massachusetts knife laws

[mauser9]

Surprised we are allowed to breathe in this cesspool state. Great thread and appreciate the responses. Was shocked when I could buy a spring assist Sog at a nearby Dick's Sporting 12 years ago. Sounds like they are OK but I hate these "gray areas" in some of these laws. Makes it far worse with cities having special ordinance laws with further restrictions. Knife laws sounds like a bunch of BS anyway when one considers you could kill someone with a screwdriver just as easy. At least I have a Class A so gonna take advantage of it!

 

[seacucumber]

Very few locking knives 'can be drawn at a locked position'.

If your locking knife is open when its in your pocket, you can draw it at a locked position. Even better, the law refers to the "device or case" that allows this. A pocket that you can put your open locking knife in is the case. You don't have to have a knife. If you have the pocket, you break that law.

utility knife, but not one of them 'propels' their detachable blades.

It just needs to be "a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism". When you take the blade out, you can propel it by throwing it, or a crossbow. You don't have to have the mechanism that can propel it.

 

[Pete1977]

If your locking knife is open when its in your pocket, you can draw it at a locked position. Even better, the law refers to the "device or case" that allows this. A pocket that you can put your open locking knife in is the case. You don't have to have a knife. If you have the pocket, you break that law.

It just needs to be "a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism". When you take the blade out, you can propel it by throwing it, or a crossbow. You don't have to have the mechanism that can propel it.

Regardless of what you think, it is going to come down to officer discretion. If you look like a hoodlum, associating with hoodlums, or are committing a crime and have a box cutter you are getting charged with possession of a deadly weapon.
If you are a tradesman with an assisted opening knife during a traffic stop on the way home from work and not a prohibited person such as a parolee, the knife isnt going to get a second look.

A knife with a detachable blade with no mechanism to propel it except the human arm will not pass muster in a court of law and any police officer with a clue is not even going to bother with the paperwork by arresting someone who is not a criminal or committing a crime for having a folding box cutter under the ballistic knife statute.

Again- police in Mass are not going around shaking down law abiding citizens to jam them up for illegal knives. The only people getting knife charges are people who are criminals committing crimes.

 

[NG VI]

If your locking knife is open when its in your pocket, you can draw it at a locked position. Even better, the law refers to the "device or case" that allows this. A pocket that you can put your open locking knife in is the case. You don't have to have a knife. If you have the pocket, you break that law.

It just needs to be "a detachable blade capable of being propelled by any mechanism". When you take the blade out, you can propel it by throwing it, or a crossbow. You don't have to have the mechanism that can propel it.

Sorry bud, that's a batshit way to interpret that statute. Knives are certainly not legal or illegal based on whether or not unattached pieces of them can be thrown by hand.

 

[seacucumber]

Most clothes are illegal. Even if you have no pockets, you can put a locked blade between your underwear and pants. Therefore, you have "a device or case which enables a knife with a locking blade to be drawn at a locked position".

 

[coffeecat]

Most clothes are illegal.

The law us enforced and interpreted by people, not computers that will do whatever they're told, no matter how ridiculous. If you showed up at the police station naked, do you think they'd pat you on the back for being the only law-abiding person in the building?