Hello Everyone! This is my first post. I live in Southern California where it is legal to open carry a fixed blade knife as long as it is in a sheath and on your waist. I recently got an Esee 6 that I would like to open carry when I go camping/hiking in Santa Barbara. My question is, would it still be legal to open carry it in the sheath and on my waist if I attach the large Esee Pouch to the sheath since it covers most of the sheath? The handle is still fully visible. I appreciate any feedback. Great forum btw.
Open Carry with Esee Pouch
- Thread starter Mr. Blade
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jux t
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As far as I know, you are legal as long as part of the knife is visible. The handle is part of the knife.
There was a custom maker here who is now passed (R.I.P. Matt Freeman) that lived in Cali and would carry huge fixed blades inverted on his belt, so that the handle was still visible when wearing a jacket.
There was a custom maker here who is now passed (R.I.P. Matt Freeman) that lived in Cali and would carry huge fixed blades inverted on his belt, so that the handle was still visible when wearing a jacket.
Thanks for the reply. California's knife laws are not as bad as the gun laws, but they do leave a lot open for interpretation.
50 year resident of San Diego here, and I've pretty much got California's state knife laws tattooed on my brain, what you've described is perfectly legal.
I openly carried fixed-blades for many years here, just make sure it stays visible. I advise people to keep their sheathed fixed-blades clearly visible from the top tip of the handle to the bottom tip of the sheath just to avoid running afoul of an LEO who might personally consider half a visible fb to be a "concealed" fb. This isn't something you want to have to sort out at a police/sheriff station, or in court.
I used to carry fixed-blades in back-pocket sheaths with just the handle of the knife showing, and although I never had any issues when crossing paths with LEO's, my attorney advised me to switch to a fully visible belt sheath to even further decrease my chances of attracting such unwanted attention and winding up in temporary custody.
On another note, I don't know if Santa Barbara has it's own set of knife laws, that's something you should look into if you haven't already. Some counties/cities have a limit on the size of knife that can be carried openly (like a 3" blade length limit in LA). However, such laws tend to have exceptions for knives being carried for outdoor recreational purposes. Local knife laws can typically be found on ones official county or city website, and if they aren't there it likely means they just use state laws.
I openly carried fixed-blades for many years here, just make sure it stays visible. I advise people to keep their sheathed fixed-blades clearly visible from the top tip of the handle to the bottom tip of the sheath just to avoid running afoul of an LEO who might personally consider half a visible fb to be a "concealed" fb. This isn't something you want to have to sort out at a police/sheriff station, or in court.
I used to carry fixed-blades in back-pocket sheaths with just the handle of the knife showing, and although I never had any issues when crossing paths with LEO's, my attorney advised me to switch to a fully visible belt sheath to even further decrease my chances of attracting such unwanted attention and winding up in temporary custody.
On another note, I don't know if Santa Barbara has it's own set of knife laws, that's something you should look into if you haven't already. Some counties/cities have a limit on the size of knife that can be carried openly (like a 3" blade length limit in LA). However, such laws tend to have exceptions for knives being carried for outdoor recreational purposes. Local knife laws can typically be found on ones official county or city website, and if they aren't there it likely means they just use state laws.
Thank you. I switched to the smaller Esee pouch which leaves a larger portion of the sheath visible. I mean, it’s obvious that it’s a knife I would be carrying, but my concern is that some LEO’s may not be as knowledgeable about the law. Of course, I could always remove the pouch completely, but it’s a nice option to have on me while in the woods bc I can carry useful emergencies supplies. I checked Santa Barbara’s knife laws and couldn’t come across any restrictions on blade size.
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I concur with Killgar, keep the entire knife and sheath fully visible at all times so that there is no chance whatsoever that it could be considered concealed!
It's probably better to keep it safe and remove the pouch from the sheath. Here is what it looks like with the Esee Pouch. Do you think it could be considered partly concealed?
Edit: Sorry, the pic didn't post for some reason. How do I post a pic?
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Posting pics is a little complicated. You have to use an image hosting site like Photobucket. I used to post pics from there until they went from a free hosting site to a paid site, and I haven't bothered to purchase a subscription.
As far as the pouch goes, I wouldn't want to scare you off from attaching it to your sheath. I'd say that as long as the pouch is smaller lengthwise than the blade section of the sheath you should be fine. A lot of sheaths come with pouches attached for sharpening hones and other items. I have a few such sheaths and wouldn't hesitate to carry them.
And of course, it's highly unlikely that you would run across an LEO out in the wild. So I seriously doubt you would have any issues with a pouch attached to your sheath.
If definitely does not cover the entire sheath. It leaves exposed about 3/4 of an inch of the sheath on top and 2.5 inches at the bottom.