Which knives are illegal in california

The trial court found, however, that the knife had been modified or damaged, and the resistance mechanism did not function so that the knife would open with a flick of the wrist. Despite the original design of the knife, the Court of Appeals upheld the conviction. Any knife or blade that is disguised so as to not look like a weapon is also illegal in California. This includes, cane swords, belt-buckle knives, lipstick case knives, air gauge knives, writing pen knives, etc.

Blades that are undetectable to metal detectors e. In California, it is illegal to brandish any deadly weapon, including knives. Worse, California courts have been inconsistent in ruling on the enforceability of these local laws.

It gets worse. Interestingly, the Courts have held that the Los Angeles law forbidding carrying a concealed weapon is invalid. In the case of People v.

Bass , a man was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed folding knife. There are two important factors when it comes to possessing and carrying knives in California: 1 whether the type of knife is legal or restricted and 2 the open carry law. In California, it is legal to buy, own, transport, and carry any knife that is not restricted. The three most common types of knives — switchblades, folding knives, and fixed blade knives also known as dirks and daggers — have certain rules surrounding them and are explained in more detail below.

This law exists as a way to ensure that anyone around the person carrying the knife can clearly see it in order to prevent surprise attacks. Folding knives are knives that are opened by applying pressure to the blade s of the knife and have a mechanism that provides resistance in opening the blade.

There is also no restriction on the blade length of a folding knife. A fixed blade knife is one without a folding mechanism. A kitchen knife is a common example. Ice picks and other objects may also be included in this category. In California, Dirks and daggers and other sheath knives must be carried openly and cannot be concealed. In California, certain knives are illegal to carry, particularly if they are misleading or undetectable. In general, knives that are illegal are those which are most commonly used to commit crimes and do not have an obvious use as a tool or look like knives.

Hester , Cal. It is not necessary that the accused intended to use the dagger as a weapon in order to be successfully convicted for carrying a concealed dirk or dagger under California Penal Code Section PC. If you are in California, you can buy, own, transport, and carry any knife you want as long as it is not a forbidden knife. You can also collect Balisongs without worry. Dirk knives and daggers are illegal to carry concealed. A wide variety of unusual knives are also illegal to carry.

Violation of the carry statute is a felony. Carrying a switchblade may be a misdemeanor see Discussion for more. Note that this is not legal advice and there is no client-attorney relationship. There may be times when the material on this site is no longer current due to rapid changes in the law.

It should not be considered comprehensive or exhaustive and is not a substitute for advice from your attorney. We assume no liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages resulting from your reliance on this material; you do so at your own risk. It is recommended that you seek the advice of an attorney. If you have a question, leave it in the comment below. Some cities and municipalities might have their own knife laws, so check with your city.

We are also looking for an attorney to do a quick interview about California knife laws. This web site here seems to be doing more harm than good.

What is legal in one city may be illegal in another. There are length restrictions. The link I posted above should be of help and if there is still confusion or questions, they can check their LOCAL laws which supercede State laws.

The length or style of a blade as a determining factor of legality, ie. If you wish to be a true Knife Friendly state maybe you should look to your eastern border. Arizona continues to prove itself as a true knife friendly progressive state. We have drastically lower violent crime rates for the simple fact that we allow our citizens to live as our forefathers intended; without redundant or repressive laws that restrict the rights of the people to own, possess or carry almost any weapon, including any knife, switchblade, out the front automatic knife, dirk, dagger, sword, swordcane or penknife they desire.

Be it for self defense or collecting purposes. The point is, there should be no restrictions put upon the law abiding populace of a free state. The belief by most in California that you can reduce or eradicate crime by restricting ownership of an inanimate object by the law abiding populace is pure ignorance.

Good luck. The only knives prohibited by state law at public universities that are legal elsewhere are fixed blades over 2. Which means that, per state law, fixed blade knives under 2. Violating university policy will get you kicked out, but not arrested. The CA law info posted in the article above is not exactly accurate. So, other than the limit on autos and balisongs, the only thing state law prohibits is concealing a fixed blade.

I point out that the violent crime rate and the murder rate of Arizona is about the same as California murder rate was a little higher in Arizona in , last year I have reliable stats for. Also, in AZ you are in trouble carrying any knife, even a pocket knife on a keychain, in a school. In California you can carry small blade knives in a school, at least.

Also, CCW holders can carry guns in schools. And in bars. One thing to bear in mind is that unlike firearms, where CA has preemption one dying act of the GOP before we went blue , knife laws vary. There is a limit on length in some cities. Having spent several hours being searched, questioned,detained and terrorized by the CHP at the Cordillia Weigh Station I can assure you that the way CHP defines their law is different than what is presented here. I was pulled in for vehicle inspection as is quite common at all CA weigh stations.

I had an M-7 bayonet in the map pocket in my truck which was clearly visible when I opened my door. Mag was emptied and ammo placed in stapled shut bag. I was told it was illegal to carry a loaded gun in a vehicle in CA. If the gun was in the passenger compartment then the ammo had to be in a separate compartment that could not be reached. I only got my gun back because where I lived and was licensed at the time I could carry exposed in any location.

Ca has since changed their laws to prohibit that exception as well. Not sure when this happened to you, but the courts have ruled that an unloaded gun is just that, unloaded.

If there are no bullets in the gun, it is unloaded. You can have a loaded magazine next to the gun, but the magazine is not a gun.

Take the California motorcycle helmet law a number of years back. He decided that a certain helmet type was not safe and orders his officers to ticket them, even though the helmets met the requirement of the law. Another case that will come to a head is giving Ham radio operators tickets for not using hands free.

Ham radios are NOT wireless telephones, as specified in the law. Same happened with the loaded gun law. And there are MANY officers who have ill-informed concepts of what the laws actually are!

This resource, while nice is also misleading and can most certainly get people into trouble. As ignorance of the law is no excuse, and a cop being ignorant, can get you shot! Probably a lose-lose. And medical bills? You cant even have one in a display case in your home? Ammunition cannot be attached to the handgun in any manner. There is no prohibition in the state codes against also carrying ammunition within the same motor vehicle or compartment in the vehicle, as long as the firearms are not loaded and ammunition is not attached in any manner to the firearm.

Penal Code Section It is illegal to carry a firearm without a permit, even in a locked container in your car, for general purposes such as self-defense.

While it is legal in California to carry an unloaded handgun in plain sight in the passenger compartment, it is not advised. It can lead to unfavorable attention and an encounter with the police. Switchblades are legal to own in CA. ANY knife that has a fixed blade including a pocket knife in the open position, is considered a dirk or dagger.

I want to buy a. Balisong knife Butterfly knife and its the blade is 5 inches. Im not planing on carrying around with me but i want to make sure its legal to have one. I own a folding, single edged, 6 inch blade Cold Steel Ti-Lite. Thank you…. So this site says you can have a fixed blade out in the open of any size no restrictions but you can only have a switch blade no longer than 2 inches?? FYI: per For those of you wondering about open carrying your fixed blade knife.

Been stopped many times for the Pup and been asked to remove all of my weapons. Not one of those knives is illegal to carry in CA and i am always let go once the officer makes sure all of the blades are legal. When you open carry a fixed blade remember these 3 things:.

The full length of the knife must be visible your shirt cant be pulled down over the handle i tuck my shirt in behind it. Also to save yourself some trouble print up a copy of the laws that apply to your carry and keep it on your person. This is some good info. Does anyone know a website that has the laws pertaining to knives available to print? When I go down to SoCal, I use a rule of thumb to not carry something that will instantly scare liberals.

Hope this helps. I have a credit card sized multi tool knife. Is it legal to carry it in my pocket? The blade sheaths in the tool discretely, but it has other tools on it. I am interested in shipping letter openers that are concealed in a pen to California.

Would this fall under the hidden weapon category? Thank you! A switchblade is any mind of knife woth a switch on the blade itself so.

Knife laws are dependent on blade length. If i have a bottle opener that looks like a balisong knife when its closed can i carry it on my belt in a holster in california? I plan to buy a kershaw cryo 2 that has a framelock is more than 3 inches length is that CA legal? There is no length limit to fixed blades that are openly carried except in the City of Los Angeles, any School, College or University grounds, within any public owned property, or any property being used for the purposes of a public or official meeting like a town hall meeting.

Otherwise, you are good to go. My girlfriend recently got me the Schrade 13 Fixed Blade Knife i wanted with a 3. California, Los Angeles. A knife that is legal in your County and city may be illegal in a different city in the same County.

May I buy a training balisong knife? In California it is perfectly legal to carry a fixed blade knife, of any length, around the waist — if sheathed. This includes hunting knives, kitchen knives, swords, etc. The only city which does not allow this is Los Angeles. I was too freaking excited when I learned of the Knife laws in California. I do like how cheap their clothing is compared to some other sites that sell the same items, so thanks! Our state law seems to be great, but if you have to worry about every little city, we are screwed.

What knives are always illegal to carry? What knives may be carried, but only openly on a sheath? And what knives may be possessed openly or concealed? What are the penalties — misdemeanor or felony — if you get arrested and charged with unlawful knife possession? No age restrictions.

I am 14, i have been edcing for almost 2 years. Yes you can keep legal stuff at home. So are medieval dirks and such illegal to own or just carry? Is there a special permit for swords and other weapons? Inside were some old knives. Any help greatly appreciated. I think that is a kukri knife. Kukris are used by the Ghurka people, and the Ghurka are still famed for their prowess in combat, both with knives or guns.

Keep in mind that I am not a historian so what I say should be taken with a grain of salt. As long as it is single edged meaning only one side of the blade is sharpened and it is open carried.

But you should be ok if you are just going to an antiques dealer in a bag or something. Just use common sense. What about swords? The costume I have gathered so far does involve a large overcoat which would cover the scabbard approximately 18 inches in the middle, but both the tip of the scabbard and hilt would remain visible. If anyone has any suggestions on what to do please let me know. I have been told by others to just wear an empty scabbard with only a hilt attached to it but I always go all out with my costumes and believe the weight plays a role in how one carries themselves I get too into it I realize.

An auto knife, or a switchblade knife is a knife where a button or switch is pressed to automatically deploy the knife. The difference between that and an assisted opening knife is that pressure needs to be applied to the actual blade of an assisted opening knife and opened about 15 — 20 degrees in order for the spring to kick in, whereas a switchblade only requires the press of a button.

Thank you for the clarification. I thought maybe it was one of those projectile knives. Now I know. Its a legal blade fixed can be open carry any length Cali. Also in Cali your home campsite and to and from your business you own you can carry a concealed firearm. Can i legally own a spring assisted knife? Switchblades require you push a button to deploy the knife. Spring assist, you push a lever, or thumb stud that is PART of the blade itself to help open it.

That said, butterfly knives although not switchblades, are covered under the switchblade law in CA. Spring assists though are not. Is this legal in CA? It is spring assisted, and the piece you push on is part of the blade. I have been fed two different lengths here in Los Angeles… i usually carry a Spyderco Para 2. Is the legal length 2 or 3? Is my Para 2 illegal?

No matter what, I cannot find the answer to my question. Overall Length : 9. Therefore, there is no length restriction regarding such exotic knives. Be warned, however: Do not ever pull an AO knife in front of policemen, for all policemen are ignorant of the law, and will either arrest or shoot you. If it is a switchblade, since it is longer than 2 inches, it is illegal to have in public concealed or not or in the main area of your car penal code — same website.

However, you can still own switchblades. Basically, the test for a switchblade according to depends on how easy it is to open. It is legal to own but illegal to carry on you. There is one exception though — if the blade is less than 2 inches in length. That knife is not illegal. Thus, it is considered an assisted knife, not an automatic, and is legal.

It is legal. Any size. As long it is an assisted opening. Where you are aided by a mechanical assist when opening vs pushing a button unlocking a spring loaded device.

No, not at all. The main difference between a spring assist and a switchblade is that you have to assist the blade.

A switchblade is litterally a knife with a button and BOOM your knife out ready to go. Spring assisted is fine as long as you open it like any other knife. As long as you have to push the blade or something a fixed to it, your fine. Spring Assisted is ok. The easy way to tell if a folder is legal or not is if you have to touch the blade when opening. The only illegal knife would be the OVER 2 inch switchblade, or your spring assisted pocket knife also , all fixed blades can be worn on waist no matter size.

I am a knife maker and have investigated this.. Hope it helps.. Spring assisted in always legal in CA. This is an everyday real-life scenario. And this could happen to YOU or anyone breaking knife laws. Get this. A knife may be a tool for some. But a tool can be a fatal weapon. This goes for countless tools from hammers to crowbars. But the laws are especially stringent for knives which are considered a weapon.

Knives laws are often complicated, so make sure you know them well. California, as with most consumer products has knife-friendly laws. Depending on the type of knife, it may even be a criminal offense to own one.

The laws are updated regularly and there is a need for every concerned citizen to know what is legal and what is not. The legality or otherwise of knives in California depends on a number of factors. In general, the type of knife and the way it is carried will determine the legality.

There are several types of knives that can be worn openly in the state including bowie knives and large knives.