illegal knife update!!!

C

cree611

Joined
Nov 17, 2002
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A few weeks ago I posted the story about the Potter County Attorney making a ruling that the assisted opening knives were considered switchblades. This was after an arrest by the Amarillo Police department over a Kershaw Leek. This week the county attorneys office has updated their ruling. They have now ruled that only the assisted opening knives with the blade flip (Kershaw Leek, Scallion...) are illegal. They are allowing all other versions of the assisted opening knives to be carried legally. This happened only several days after area retailers were told to quit selling any assisted opening knives. The blade flip issue looks like it will have to be resolved in court. I really don't see the arguement since the blade flip is not a button or lever in the handle as the law describes, but oh well...

A local knife store lost tons of Christmas revenue over this issue. They have a couple of Kershaws that have the blade flip ground down that look like a factory job. Thanks to all who wrote to the County Attorneys office. It good to have our voices heard. I would say this is indeed a small victory. We will have to wait for the other!
 
Forgive me for asking, but do you mean the blade assist opening mechanism? Because the are other knives that "assist" the blade opening that are not Kerhsaw. (eg. Myerco)
 
To clarify...The Potter County attorney had earlier ruled that all assisted opening knives (SOG, Kershaw, Meyerco, Timberline,...) were illegal. This week she changed her ruling. Now the only assisted opening knives that are illegal are the ones with the "blade flip" (This is the protrusion from the bottom of the blade that sticks up through the handle when the blade is closed). In the County Attorneys opinion this "blade flip" is a button and therefore fits the definition of a switchblade. All other assisted openers are now legal. This now only effects a few models like the Kershaw Leek, Scallion, and Chive. I hope this cleared things up!
 
Got you.

OK, so that would make a waved Emerson illegal for example, or maybe those russ lock knives that have the little hook thing that protudes when closed, or maybe even a Spyderco Gunting.

Sounds like a can of worms to me.
 
Dave, as I understand this situation, it is the flipper in conjunction with the assisted opening that makes these knives qualify as switchblades in the opinion of the Potter County District Attorney's office.
 
Thats what I was trying to say...I guess I am not too good with words!! Thanks for REALLY clarifying the situation.
 
[soapbox]Robert, I happen to agree with you that there is no good reason for the banning of automatic knives. It is indeed a slippery slope that I can see someday leading to the banning of all knives. Hopefully this will never happen, but lawmakers scare the hell out of me. They don't use common sense at all. Most of these laws are based on knee-jerk reactions. The more I watch these so called protectors of society, the more nervous I get.

It is up to all of us to make sure this never happens. Don't just sit back and feel that there is nothing that one lone person can do to stop these people at slowly eating away our ability to own and carry knives. It is that kind of apathy, that will assure a dismal future for knife owners.[/soapbox]
 
That last post is going to make me look like I am losing it, but I am absolutely sure that Robert Marotz posted a reply to this thread and then he must have deleted it. Sorry if that last post of mine looks like it came from left field.
 
well thats really not that good of news, its only a matter of time and they'll change that too! by no strectch of the imagination can the "flipper" be rationlized a button. Just like other ridulous laws they'll work on whats left!! (what they havent outlawed about the other speeed safes!!!!)
 
Take a Kershaw Blackout. Now take a Kershaw Chive. Open them both. Both blades open with the assistance of the torsion mechanism.

Both require you to move the blade in order to activate the assist feature. Why does it make one iota of difference whether you move the blade with the thumbstud or with the flipper? By using that rationale, the thumbstud should be removed from the other models, as this is the "button" that activates the blade opening feature on said models.

The lack of thinking on the part of local officials sometimes astounds me.
 
Originally posted by DaveH
Got you.

OK, so that would make a waved Emerson illegal for example, or maybe those russ lock knives that have the little hook thing that protudes when closed, or maybe even a Spyderco Gunting.

Sounds like a can of worms to me.
Click to expand...

Smells like a can of "Something" else to me! :barf:

Ken
 
If I wanted a Kershaw Leek or Scallion, I know what I would do. PC Attorney be damned.

Edited to say - But then again, I've never been one to let other people's idiocy rule my actions.
 
What Velitrius points out makes perfect sense. There is absolutely no difference between a thumb stud and flipper when being considered as an activating device for a switchblade. The only problem with this arguement is that this prosecutor would probably agree and then decide to try to go after all assisted opening knives again.
 
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