Purchasing Automatic Knives

[G11354]

I live in Michigan where "out the side" opening automatic knives are legal and im interested in a Buck 110 Auto. However every site I go to states you must be some form of military, emt or manufacturer to purchase and I cant find a store in state that sells them.

Am I misunderstanding the law or am I simply out of luck?

 

[Knife_Collector_101]

I live in Michigan where "out the side" opening automatic knives are legal and im interested in a Buck 110 Auto. However every site I go to states you must be some form of military, emt or manufacturer to purchase and I cant find a store in state that sells them.

Am I misunderstanding the law or am I simply out of luck?

Out the front automatics are legal in Michigan as well. It’s just ones that are double edged that can’t be carried.

As far ordering autos online, that Federal Switchblade Act thing I think is something some sites put on there just to give the appearance that they’re complying with federal law. Some strictly follow it and require you fill out a form while others just ship them to anybody regardless. The buyer is never liable under the law, it’s just the seller that would be subject to fines/criminal penalties. I wouldn’t worry too much about ordering one. But it’s your call as to what you decide you’re most comfortable with.

 

[G11354]

Out the front automatics are legal in Michigan as well. It’s just ones that are double edged that can’t be carried.

As far ordering autos online, that Federal Switchblade Act thing I think is something some sites put on there just to give the appearance that they’re complying with federal law. Some strictly follow it and require you fill out a form while others just ship them to anybody regardless. The buyer is never liable under the law, it’s just the seller that would be subject to fines/criminal penalties. I wouldn’t worry too much about ordering one. But it’s your call as to what you decide you’re most comfortable with.

That is the impression im getting. Some sites are more detailed in their requirements to purchase than others but all of them that I have visited require no proof or form to be submitted. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[tom19176]

It is a violation of the federal law at all times. The form is use by the sellers to claim they were miss lead by the buyer as a defense. Use of the USPS is a second violation of federal law. That said the laws are broken daily......

 

[Knife_Collector_101]

It is a violation of the federal law at all times. The form is use by the sellers to claim they were miss lead by the buyer as a defense. Use of the USPS is a second violation of federal law. That said the laws are broken daily......

If autos weren’t as popular as they are now and the law was just occasionally violated by a select few people, the feds might make enforcing it a bigger priority. But since they’re legal now in 40+ states and there is such a demand for them in the market, the feds probably figure trying to enforce it is moot.

 

[glistam]

The form is use by the sellers to claim they were miss lead by the buyer as a defense.

Which, I feel obligated to point out, will do absolutely nothing to save them if prosecuted. The law requires a contract with a federal procurement officer, which is not something you can pretend you were mislead about. Yeah, it's true that the feds haven't brought charges under this law in years and so far have only brought it against larger import operations. I'm just more than a bit annoyed at the garbage these sites post. I don't like these laws but I don't approve of spreading false legal information. BHQ lists an outright fabricated list of valid reasons for purchase that never appeared in any part of the law.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

Glistam, this is the reason IF I were to buy an automatic knife on the interweb I would have absolutely NO problems lying about being military, law enforcement, etc. But every auto I have purchased has been in pawn shops and flebay.

Lying to the knife sellers using this type of form will not cause the BUYER to be prosecuted. The law only refers to SELLERS.

BHQ's statement that automatics "... are designed for military, police and EMT duty..." is so bogus that I'm surprised the writer's nose isn't 20 feet long. Automatic knives have been around for well over 100 years, well before EMTs existed.

Having said that, I am retired military (20+ years) , retired fire/ems (30+ years), retired search/recovery diver with a sheriff's department (32+ years) and at one time WAS a military purchasing agent, albeit for a VERY small organization that had a budget smaller than an ant's watch pocket.

 

[Knife_Collector_101]

This may be off topic slightly, but I was wondering, do the feds ever enforce the interstate commerce ban on ballistic knives? Ballistic knives in particular don’t appear to be something many people have and there doesn’t appear to be much interest in them among knife and weapon collectors.

 

[Bastler]

a budget smaller than an ant's watch pocket.

That sounds like my brother when he owes me money.

 

[glistam]

This may be off topic slightly, but I was wondering, do the feds ever enforce the interstate commerce ban on ballistic knives? Ballistic knives in particular don’t appear to be something many people have and there doesn’t appear to be much interest in them among knife and weapon collectors.

I've not seen documentation of an actual prosecution for this. Though I feel I should point out that multiple variables are in play for this. First, ballistic knives are significantly more rare than autos. Autos have been around for more than 100 years, but the ballistic is a sort of Soviet-era novelty toy that frankly doesn't even work that well. Most of them were junk and even the modern made hi tech ones are just sort of "ok." It's a roll of the dice that they even hit point first at 5 feet.

Second, there is a widespread myth that mere possession is illegal outright in the United States. I interviewed one Army vet from that era who had one and later disposed of it, believing he was breaking the law by having it. This myth causes widespread fear among sellers and makers that make them not even want to talk about them, and so they are even more rare. Yes some states do have a full ban but it's the exception rather than the norm, based on research I've done across 50 states. For example, in my state of Maryland, you can own them and even play with them in the back yard; you just can't sell them or carry them concealed.

 

[Tjstampa]

This may be off topic slightly, but I was wondering, do the feds ever enforce the interstate commerce ban on ballistic knives? Ballistic knives in particular don’t appear to be something many people have and there doesn’t appear to be much interest in them among knife and weapon collectors.

There have been prosecutions under Florida stat laws. In this case it was used as a trap to stop repeated burglaries of a residence. Innocent sales person was injured