Minimum age to carry in CA?

[Ferrari353]

Is there a minimum age to carry folding knives in CA? I've been told by stupid people at retail (non-knife specific) stores that since you have to be 18 to buy a knife, you also have to be 18 to carry. I've looked it up and I'm fairly sure there is no minimum age, but I'd just like to verify.
Thanks!
Greg

 

[glistam]

There's no minimum age to carry OR buy. Check the CA Penal Code: it ain't in there anywhere. Retail guys just won't sell to minors because your parents might sue if you got hurt. It's purely an individual store policy thing.

 

[Ferrari353]

There's no minimum age to carry OR buy. Check the CA Penal Code: it ain't in there anywhere. Retail guys just won't sell to minors because your parents might sue if you got hurt. It's purely an individual store policy thing.

Well that's quite interesting. Why doesn't anyone here at the forum sell to minors?

 

[XiaolongJackson]

Well that's quite interesting. Why doesn't anyone here at the forum sell to minors?

Probably the same reason. If you are a minor though I recommend getting a SAK or other pocketable multitool. I wouldn't even recommend a non-locking pen knife, since people see that it only has a blade and assume that you only have it to stick people, which is usually the case with teens/pre-teens with knives, at least around here.

 

[glistam]

Well that's quite interesting. Why doesn't anyone here at the forum sell to minors?

Likely a combination of the liability reason, that they don't want parents pissed at them for selling their child a "weapon," and the matter of making a financial transaction. Last time I checked you can't have your own directly controlled bank account or credit card until your 18, so it would be impossible for you to pay without using someone else's creds. If you doing so without parent's permission, that's fraud. And if your doing it with parent's permission, you would have just had them buy it for you.

 

[Ferrari353]

Probably the same reason. If you are a minor though I recommend getting a SAK or other pocketable multitool. I wouldn't even recommend a non-locking pen knife, since people see that it only has a blade and assume that you only have it to stick people, which is usually the case with teens/pre-teens with knives, at least around here.

I don't have knives to stick people, I just think they're cool so I come up with excuses to own/carry them. Recently I've realized that at work, I'm too lazy to walk 50 feet to get a box cutter, so carrying a knife solves that

Likely a combination of the liability reason, that they don't want parents pissed at them for selling their child a "weapon," and the matter of making a financial transaction. Last time I checked you can't have your own directly controlled bank account or credit card until your 18, so it would be impossible for you to pay without using someone else's creds. If you doing so without parent's permission, that's fraud. And if your doing it with parent's permission, you would have just had them buy it for you.

I have a savings account and a checking account in my name. They're connected to my parents account, like they have control over it ultimately, but it's still my account and I can buy whatever I want with it. It's not fraud.

 

[MEJ]

Is this a general thing.... Meaning can most minors carry knives? I am 17 and i am always a little worried of a police officer trying to take a knife of mine away... especially the bit more expensive ones

 

[glistam]

I have a savings account and a checking account in my name. They're connected to my parents account, like they have control over it ultimately, but it's still my account and I can buy whatever I want with it. It's not fraud.

Huh, that's a new one on me. At least when I was your age, I too had accounts but it was not possible to have credit or debit card (ATM card only), nor was I capable of making any sort of online transaction. Regardless, there are a few states where selling certain knives to minors is illegal, and my guess is some sellers don't have the legal expertise to find out, so they err on the side of caution. Plus the other reasons I mentioned.

Is this a general thing.... Meaning can most minors carry knives? I am 17 and i am always a little worried of a police officer trying to take a knife of mine away... especially the bit more expensive ones

General thing, like it applies all states? Absolutely not. Off the top of my head most states do not actually have any sort of written law that places special restrictions on carry for minors. There probably are a few and there are definitely local city laws like this, but they're not very common. More common are laws about bringing knives to school.

As to a police officer confiscating your knife, that's another murkier matter. Even when the knife is 100% legal to carry, some cops are....well, ignorant shall we say, and might try to convince you to "willfully forfeit" your knife without giving you a citation. I hate this behavior and it is frowned upon in most police departments, but it happens. It's obviously not advisable to argue with a cop, but always demand documentation like a receipt for any knife taken, and follow up immediately with that officer's department (same day if you can) with a parent to get the knife back. Usually ranking officers are more knowledgeable and can help sort it out.

 

[Ferrari353]

Huh, that's a new one on me. At least when I was your age, I too had accounts but it was not possible to have credit or debit card (ATM card only), nor was I capable of making any sort of online transaction. Regardless, there are a few states where selling certain knives to minors is illegal, and my guess is some sellers don't have the legal expertise to find out, so they err on the side of caution. Plus the other reasons I mentioned.


General thing, like it applies all states? Absolutely not. Off the top of my head most states do not actually have any sort of written law that places special restrictions on carry for minors. There probably are a few and there are definitely local city laws like this, but they're not very common. More common are laws about bringing knives to school.

As to a police officer confiscating your knife, that's another murkier matter. Even when the knife is 100% legal to carry, some cops are....well, ignorant shall we say, and might try to convince you to "willfully forfeit" your knife without giving you a citation. I hate this behavior and it is frowned upon in most police departments, but it happens. It's obviously not advisable to argue with a cop, but always demand documentation like a receipt for any knife taken, and follow up immediately with that officer's department (same day if you can) with a parent to get the knife back. Usually ranking officers are more knowledgeable and can help sort it out.

Right. I've read a bunch of stories about cops taking people's knives without giving a receipt and then they never get it back.

 

[BuffaloWang]

I would recommend you not to carry a knife on school campus (assuming you are a minor and are going to school) as you basically lose all your rights once you are on school grounds. Plus the fact that if for some reason everyone needs to get searched, you maybe get into deeper trouble for having them on you.

SAKs are included, but I think carrying a small 58mm on your keychain should be fine.

 

[Ferrari353]

I would recommend you not to carry a knife on school campus (assuming you are a minor and are going to school) as you basically lose all your rights once you are on school grounds. Plus the fact that if for some reason everyone needs to get searched, you maybe get into deeper trouble for having them on you.

SAKs are included, but I think carrying a small 58mm on your keychain should be fine.

What's an SAK?
And I wouldn't carry ANY knife at school. I would be scared to even carry a Spyderco Bug (one of the knives from the set, I mean). Even though you couldn't do much with it, they'd still probably bust you for it.