the end out of my pants

U

unocide

Joined
Feb 13, 1999
Messages
234
if i have a knife with a clip on it, and the clip is totally exposed along with the top of my knife, (just a little of the knife) is that consealed?

If anyone knows what a knife clip looks like, they'll know I'm carrying., but sometimes my shirt will be over my pocket or something like that so it isn't totally strait-forward. i could move it to a lower pocket, so it is always visible.

if it's on my belt, even though more of the knife is out there, it will be totally covered by my shirt(s) and that'd make me unhappy because then i'll get arrested.

any advice would be great. (btw, i know my daily carry -kershaw whirlwind now- is legal here, but unconsealed.

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-ediconu
 
i seem to remember a post of this same nature. even though you can see the clip and the end of the knife some people may think it's a beeper? and if the shirt were to cover it then it would most definately be concealed....right? anyways that doesn't stop me from carrying any of my blades....even my autos.....
 
I have no idea. My college campus has the same rule, so I carry a Folts Mantis in my hand most everywhere. This may not work for you but it's all I could figure out since the security guards have different ideas of what "concealed" means and it's never been defined.
 
I thikn beepers, knives, and pens have pretty different looks to 'em. If someone says something to me about it (someone being a cop) i'll do whatever he/she wants.

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Here is the magic question:

Would the average, cautious, and/or prudent man think it was a knife by looking at it? If yes, then it isn't concealed.

Case in point:
A gentleman in my home state of Texas (Hook 'em 'Horns!) goes to the grocery store one night carrying his pistol in a fanny pack. (This was before the concealed carry permits were being issued a few years back.) Friendly neighborhood police officer sees fanny pack and tells Mr. Texas he is under arrest for carrying a concealed firearm. Man's attorney askes the officer, "How did you know my client was carrying a firearm? The officer honestly replied that he recognized the fanny pack for what it was, a gun holster. Since any resonable, prudent, or cautious person might do the same, it's not concealed. Case dismissed.

But remember this rule to life too:
You can beat the rap, but you may not beat the ride.
 
All laws are written and interepreted differently from state to state. One of the first things I would recommend to do is to go to your local library and find the statuette that pertains to the issue on concealment. Make copies and keep it handy.

Again, while written one way, sometimes laws are in fact interpreted differently. I dare say the final authority would be your District Attorney. The chances of one being able to hook up for lunch and talk are probably next to nil, but you can still call the DA's office, and they often have booklets they can send out to you. That's how I got my state's instruction booklet on conceal carry. That should shed more light.

Sometimes, your local gun range might also be of some help. While enrolled in one of the classes, they played a video tape of the DA speaking about the legal aspects of deadly force and conceal carry. That too has been somewhat helpful even with knives.

While LEOs don't have the final authority on legal matters per se, they are the first line in the legal process, and they are the ones that has to make judgement calls on the street on the issue the best they can. So, I
also recommend to talk with several LEOs on different occasions and find out what their take on the subject is.

Finally... there's a law out there that states that if a law is made but the general public is not aware enough about it, then the law itself is unenforcible. I forgot what it's called, nor do I recall whether it is on a federal or state level. But what I am getting to is to get a feel of the general social attitude towards the issue. For myself, I have observed that people around me think nothing of it. It seems as though 1 in 20 of people of all ages have some pocket knives clipped to their side. Put another way, it was socially acceptable from where I live, so it's less likely for me to get in trouble for carrying one.

Put all that together, you can decide for yourself whether you think it's a good idea or not.

[This message has been edited by SB (edited 01-29-2000).]
 
The definitions of concealed and not concealed vary from state to state. Keep in mind, also, that the text of your state's laws is not always the best place to look when trying to determine what the law is in your state. A good deal of the law is determined by case histories in your state. It's not unusual to find two states that have virtually identical laws on the books, but where the laws as actually applied are quite different. The text of the laws may be virtually the same, but what is legal on one state may be illegal in the other.

The really unfortunate fact is that there's no "anwer desk" you can call and ask what is and what is not illegal. If you call your state attorney general's office, they won't answer questions about what is and what is not legal in most cases. If they have a publication or prepared statement on a specific topic, they might send that to you, but they will almost always decline to comment on specific situations.

Inasmuchas local enforcement is the first line of the legal process, what is essentially legal and illegal can even vary from city to city within a state.

If you really want to know, you're gonna have to hire an attorney to research it in your state and your city.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.4cs.net/~gollnick
 
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