As for zzyzzogeton's comment we don't have quotas for arrests or citations. Everything that is enforceable is up to each individual officer's discretion. When the state is the "victim" such as traffic laws being broken, finding a knife with a longer than legal blade length, non collision DWI's, etc.. then it's the officers' discretion whether or not to enforce it. When people are the "victim's" then it's up to those individuals to file charges as applicable by law. The officer then is just carrying out the law on behalf of the victim to investigate, arrest, file a report, etc.
These city ordinances are primarily used (through my experience) when dealing with gang members, aggressive individuals, as an add on for some other arresting offense.
That CERTAINLY has been my experience. Not since the mid 70s have I personally seen any officers hassle someone just to fill a quota on illegal weapons. 40 ago years down here in Texas, I can believe there were problems. I was here. But sitting here typing this, not an instance in 30-35 years comes to mind. Nobody I know of has reported anything like that, either.
I am thankful that although San Antonio's metro area is claimed to be around 2.75 million people, we have great (although overworked!) police officers that are pretty good folks. We aren't some small town where everyone knows everybody so laws get bent or broken because of who you know. But as I said earlier,
common sense is a big factor here when dealing with our local constabulary. One of the last minor league baseball games I went to I knew one of the cops moonlighting as security, and we both took a look at each other's knives. He was unconcerned with my 4" bladed knife, and then showed me his 4" bladed combo edge. We have a lot of hunters, fishermen, hikers and outdoorsmen so a great deal of folks carry all sizes of knives so again, not too many think anything about what knife someone else is carrying.
If you are stupid and threaten someone with a knife, or are that knot head that insists on pulling it out at inopportune times to impress your friends and to scare "sheeple", I am fine with the police taking your knife. Idiots shouldn't own one. Rarely here is an eyebrow raised when a police officer shoots someone that pulls a knife on them or someone else. I am fine with letting the officers use discretion. So far they have done a good job.
Does any one on here know how the laws go with carrying of a butterfly knife in the city and on school property in Houston/katy texas ?
OK... back to the
common sense thing. What in the world would make anyone carry a butterfly knife on
school property? In this day and age where children are shooting other children and parents are scared to death, why could you ever believe it is anything less than profound stupidity to carry a knife like that on school property? Why would anyone have to be told NOT to bring a clumsy operating, primarily fighting knife to a school? Good judgement has to win out here. If you have to ask, you probably know the answer. They are sending children home in some school districts around here for folding fingernail files. Children and adults are two different things here, and ALL schools here, every last one has a "zero tolerance" approach to weapons. You can't carry a peanut, SAK or any other bladed tool on school grounds to any school I know of.
I don't know why you would need a balisong
at school for any reason. But if you get caught on a school campus waving around the knife so you can get it open to use, you should probably count on some legal consequences.
Robert
