Just about where ever you go, most knife laws are the same. The part of the law that pertains to this forum, has to do with gravity, inertia, in some cases centrifugal force, having an effect of opening a knife. The thing is, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out, that it is none of the above that opens a Balisong Knife. What opens them is manipulation. That is what makes them so hard, and also so fun to open. Gravity, inertia has to be stoped in mid flight, so you can turn or twist the knife. You want enough of this force, to start it on it's way, but not enough to bring it to the end. Because half way though, you need to twist this knife in order to get it open, and ready for business. If you want, you can let them go their full distance, and pick them up on the rebound. By then, the force has been diminished enough to be easier to control. But also, time has been wasted. It's going to take you longer to open a knife this way. Granted, we maybe talking milliseconds, but time is a precious thing to waste.
That perhaps is why, so many court systems do not consider a Balisong to be illegal in anyway. Because gravity or inertia does not open them. Actually, any generic knife, with a thumb stud, is opened more by inertia than a butterfly knife. Because once you get it in motion, it is open, at the end of it's rotation on it's axis. When you flip a butterfly knife, at the end of it's rotation, it is no where near open and ready for business. In fact, the position it's in at that point, it's more of a danger to the owner than anyone else. Even to use gravity to open them, puts the owners feet at risk, more than anyone or thing else. The bottom line is, they are so popular, because it takes skill to open them, and they are difficult to open. That makes it a challenge. If it is possible for gravity or inertia to open a Bali, the radius or turning point is totally independent of the knife, and has to be established or found by the user. Like trying to bank a roller coaster. So, the controlling factor is not the knife, gravity or inertia, but the skill of the operator. The real deciding factor is when you use a double edged blade, then you have to get it right 100% of the time, or you will get cut, every time you do not get it right. Talk about no mercy or grace!
Maybe you can use gravity and the pins of the knife for an axis point, but all the more, the deciding factor is not the knife, but the wrist of the person trying to open the knife. As a brick layer once told me, some people have more motion in their wrist than others. Some people are just not going to be able to open a knife this way. So the deciding factor is not inherent in the knife, but dependent upon the skill and manual dexterity of the person who is trying to open the knife. Thanks, JohnR7 WWW.BalisongKnife.Com
That perhaps is why, so many court systems do not consider a Balisong to be illegal in anyway. Because gravity or inertia does not open them. Actually, any generic knife, with a thumb stud, is opened more by inertia than a butterfly knife. Because once you get it in motion, it is open, at the end of it's rotation on it's axis. When you flip a butterfly knife, at the end of it's rotation, it is no where near open and ready for business. In fact, the position it's in at that point, it's more of a danger to the owner than anyone else. Even to use gravity to open them, puts the owners feet at risk, more than anyone or thing else. The bottom line is, they are so popular, because it takes skill to open them, and they are difficult to open. That makes it a challenge. If it is possible for gravity or inertia to open a Bali, the radius or turning point is totally independent of the knife, and has to be established or found by the user. Like trying to bank a roller coaster. So, the controlling factor is not the knife, gravity or inertia, but the skill of the operator. The real deciding factor is when you use a double edged blade, then you have to get it right 100% of the time, or you will get cut, every time you do not get it right. Talk about no mercy or grace!
Maybe you can use gravity and the pins of the knife for an axis point, but all the more, the deciding factor is not the knife, but the wrist of the person trying to open the knife. As a brick layer once told me, some people have more motion in their wrist than others. Some people are just not going to be able to open a knife this way. So the deciding factor is not inherent in the knife, but dependent upon the skill and manual dexterity of the person who is trying to open the knife. Thanks, JohnR7 WWW.BalisongKnife.Com
