How Does The "Chive" Sidestep new Fla. Law?

Megalobyte

Megalobyte

Joined
Jun 5, 2002
Messages
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Since that Florida appeals court decision in which the statutory prohibition against ballistic knives, was incorrectly enlarged to include automatic knives, i have been told that the neat little Kershaw "Chive" is still legal because it is not technically an automatic. Why is this? It opens at the mere touch of a metal protrusion, and its opening is powered (assisted) by some sort of spring, so, why does this knife apparently remain legal while automatics do not. Any ideas?
 
Actually it is NOT spring assisted. It is cam assisted. Personally I can't understand why any particular knife would be illegal. But at any rate, the Chive is not an automatic by any stretch.
 
I think some of the "switchblade" statutes describe a switchblade as having a mechanism in the handle that you push to disengage the knife--whereas the chive and the other assisted openers require you to push on the blade to open it. I think.
 
a switchblade is opened by pushing a button or lever... the chive, is opened manually. The law does not say how much the blade needs to be opened, but once open, the spring action is no longer governed by the law... does that make sense?

Remember there was a boker that closed with spring action? I think it's a similar logic.
 
Assisted opening devices do sidestep switchblade laws.
Opening holes, studs, disks do too.

They outlawed switchblades because they could be opened quickly. Knife designers made other knives that could be opened quickly. If they outlaw assisted openers or even thumbstuds, knife designers will make other mechanisms to sidestep the law.

Whenever a law is passed that interferes with what people want to do, they will either break the law or sidestep it; such is the futility of such laws.
 
it can't be said any better than what he (medusaoblongata) said...and about more than just knives
 
The Chive and all other Ken Onion designed Kershaw Speed Safe knives can only be opened by manually moving the blade to engage the cam which assists the blade in opening.
Switchblades are knives which blades are spring released by a button, lever, or other mechanism contained within the handle of the knife.
Manually moving the blade is the legal loophole.
 
Yup, I'm with Hawaiian on this one...

Taken from the statutes in the above link:
(b) The term "switchblade knife" means any knife having a blade which opens automatically -
(1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle of the knife, or
(2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both.
 
There was a court case in WA state over this past year which was related to this debate. I'd like to know what the outcome was since Ken Onion and Kershaw were actively involved. Someone was arrested because the cops thought that he his Speedsafe or Chive or whatever was a switchblade.
 
Want to really get silly?

No knife opens automatically because that would mean the knife "knows" when it needs to be used like auto wiper blades on a car after detecting rain, or a timer set to water your lawn, or your coffee maker......

To date, I have yet to see any knife that opens when it thinks the user wishes to use it :D

Whe it goes on to say the following "by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle of the knife" it limits the opening mechanism to be in the handle. The Chive's opening mechanism is a tit on the back of the blade itself. This is also why thumbstuds do not fall under this rulling.

Now the really stupid part.

"by operation of inertia, gravity, or both"

I think nearly everyone in this forum can open virtually any knife in this fashion.


The law is a play on words and I can play that game all day long.
 
one could argue that the knife "knows" the user wishes to use it when the user pushes a button or begins to open it;)
 
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