During most of my life the possession or sale of a switchblade knife was a criminal act under federal law, and the things were classified as dangerous and deadly weapons under my home state laws. I chose to avoid any such complications.

Several years ago the federal law went away, and Colorado decided that automatic knives would be treated the same as any others; i.e.: blade no more than 3.5" length is simply a tool, not a dangerous or deadly weapon. I found a deal for a Boker Magnum automatic that I like. Stainless 3.5" clip-point, aluminum grip-frame, solid and reliable operation. Easy to carry, easily put to work with one hand when needed, enough to get some serious work done. The Boker line is good quality without the premium price tags of the high-end products.

Since then, as I have travelled to other places I have found it best to research the laws for your routes and destinations because local and state laws are all over the charts. In some places any automatic knife is unlawful to possess, transport, or sell. In other places blade length restrictions may be as short as 2", or as long as a medieval broad sword. Concealment may be an issue in other places. Impossible to tell what you might be walking into without doing the research in advance. What is perfectly legal in Colorado or Tennessee might result in felony prosecution in other places.

My point is to be careful and avoid conflict with such restrictions. Nothing ruins a family trip or vacation quite like an arrest, finding a bail bondsman, retaining a defense lawyer, and doing the courthouse dance for months on end.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM