.com/Tact_index.html

I went to a high school football game a while back. The game was held on a university campus, and a 4" folder is legal there. I made the decision to carry an Emerson CQC-10 that night (looks more utilitarian than a Karambit!), and maybe get hassled but still I'm not breaking any laws. I did see a couple deputies eyeing the clip on my pocket...but nobody said a thing. (People think I look like a cop anyway, so maybe they thought I was a fellow LEO???)
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RR, I agree about CA as far as folders go, but FB are illegal to carry of any size. I think the LG would be illegal. I could be wrong on this but carrying a FB concealed is a felony in CA. I go there for the summers and I hate I can't carry a FB.
 
IUKE12 said:
I just picked up a Victorinox Farmer after hearing all the good things about it here, it is indeed a very nice SAK. I would also consider a Spyderco UK Pen Knife, discontinued but still available.
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The UK Penknife is being released this year in orange and foliage green G10. Check out the 2008 catalog on the Spyderco website.
 
It is legal to conceal the knife on your person or in your vehicle, so when you're picking your kids up, you should be fine.
 
The simplest solution? Don't take out your knife on school grounds. If nobody knows, nobody will care. If you feel compelled to take it out on school grounds, don't come crying here.

reconranger said:
I think you will find California to be one of the better states for knives overall. Better than lots of foreign countries as well!
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Don't let the facts get in the way of a good rant.
 
I am sure someone else has already suggested it (I didn't read through the whole thread) but you could get a Spyderco UK Pen Knife. It is just like a Calypso but with a non locking blade. I just handled one this very same afternoon at a local store here but I am afraid I won't be able to get it and ship it to you.. unless you agree to pay for the 125€ that costs here! Lol...
Mikel
 
I live here in CA, too. Do what I do:

Unclip the small sebbie and allow it to drop the bottom of your pocket, if you see crybabies and statists on the horizon.
 
For easy pocket carry a Two layer Vic Compact is great, or a three layer Vic Farmer.
A Vic Huntsman up to the Swisschamp are great versatile light SAK sheath knives.
:)
 
To be completely legal on a K-12 campus in Kalifornia, it must be non-locking with a blade under 2.5". Unfortunately, all of the knives suggested so far do not meet this requirement. There are numerous smaller slipjoints that will fit the bill, choose one from a number of different brands - Queen, Case, Buck, Boker, Eye Brand, etc, etc.

Fortunately, I no longer live in the Bay Area where people have a very unreasonable fear of virtually everything. In my part of the state, no one says anything about the knife clipped in my pocket. I see people at school functions carrying a large 5" blade fruit knife on their belt.

If you happen to have your Sebenza on you, just do as has been suggested - unclip it, and drop it down in your pocket. I put it in my back pocket by my wallet.

Last time I checked, carrying a knife over 2.5", or a locking folder, on K-12 campus is a misdemeanor, not a felony. But like all things, if you are discrete and don't do anything to attract attention to yourself, you will never have any problems.
 
longbow50 said:
It is legal to conceal the knife on your person or in your vehicle, so when you're picking your kids up, you should be fine.
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Need to do some reading, it's not that simple. See the K-12 section in particular:

http://www.equalccw.com/knifelaw.html

http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/ca.txt


Prohibited either concealed or unconcealed on K-12 campus-"knife having a blade longer than 21/2 inches, folding knife with a blade that locks into place"...so an unconcealed fixed blade under 2.5" should be legal! The rule on no concealed carry of a fixed blade is found somewhere else in the law.

Got to say that I packed all kinds of different knives for many years on school campuses, before I started paying attention to the details of the law. Never had a problem of any kind.....
 
another vote for Vic Farmer!
86g02ds.jpg

their just handy little multi-tool knives made well!
 
Another vote for the UKPK!
A SAK is also a good choice, very innocent looking. I'd throw one in the glovebox and trade it out with the locking folder when getting the kids.
 
When you've selected your non-locking folder of choice, get a Mission Wallet to carry the knife and other goodies. I carry a SAK Pioneer (two layer ALOX), Leatherman Squirt E4 and a Peak 1xAAA LED light. Consider it a small tool kit that sits in your pocket all the time. My MW sits in my left front pocket, EDC locking folder is in my right front pocket.

Edit: Your small Sebbie might fit in the MW. That way it would be carried deeper in your pocket but wouldn't get lost. I used to carry a Mnandi in mine. $.02
 
I would say you were being paranoid, no one's going to look in your pockets, but I forgot most schools around here have metal detectors nowadays:(, but you know.... a couple misdemeanors never hurt anyone:p
 
KILLAFORNIA said:
I would say you were being paranoid, no one's going to look in your pockets, but I forgot most schools around here have metal detectors nowadays:(, but you know.... a couple misdemeanors never hurt anyone:p
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If it's clipped to his pocket it's visible without looking "in" the pocket.
 
Wow, lots of good advice in this thread.

As I stated in the OP, if I'm just picking my kids up from school, I can just leave the sebbie in the car momentarily and not violate the law. My bigger problem is when I have to be on campus for hours at a time. This happens several times a year for various school functions.

My reading of the law is that no fixed blade over 2.5" may be carried onto campus (and at that not concealed) and no folding knife that locks. It's hard to tell if the 2.5" limit applies to folding knives as well. I suppose one would have to look at the case law to see what people have been successfully prosecuted for in order to know.

It sure looks to me like that they wrote this law to be deliberately vague, just to give prosecutors whatever tools they might need to harass people.

I still don't know what I'm going to do for those longer visits to campus. Home school? :D
 
California's a good place for knife people. I've been here a lot of years and have never had a problem with carrying my knives.

Fixed blades are not an issue for me...I carry my Ontario SP8 machete when car camping and on ski trips to the Sierra...the rest of the time I carry small to medium folders, mainly Benchmades.

California law states a fixed blade needs to be openly carried to be legal but I've yet to see someone do this around where I live. I'm in the trades and most of my friends and associates carry something in their pocket(s).

Nice suggestions here, but I wouldn't get rid of your Sebbie just yet. I would either drop it in your pocket, or even yet, if you're that worried about it, put it in the glove box when you get to the school.

You sound like you're really worried about this issue, and I don't completely understand that...but unless you look like a dangerous criminal or something no one's going to look at you twice.

So, save your money, keep your knife, and try to relax.
 
jkarp_53 said:
You sound like you're really worried about this issue, and I don't completely understand that...but unless you look like a dangerous criminal or something no one's going to look at you twice.
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I'm worried about it because I live right in the middle of the most socialistic, anti-weapon crowd in all of America, without venturing into San Francisco itself, that is.

I'm not worried so much as being cautious. People in California don't mind their own business, especially here. Give it enough time, and someone WILL call me on that funny-looking clip visible in my right-front pocket.
 
Small Douk Douks have 2.5 inch blades that don't lock, the bodies are exceedingly flat, have tremendously strong back springs, and are about $15.00 if confiscated. I love all Douk Douks.

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