Page 1 of 6
Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 7:20 am
by Roshi
Now that Texas has decided that assisted opening knives are switchblades, have you seen any changes in sales of these knives or how law enforcement treats them?
Would you support making switchblades legal in Texas? I would. They are tools just like guns and there are no bad knives as there are no bad guns.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:55 am
by WildBill
What decision are you referring to?
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:57 am
by Monkey404error
WildBill wrote:What decision are you referring to?
Was about to ask the same question.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:06 am
by LedJedi
ok, that's gonna suck if my kershaw is now considered a switchblade. What's the deal with switchblades anyway?
When was this decision made?
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:44 am
by The Annoyed Man
Yeah, I have a Gerber with assisted opening. That would suck if it were suddenly illegal.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:49 am
by longtooth
Roshi,
I think you are mistaken. Can you give some documentation so we can check it out.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:51 pm
by lunchbox
i dont see how they can be considered that witch they are not a switchblade is full spring loaded an assisted open is just that assisted there is a spring to help open the knife and they would need to change the definition of switchblade in the law not just say oh we are considering this to be a switchblade it doesnt work like that.
if i get arrested for mine i will fight it to the death im so sick of law enforcement over stepping their bounds and forgetting what they are there for
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:55 pm
by flintknapper
Roshi wrote:Now that Texas has decided that assisted opening knives are switchblades, have you seen any changes in sales of these knives or how law enforcement treats them?
Would you support making switchblades legal in Texas? I would. They are tools just like guns and there are no bad knives as there are no bad guns.
Huh?
Please cite your source for this statement.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 12:59 pm
by lunchbox
i bet what happened is someone was caught and arrested with an assisted open knife and word got around that it was illegal cuz some liberal cop felt that it should be and thats the way he enforces it and if you dont know any better one will just go to jail without a word if in fact this is what happened we need a slick lawyer to take this case and put these cops behind a desk
i thought LEO were educated on what the law is and expected to enforce it as such
but it would seem to me they do what they want
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:10 pm
by WildBill
lunchbox wrote:i bet what happened is someone was caught and arrested with an assisted open knife and word got around that it was illegal cuz some liberal cop felt that it should be and thats the way he enforces it and if you dont know any better one will just go to jail without a word if in fact this is what happened we need a slick lawyer to take this case and put these cops behind a desk i thought LEO were educated on what the law is and expected to enforce it as such but it would seem to me they do what they want
I doubt that happened.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:05 pm
by flintknapper
lunchbox wrote:i bet what happened is someone was caught and arrested with an assisted open knife and word got around that it was illegal cuz some liberal cop felt that it should be and thats the way he enforces it and if you dont know any better one will just go to jail without a word if in fact this is what happened we need a slick lawyer to take this case and put these cops behind a desk
i thought LEO were educated on what the law is and expected to enforce it as such
but it would seem to me they do what they want
Gosh, how did you arrive at all this from the little bit posted, you're being kinda rough on the "cops" don't you think?
I'd be much surprised if this were the case.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:04 pm
by SCone
Since tha law states...
Switchblade knife means any knife that has a blade that folds, closes, or retracts into the handle or sheath, and that:
(A) opens automatically by pressure applied to a button or other device located on the handle; or
(B) opens or releases a blade from the handle or sheath by the force of gravity or by the application of centrifugal force.
Almost anything that helps open a knife could make the knife illegal.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:20 pm
by SCone
Found this description on a website that sells Gerber.
WHAT IS AN ASSISTED OPENING KNIFE? - An assisted opening knife uses a spring activated mechanism to deploy a knife blade when a little bit of pressure is applied in opening the knife by the folding method. They are commonly confused with switchblades, but have one main difference. While a switchblade can be opened usually with the push of a button, the user of an assisted knife must apply some pressure to the knife, usually at the thumb stud, thumbdisc or index finger protrusion. Once the knife has been opened about one-quarter of the way(45°), the mechanism will open the knife the rest of the way. These are NOT switchblades. You open the knife slightly with the thumb stud and then the spring takes over, snapping the blade open like a switchblade.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:48 pm
by LedJedi
SCone wrote:Since tha law states...
Switchblade knife means any knife that has a blade that folds, closes, or retracts into the handle or sheath, and that:
(A) opens automatically by pressure applied to a button or other device located on the handle; or
(B) opens or releases a blade from the handle or sheath by the force of gravity or by the application of centrifugal force.
Almost anything that helps open a knife could make the knife illegal.
yep. i believe that's exactly what the law says.
which is why most assisted knifes have a stud on the blade, not the handle or sheath. That means until they change that wording assisted opening knives using studs on the blade are perfectly legal.
I dont think there should be any legislation against a switchblade anyway. How the knife opens is irrelevant. I'm just as fast with my kershaw as any switchblade i've ever seen.
I've also never used it to harm anyone unless they were in an envelope or wrapped up in bailing twine. However, I WILL use it to harm someone if necessary for my immediate defense, but then again i'll use anything within reach in that situation as well. Perhaps we should outlaw anything that could be in reach in an emergency situation? The world would be nothing but one large fun noodle. Of course then there'd be the special forces guy that comes along and kills 3 people with a fun noodle and then we're really in trouble.
Re: Texas decision against assisted opening knives
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:29 pm
by lunchbox
flintknapper wrote:lunchbox wrote:i bet what happened is someone was caught and arrested with an assisted open knife and word got around that it was illegal cuz some liberal cop felt that it should be and thats the way he enforces it and if you dont know any better one will just go to jail without a word if in fact this is what happened we need a slick lawyer to take this case and put these cops behind a desk
i thought LEO were educated on what the law is and expected to enforce it as such
but it would seem to me they do what they want
Gosh, how did you arrive at all this from the little bit posted, you're being kinda rough on the "cops" don't you think?
I'd be much surprised if this were the case.
think what you will but i have been told myself that i was under arrest for premeditated murder when i had not killed anyone nobody had died my experience with LEO has been less than pleasant and i feel that they do enforce the law the way they feel it should be