Box Cutter in California

Modoc ED

Modoc ED

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Is it legal to carry a box cutter in California? -- Like this style/type

 
I don't even play a lawyer on TV, etc. .... but yes. Usual restrictions apply for schools, government buildings, etc. And some county laws are more restrictive than state laws.
 
The law in California regarding "box cutters" is a bit tricky. As a result of a 2020 California Appeals Court ruling (People v Hester), "box cutters" are basically their own category of knives. I'll try to explain the insanity of this-

As a result of the case of People v Hester, a "box cutter" carried concealed on ones person, or in a backpack/dufflebag/etc, even with the blade NOT exposed, can be considered a "concealed dirk or dagger", which is illegal, and can be charged as a felony.

On the other hand, if you carry a box cutter openly, in such a manner that the box cutter is visible, then it is perfectly legal to carry, barring any other restrictions like ferider mentioned above. Carrying a knife/box cutter in a belt sheath, visible to the public, would not be considered "concealed".

To be specific about restrictions, on school property grades K-12, ALL locking folding knives (including locking box cutters), of ANY size, are illegal to possess (CA pc Section 626.10). That's the only size restriction I can think of in California state law that would apply to the box cutters you pictured.

Obviously if you're going into a government building with a metal detector and guards at the door, they probably wouldn't let you in with one.

Now aside from what the letter of the law says, if that's you in your avatar pic, I seriously doubt any LEO would arrest you if they found you with a concealed box cutter. If I were you, I wouldn't worry. But that's me.
 
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I use OTFs and other autos as box-cutters. Seriously. Knife stores like knife center sell California legal autos, which must have a blade of 2" or less. Here is my Microtech Troodon-mini with DLC modified tanto in M390.

IMG_3641.JPG
 
killgar said:
The law in California regarding "box cutters" is a bit tricky. As a result of a 2020 California Appeals Court ruling (People v Hester), "box cutters" are basically their own category of knives. I'll try to explain the insanity of this-

As a result of the case of People v Hester, a "box cutter" carried concealed on ones person, or in a backpack/dufflebag/etc, even with the blade NOT exposed, can be considered a "concealed dirk or dagger", which is illegal, and can be charged as a felony.
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Interesting. One wonders if this would apply to a folding box cutter (Penal Code Section 17235). Dirks and daggers legally fixed blades as I understood it. Then again, probably depends on the court and location .... :(
 
ferider said:
Interesting. One wonders if this would apply to a folding box cutter (Penal Code Section 17235). Dirks and daggers legally fixed blades as I understood it. Then again, probably depends on the court and location .... :(
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I just re-read People v Hester to refresh my memory.

Two important points-

1. Mr. Hester was found with two concealed box cutters. One with a retracting blade in his backpack, the other was a folding, locking box cutter in his pocket. The court ruled that both met the definition of concealed dirks/daggers.

2. The Court also said that people carrying concealed box cutters for legitimate purposes should not be convicted of carrying a concealed dirk/dagger. Mr. Hester was involved in serious criminal activity when he was found with the box cutters, and the court held that against him. That is an important distinction I should have mentioned in my previous post.

So to summarize, and clarify my previous post- To Modoc Ed, it is legal under California state law to carry the box cutters you pictured, openly or concealed, as I naturally assume that you would have a legitimate reason for doing so.

I can't think of any counties or cities in California where carrying such box cutters is prohibited, but it doesn't hurt to check. If Modoc Ed wants to mention what county and city he wants to carry those box cutters, I can be more specific.
 
Modoc ED said:
Modoc County - Alturas: Very rural here and carrying anything is not normally a problem. Just thinking about Redding and points south.
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It looks like both Modoc County and the city of Altura have no knife laws of their own, which means they default to California state law. This is not uncommon (same down here in San Diego).

Modoc County codes- https://library.municode.com/ca/modoc_county/codes/code_of_ordinances

Alturas codes- https://library.municode.com/ca/alturas/codes/code_of_ordinances


Redding has some knife laws, but I don't believe they apply to you (I don't imagine you are going to be going out and getting into fights, or "loitering" in public in a suspicious manner).

Redding codes- https://library.municode.com/ca/redding/codes/code_of_ordinances

Also, the knife laws of Redding specifically say that the restrictions they do have do not apply to "the carrying of ordinary tools or equipment carried in good faith for uses of honest work, trade or business or for the purpose of legitimate recreation" (Redding municipal code 10.56.050).

So I'd say you're good to go.

Each of the links I posted have a search function at the top of the screen that you can use to look for specific laws. I searched for "knife", "blade", and "weapon".
 
killgar said:
It looks like both Modoc County and the city of Altura have no knife laws of their own, which means they default to California state law. This is not uncommon (same down here in San Diego).

Modoc County codes- https://library.municode.com/ca/modoc_county/codes/code_of_ordinances

Alturas codes- https://library.municode.com/ca/alturas/codes/code_of_ordinances


Redding has some knife laws, but I don't believe they apply to you (I don't imagine you are going to be going out and getting into fights, or "loitering" in public in a suspicious manner).

Redding codes- https://library.municode.com/ca/redding/codes/code_of_ordinances

Also, the knife laws of Redding specifically say that the restrictions they do have do not apply to "the carrying of ordinary tools or equipment carried in good faith for uses of honest work, trade or business or for the purpose of legitimate recreation" (Redding municipal code 10.56.050).

So I'd say you're good to go.

Each of the links I posted have a search function at the top of the screen that you can use to look for specific laws. I searched for "knife", "blade", and "weapon".
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Thank you very much for that and your time.
 
I lived 52 of my 62 years in the Los Angeles area, even with all the CA insanity nobody is going to bother you for carrying any kind of folding knife unless you use it in a crime or are a usual suspect troublemaker in general. Knife laws in CA aren't that bad at all, yeah autos longer than 2" were illegal to carry in public, but not to own. We all had 'em, and just kept them at home for BBQ and poker night. It's not legal advice of course, and by the way I have the same Craftsman knife Ed.
 
Same Method said:
By the way, I just got the Reate Exo-U. I wonder if that's legal here in Cali.
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In my opinion the method of deploying the blade would meet the definition of a "gravity knife", which is considered the same as a "switchblade". That, plus the fact that Reate themselves list the blade as 2.4" (such knives must have blades UNDER 2" to be legal to carry), I would say that going by the technical letter of the law, the Reate Exo-U would be illegal to carry in California.

Here is the relevant statute that defines the function and blade length restrictions of a "gravity knife" or "switchblade" https://www.leginfo.legislature.ca....aySection.xhtml?sectionNum=17235.&lawCode=PEN

Someone might try to argue just how much length of the blade is exposed when deployed, but when the manufacturer specifically describes the blade as 2.4" , it would be hard to argue in court that it's under 2".

But again, I'm referring to the technical letter of the law. Whether or not a cop would arrest you if they found you with such a knife is another matter.
 
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