The only thing that's legal to carry in NY State now is plastic picnic silverware...and it better not be serrated!
I was reading up on New York State knife law last night, as a friend cannot order any one handed opening knives from the Big River site, which refuses to ship them. I was putting all kinds of knives in my shopping cart with his NY address; and out of 50 thumb stud or hole operated, or flipper activated manual knives, only the Terzoula ACTF lite was not blocked from shipping to NY. The knife is cheaper there than anywhere else, so a good thing; but some knives that are only available on the Big River site are unavailable to New Yorkers who can buy the rest from a myriad of other knife sites.
It seems that while you can legally carry under 4 inch blade on folding knives that are not automatic, spring assisted, or gravity assisted, that if you state that you carry it for “self-defense or protection“ then the police can deem that knife a “dangerous weapon” and arrest. They have prosecuted them too. The knife changes from being a legal tool to a dangerous weapon based on intent to do harm, even in self Defence. But apparently, if you do not intend to use it for self-defense, but get attacked and do use it without premeditation for self-defense, you have better legal standing.
But the laws in New York are so vague (and unconstitutional) that you theoretically could be prosecuted for carrying anything sharp.
Even the very clear law prohibiting automatic knives from most classes of people (not all, as there are exceptions), yet spring assist thumb stud operated knives have been grouped in with autos and prosecuted successfully, even though they don’t meet the description as described in the law (assisted knife is opened by manipulating a protrusion on the blade, not a button or mechanism in the handle, and should be legal).
I don’t care if I had family in New York or not, I would get the hell out of there, but that’s me.