Concealed Carry & Blade Length Definition

S

swede79

Joined
Jan 30, 2001
Messages
813
After seeing the thread on what shorts are good for carrying a knife, I was wondering. If the pants/shorts have a pocket for cell phones or rulers, and you place a knife in said pocket with the clip and upper part of the knife exposed, is that concealed? Do you have to turn the knife around and hang it on the outside to be legal?

Also, when measuring blade length to stay within the law, is just the edge length measured, or is it all of the blade above the pommel/grip?

Thanks.
 
You never know how a blade will be measured. Some LEOs even measure the blade down to the pivot! The argument being that whole blade, even that within the handle should be measured. Frankly, I think any officer that does that is simply looking to put somebody away. I suggest measuring the whole blade outside of the handle, not just the sharpened edge to be on the safe side.
 
When deciding what to carry I go by the blade length up to the handle. Some call it the "penetration" depth since even the unsharpened part towards the handle could still be plunged into someone
frown.gif


I've heard that if the clip is visible that the knife is not "concealed" but I'm sure this would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

------------------
Karma is only justice without the satisfaction

[This message has been edited by ThinkOfTheChildren (edited 04-26-2001).]
 
Swede, in CO the max you can conceal is under 3.5" and most of the guys measure that from the tip to guard or bolster. Of course, the Republik of Denver is a whole 'nother ballgame...
 
Thanks for the replies. I was hoping there would be a correct answer, but unfortunately the answer seems to be it depends. Obviously, I'm asking the question to stay legal, not break the law. My current EDC is a small CS Voyager (I think they call it a medium), which is under the 3.5 in limit.

I wasn't sure if I could go up to a 4 inch in a cell phone pocket with the clip exposed. Of course, if I lived in the proper municipality, I could obtain a concealed carry permit, and be the only one who didn't use it to carry a gun.
wink.gif
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Of course, if I lived in the proper municipality, I could obtain a concealed carry permit, and be the only one who didn't use it to carry a gun.</font>
Click to expand...

You've got to be careful about that too. Some states issue qualified applicants a "concealed weapons license" which extends to knives. But, others issue "concealed handgun" or "concealed firearms" licenses which DO NOT extend to knives. Yes, I know that it's silly that this card allows you to carry a concealed .50 Desert Eagle but not a 4" blade. That's just the way it is.

Keep in mind, also, that illegal concealing of a knife is a "weapons-related offense". In most states, conviction of any weapons-related offense will result in loss of your concealed gun license.


------------------
Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm only trying to understand what is legal, not going to start doing things I shouldn't do.

I just was wondering, because it seems that people have different definitions of blade lengths, and I guess I will have to check the local codes.

I still wonder how much of the blade needs to be exposed to not conceal. Of course, then it might be considered brandishing, and that's a whole different bag of worms...
 
There was a Colorado case a few years ago where blade length on a folder was measured from the pivot joint to the point of the blade (if you can believe it). I lost the reference to this, but I'll try to find it again. A summary of the case was presented in the Colorado Law Digest.

I'm not saying that blade length will necessarily be measured that way all of the time, but it's something to keep in mind. By the way, the dictionary definiton of "blade" is usually along the lines of "the cutting part of a tool". You could argue that that "blade" therefore refers only to the edge (and people have argued that in cases in other states).

Under CO law, the question of whether or not a weapon is concealed is up to the jury. CO statutes do not define the term "concealed".

I haven't seen a case that deals with the issue of whether or not a knife is concealed when the clip is visible, but I suspect that a prosecutor would have a difficult time getting a conviction in such a case.

------------------
Cerulean

"The hairy-armed person who figured out how to put an edge on a suitable rock made it possible for us to be recognizably human in the first place." - J.K.M.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top