Busted for carrying a switchblade.

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Haze240 said:
Yeah yeah, its illegal but it ain't right. Well you think you only have to follow the laws you believe in? The legal system is open to personal interpretation is it? Goodluck saying you're an upstanding citizen that only follows the laws they believe in.
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If the law serves no purpose, it shouldn't be a law. Am I supposed to feel bad about not caring about breaking a knife law? I'm not implying that the laws don't apply to me or that I am above the law, but letting Government think for you is a very bad idea.
 
Well I live in Ca.
If caught with a auto, I'm sure it will be confiscated, but will there be any other action taken against the person? By the officer?
 
00ChevyScott said:
Am I supposed to feel bad about not caring about breaking a knife law?
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No. The time to feel bad is when you're sitting in jail wondering why you took such a stupid chance. It's a risk/reward thing but I don't really see the reward.
 
BadHabit said:
Well I live in Ca.
If caught with a auto, I'm sure it will be confiscated, but will there be any other action taken against the person? By the officer?
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Depends on the officer, as well as your actions. If he's cool he might just let it slide, or he could be one of the guys that goes by the book, then you're basically screwed.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
It really doesn't matter what the chances (statistically) are. It'll only take ONE occurrance (of getting caught with it) to really ruin your day.
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As they say, the chances are always 50-50. You either get caught, or you do not get caught...
And seriously, carrying an auto is simply a whim - no need to do it. So whatever the panishment, why to do it at all?
Tell your inner child that he is a naughty boy! :D
 
00ChevyScott said:
If the law serves no purpose, it shouldn't be a law. Am I supposed to feel bad about not caring about breaking a knife law? I'm not implying that the laws don't apply to me or that I am above the law, but letting Government think for you is a very bad idea.
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Ok, well you have an opinion on which laws are worth following, and then the judge also has an opinion. Guess which one matters most. Saying "yeah but it's a stupid rule" isn't any defense. Look at it logically. Is it worth being stopped for failure to yield, and then getting a felony charge slapped on you cuz you NEED to open your blade as fast as possible, one handed while wearing gloves in a tight space.

This isn't an argument about whether the laws should exist or not, they do and that's that. This is a question posed by someone asking if it's a good, logical idea to carry an illegal weapon. It isn't, and no amount of soap-box ranting over personal rights to bear Autos is going to change that, atleast not anytime soon. There's a big difference between mindlessly following the government, and mindlessly doing stupid, illegal and unnecessary things.
 
Poez said:
As they say, chances are always are 50-50. You either get caught, or you do not get caught...
And seriously, carrying an auto is simply a whim - no need to do it. So whatever the panishment, why to do it at all?
Tell your inner child that he is a naughty boy! :D
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I cannot stand that attitude. Instead of condemming him for wanting to carry an auto, shouldn't you be asking the more important question of why is it illegal to carry one?

Is what he is doing a bad thing because it's morally wrong, or because the Government says it's wrong? Since they're so good at making great decisions :rolleyes:
 
Check your State laws, I was surprised to find out I can not only own, but also carry one in my State. Length of blade or any specs weren't mentioned. :thumbup:

I think good AO's and a lot of manuals are much faster to deploy than a switchblade.
 
I think more people question the Switchblade knife laws now days because of the fact that assisted opening knives are just as fast or faster than most auto knives. It isn't the 1950's anymore I think most people are not thinking about thugs carrying switchblades anymore.They are thinking about Glocks. Cops would consider any knife as dangerous to them as a switchblade. Still a law is a law, even if it is stupid and pure politics. If you carry you take the chance of being busted. Just seems kind of silly now days.
 
Haze240 said:
This isn't an argument about whether the laws should exist or not, they do and that's that. This is a question posed by someone asking if it's a good, logical idea to carry an illegal weapon. It isn't, and no amount of soap-box ranting over personal rights to bear Autos is going to change that, atleast not anytime soon. There's a big difference between mindlessly following the government, and mindlessly doing stupid, illegal and unnecessary things.
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I don't think it's a good idea, because just like you said, it's illegal and carries a stiff penalty. But I still have a problem with you saying it's "unnecessary". What difference does it make if it's necessary or not? It's not necessary for a lot of things, but we do it anyways.

But again to the OP. I wouldn't suggest carrying one, but that doesn't mean we as a group shouldn't at least attempt to stand up against the laws preventing us from carrying them.
 
It's not silly...it's their strategy: to diminish our freedom by degrees until it's all gone.
 
00ChevyScott said:
But to most cops/sheeple, an AO looks exactly like a switchblade when brought out of your pocket to cut something. How many times have you used an AO knife and had someone question you about it? How many people have been wrongfully pursued by police officers because they're not clear on knife laws and presume an AO is an automatic?

IMO they're the same thing. What is so different about pushing a button vs pushing a flipper? I know you can get technical about it and explain the differences (which I do know), but they serve the same purpose with the same results. My Kershaw Rake with AO an flipper opens up just as fast as pushing a button would. And my Kershaw RAM actually opens up even faster than the Rake and it's not even AO.
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The difference is that one is prohibited by a large number of state and federal laws.

The fact that YOU don't think they are logical laws means NOTHING to an officer or judge who enforces them. The prisons are FILLED with people who violated laws you or I might think are stupid.

The OP has three choices:

1) Don't carry an auto
2) Move to a state where they are legal to carry
3) Risk being sent to the sodomy farm
 
00ChevyScott said:
But again to the OP. I wouldn't suggest carrying one, but that doesn't mean we as a group shouldn't at least attempt to stand up against the laws preventing us from carrying them.
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I knew you had it in you, great post :thumbup:
 
I don't advocate breaking the law. If you're trying to be discreet you might consider not using a pocket clip but deep pocket carry. When you deploy the blade be damn sure nobody is around to see or hear.
 
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cziv said:
Check your State laws, I was surprised to find out I can not only own, but also carry one in my State. Length of blade or any specs weren't mentioned. :thumbup:
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Yes, but here's an interesting question for you: how can you legally obtain that knife to own/carry? Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the Federal Switchblade Act doesn't allow them to be transported across state lines except to military or law enforcement. Reading the Wikipedia article on switchblades only reinforces my opinion.

So how do you legally acquire one? Buy from an in-state maker or make your own. Unless you live in Oregon or are in the protected classes, that Benchmade auto in your pocket is possessed in violation of the Federal Switchblade Act because it never could have legally crossed state lines to get to you.

I'm lucky in that I live in Kentucky, where we have an actual manufacturer of automatic knives (Dalton). Every auto I own was bought in-state directly from an agent of the maker. The Federal law doesn't apply to me.
 
Gaaah apparently everyone missed the part where I said I've owned them before and I'll own them again, and unless I can legally I won't carry one

I'm not trying to advocate my carrying of an auto because I don't I was just curious!!
 
elkins45 said:
Yes, but here's an interesting question for you: how can you legally obtain that knife to own/carry? Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the Federal Switchblade Act doesn't allow them to be transported across state lines except to military or law enforcement. Reading the Wikipedia article on switchblades only reinforces my opinion.

So how do you legally acquire one? Buy from an in-state maker or make your own. Unless you live in Oregon or are in the protected classes, that Benchmade auto in your pocket is possessed in violation of the Federal Switchblade Act because it never could have legally crossed state lines to get to you.

I'm lucky in that I live in Kentucky, where we have an actual manufacturer of automatic knives (Dalton). Every auto I own was bought in-state directly from an agent of the maker. The Federal aaw doesn't apply to me.
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Wouldn't the FBI or CIA have to track you down on that since it's a Federal crime? Somehow I don't see them wasting their time on that.
 
00ChevyScott said:
If the law serves no purpose, it shouldn't be a law. Am I supposed to feel bad about not caring about breaking a knife law? I'm not implying that the laws don't apply to me or that I am above the law, but letting Government think for you is a very bad idea.
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Here's a thought. Join organizations like Knife Rights and the AKTI and work to change the laws. Make the government work for you by making your voice heard where it counts.
 
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