Carry option help

[Jordan1010]

Hello fellow knife enthusiast,
I live in California where carrying a fixed blade is legal but not concealed and I wanted to know if anybody had a discreet way to “open carry”. Open Carry isn’t exactly socially normal and I’m afraid of causing an issue due to me open carrying

 

[gazz98]

Hi Jordan. Welp, my first thought was of Charlie Mike, a long BF member and knife maker who passed away a few years ago. RIP CM. He lived in CA too. Two links to help you.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/charlie-mike-carry.1667385/

Horizontal carry in a sheath might be acceptable too.

I don't live in CA and I don't know if the laws changed at all but please read up on the laws to make sure you are compliant.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

 

[Horsewright]

Miss ol CM for sure.

I like horizontal crossdraw carry myself:

Out of the way, blends in with the belt so not super obvious, folks don't seem to notice it a lot. Course I live in a pretty rural area of CA. Not uncommon to see knives around here.

 

[killgar]

Lifelong California resident here (51 years). I carried a fixed-blade for several years.

I liked Charlie Mike, but he had a tendency to push the envelope.

I used to carry my fixed-blade with the sheathed portion of the blade covered by clothing and only the handle showing, but my attorney, who was very knowledgeable on knife laws, and pro-knife, convinced me to carry my knife in such a manner that it was completely visible from the tip of the handle to the blade-tip of the sheath.

Also, he convinced me (as did a friendly encounter with the cops) to carry in such a way that it is impossible for clothing to accidentally cover the knife.

There is a superior court decision here in California that defines a "concealed" fixed-blade by the intent of the carrier. Meaning- was it the intent of the carrier to conceal the knife from view? And people are supposed to be in the clear if their knife becomes accidentally, temporarily covered by clothing. But my attorney reminded me that the cop on the street isn't likely to be familiar with that decision, and based on the officers personal perception you could be arrested and spend some time in jail before it gets sorted out (or not if a prosecutor wants to push the case).

In California carrying a concealed fixed-blade is known as a "wobbler". This is a legal term which means a crime that can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony, a decision made by the prosecutor. And prosecutors ALWAYS charge the maximum.

When it comes to carrying a fixed-blade in public, and the chance of encountering a member of law enforcement, my advice is to make sure the entire sheathed knife remains fully visible at all times.

 

[BitingSarcasm]

I live in California, so the same rules apply to me. I only carry large fixed blades on trails, if I EDC a fixed blade it's going to be 4" or less. My preferred carry is a dangler from my belt so that it's completely clear of my clothing. I would do this even if it wasn't a good idea to keep completely visible, because it makes it very easy to sit down or move around, the knife stays out of the way. If I tucked in my shirts I would try Horsewright's horizontal carry, but I was mercilessly mocked by a woman for tucking in a Tee 25 years ago and was so emotionally scarred I haven't done it since.

 

[Jordan1010]

Hi Jordan. Welp, my first thought was of Charlie Mike, a long BF member and knife maker who passed away a few years ago. RIP CM. He lived in CA too. Two links to help you.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/charlie-mike-carry.1667385/

Horizontal carry in a sheath might be acceptable too.

I don't live in CA and I don't know if the laws changed at all but please read up on the laws to make sure you are compliant.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

Thanks and RIP CM

 

[Jordan1010]

Lifelong California resident here (51 years). I carried a fixed-blade for several years.

I liked Charlie Mike, but he had a tendency to push the envelope.

I used to carry my fixed-blade with the sheathed portion of the blade covered by clothing and only the handle showing, but my attorney, who was very knowledgeable on knife laws, and pro-knife, convinced me to carry my knife in such a manner that it was completely visible from the tip of the handle to the blade-tip of the sheath.

Also, he convinced me (as did a friendly encounter with the cops) to carry in such a way that it is impossible for clothing to accidentally cover the knife.

There is a superior court decision here in California that defines a "concealed" fixed-blade by the intent of the carrier. Meaning- was it the intent of the carrier to conceal the knife from view? And people are supposed to be in the clear if their knife becomes accidentally, temporarily covered by clothing. But my attorney reminded me that the cop on the street isn't likely to be familiar with that decision, and based on the officers personal perception you could be arrested and spend some time in jail before it gets sorted out (or not if a prosecutor wants to push the case).

In California carrying a concealed fixed-blade is known as a "wobbler". This is a legal term which means a crime that can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony, a decision made by the prosecutor. And prosecutors ALWAYS charge the maximum.

When it comes to carrying a fixed-blade in public, and the chance of encountering a member of law enforcement, my advice is to make sure the entire sheathed knife remains fully visible at all times.

So how do you carry? I’m interested in doing the same

 

[Jordan1010]

I live in California, so the same rules apply to me. I only carry large fixed blades on trails, if I EDC a fixed blade it's going to be 4" or less. My preferred carry is a dangler from my belt so that it's completely clear of my clothing. I would do this even if it wasn't a good idea to keep completely visible, because it makes it very easy to sit down or move around, the knife stays out of the way. If I tucked in my shirts I would try Horsewright's horizontal carry, but I was mercilessly mocked by a woman for tucking in a Tee 25 years ago and was so emotionally scarred I haven't done it since.

 

[Jordan1010]

I

Lifelong California resident here (51 years). I carried a fixed-blade for several years.

I liked Charlie Mike, but he had a tendency to push the envelope.

I used to carry my fixed-blade with the sheathed portion of the blade covered by clothing and only the handle showing, but my attorney, who was very knowledgeable on knife laws, and pro-knife, convinced me to carry my knife in such a manner that it was completely visible from the tip of the handle to the blade-tip of the sheath.

Also, he convinced me (as did a friendly encounter with the cops) to carry in such a way that it is impossible for clothing to accidentally cover the knife.

There is a superior court decision here in California that defines a "concealed" fixed-blade by the intent of the carrier. Meaning- was it the intent of the carrier to conceal the knife from view? And people are supposed to be in the clear if their knife becomes accidentally, temporarily covered by clothing. But my attorney reminded me that the cop on the street isn't likely to be familiar with that decision, and based on the officers personal perception you could be arrested and spend some time in jail before it gets sorted out (or not if a prosecutor wants to push the case).

In California carrying a concealed fixed-blade is known as a "wobbler". This is a legal term which means a crime that can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony, a decision made by the prosecutor. And prosecutors ALWAYS charge the maximum.

When it comes to carrying a fixed-blade in public, and the chance of encountering a member of law enforcement, my advice is to make sure the entire sheathed knife remains fully visible at all times.

So if I got caught carrying the knife legally and I happen to use it in self defense would the officer take away my knife forever?

 

[killgar]

So how do you carry? I’m interested in doing the same

I stopped carrying a fixed-blade a few years ago. I no longer needed one for work, and after a year of carrying it and never using it I started questioning my reason for doing so. There were also several other reason that simply made it impractical for me at the time. Like I was dealing with a complicated legal transfer of a house which required me to spend a lot of time in local government buildings where carrying knives was not allowed. Just as I had gotten into the habit of wearing a fixed-blade, I got out of the habit.

When I did carry fixed-blades, originally I carried them in a back-pocket sheath with only the handle showing. But one day, just by chance, two cops happened to be near me when the bottom of my jacket momentarily covered the handle. The cops gave me a friendly warning about it, and after that, along with the advice from my attorney, I decided to switch to belt carry, just as the law describes and to be within the letter of the law as much as possible- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=20200.&lawCode=PEN .

Basically just a sheath hanging down from my belt (very stiff leather to keep it from flopping around). I always wear a jacket, and all of my jackets were "short" motorcycle jackets (waist length), and the sheath hung low enough so there was no risk of the knife ever being covered.

And for a short period I carried inverted (tip up) hanging from my belt. But I found drawing to be awkward so I stopped. This was prior to my friendly meeting with the cops and my decision to carry in a completely visible manner.

So if I got caught carrying the knife legally and I happen to use it in self defense would the officer take away my knife forever?

The knife would be seized as evidence, but if there were no charges filed, or if you were acquitted of any charges, you could eventually get your knife back once all legal proceedings regarding the matter had concluded.

If you were convicted of any charges related to the use of the knife it would be unlikely that you would get it back.