Thanks for telling me that, I'v put back the lock when I assembled the knife, but I was close to give up because this part of the assembly was frustraitingly difficult for me. Anyway, I have the lock in place, and it works smoothly.I saw your comment before this one, that stated you wouldn’t need the blade lock because the knife would not open unexpectedly. I have a nasty wound on my pinky finger from when my mini-Barrage opened itself in my pocket and I reached in to my pocket for my phone. The tip up blade was open like a V in my pocket and sliced deep down my pinky along the side. Those blade locks come in handy!