Pocket Knife Restrictions

I owned a high quality, famous brand switchblade a while back - it was a gift from a friend and legal to own. After having it open up twice in my pocket, cutting up my leg and hand when I went to take it out, I got rid of it. Both times the safety had broken! While the manufacturer did repair it, after the second time getting cut up, I lost interest in it.

My EDC (for 4 years now) is a Spyderco Delica K390 steel which opens up just like any other Spyderco (thumb hole) and after some practice with it, it deploys pretty darn fast! I don't feel the need for an auto opening knife and I'd never ever carry one again.

Maybe I am foolish in this regard but I view my EDC pocket knife as a tool, not a weapon. My weapon is my Sig P365 and at 71 (in a few weeks) I do not want to get lose enough to effectively use a knife for self defense. Yes, as a last resort of course the knife can be used as a weapon however I have trained quite a bit with SD firearms and almost zero with a pocket knife as a SD weapon. For those highly trained with a knife for SD it is a different story.
 
Rudi said:
People seem to forget how deadly knives can be. Never leave home w/o one.
Click to expand...

I have carried a pocket knife of some sort since I was in grade school. I never ever viewed it as a "weapon" but only as a cutting tool. That is just how I was brought up. Other than on an airplane or cruise ship my pocket always has a razor sharp knife in it. I even got my wife to carry a very small one in her purse (along with a very small flashlight).

I have not concerned myself on how large a knife I could carry after realizing many years ago (as a bird hunter) that large, heavy cumbersome knives are more difficult to use, harder to carry and just not a handy knife to carry.

Most of my pocket knives have had less than 3 1/4" blades. For most of my life a 2 3/4", 2 1/4" and 1 1/4" three blade traditional style "Stockman" pocket knife has been carried. Certainly not a fast knife to open! My current EDC Spyderco has a single 2 7/8" blade I believe. I also EDC a SAK "keychain model" - the smallest version SAK made, I believe. I carry that one for the scissors, tweezer, nail file and screwdriver tip on the nail file. Can't remember actually ever using the puny knife in it. The screwdriver tip is the perfect size for adjusting S&W rear sights. ;)

For those who carry switchblades, PLEASE be careful with them!
 
Last edited:
As a Deer hunter for many years I and many others carried fixed blade hunting knives with blades of around 4" to 6.5" in a belt sheath. Openly or often concealed under hunting clothing. So restrictions on pocket blade length seem a bit silly. But..laws vary from state to state I'm sure. Way back in the late 50s when I was a young teen I remember having a switchblade knife, a piece of cheap junk. Never wanted one since. Many people carry the Buck 110 on their belt in it's black leather sheath. So I guess that's concealed but not in a pocket, confusing. Don't even know what Indiana laws are except switch blades became illegal at some time I believe. But now people can have "assisted opening" knives. Oh well. If I ever need to back up my Glock 42 with a knife to survive I hope I have one of my fixed blade knives with me.
 
No restrictions here, but I have found I prefer assisted open folders to button locks. Easy and quick to open and no need to operate a safety.

I too had a button lock complete with safety come open in my pocket and as I keep my blades shaving sharp it was a bloody experience that occurred much to close to some very important personal equipment.
 
When it comes to knives, Michigan laws are a mess. With firearms, the laws are fairly well defined and carry the stipulation that state law is supreme, stopping local laws from interfering. Not so with knives. Generally speaking, if you carry a 3" to 3.5" single edge folder, you will be OK. Because of local laws however, carrying anything else including switchblades or spring loaded out-the-end knives can be ok some places and not in others. State law did have an exception for switchblades for handicapped persons, such as those with only one hand, but I don't know if that is still in effect. Double edge knives are definite no-no. And don't even ask about cane swords and the like.

Like I said, it's a mess!
 
My two takeaways from this thread are, West Virginia once again is awesome. And has anyone ever seen Snubby Fan and Paul Stanley (lead singer KISS) in the same room at the same time ? I didn’t think so.
 
Rules in the various states can be quite different. The daughter (military haircut, with a group of marines, in San Diego of all places) was kicked out of a Starbucks because "her pocketknife was printing" .
 
chief38 said:
I have not concerned myself on how large a knife I could carry after realizing many years ago (as a bird hunter) that large, heavy cumbersome knives are more difficult to use, harder to carry and just not a handy knife to carry.
Click to expand...
This. As primarily a duck and small game hunter, a Tinkerer SAK and a pair of game shears is all I ever need. Carry the SAK daily and keep the game shears in the kitchen drawer when not in my blind bag.
A Dexter filet knife for the fish pretty much covers it. The rest of the stuff is wants-and I got a LOT of that :D But hey, I'm a man.
Like Shotguns and handguns. I could spend the rest of my life with my M2 Benelli in 20 ga, my Bodyguard and my MP9 and be covered. But again-what's the fun in that??
 
I almost always carry a Boker "Kalisnikov" auto in my pocket, as does my youngest son. My Oldest has a Benchmade flipper because he lives in the Peoples Republic of Minnesota. The Boker K has a recessed button and no safety. I do not spend much time with my hands in my pockets and have never had it open in my pocket. I do not care for the safety feature on an auto so I avoid models with noticeably protruding release buttons like the classic stilleto
 
Ah, the days when I could carry a gun on a plane and get to board before the cripples and kids. ;)

Like others, I’ve carried a pocket knife since I was a Cub Scout. Use it daily, mostly for opening stuff, but it’s there for whatever I could need a knife for. Never measured the blade, but never saw a need for anything longer than 3 inches. Any bigger, they start getting heavy and or folks get the idea I am happy to see them.
 
Last edited:
Alk8944 said:
Be very careful about whatever "Legal advice" you are given by any Law Enforcement Officer! While I was still "on the job" numerous times I had people tell me "But Officer so-and-so told me"......, and that information was completely incorrect legally.:eek::eek:

Check the law yourself, it is easy to do, but time consuming, but can be done on-line for any state.:):) Be careful though, the state legislature may change any laws during any annual session, so what was legal may not be next year, or vice-versa.:(

What so-and-so told you has no legal standing and gives you no defense if you get in trouble because of his/her advice. :mad::mad:
Click to expand...

Really good advice there, in my opinion. I’ve always been told that (generally speaking) here in Indiana juries, and in effect, the law, may take a dim view of someone carrying and using certain types of knives as a weapon. Whether that is right or wrong based on statute may be irrelevant if the stigma is difficult to overcome.

Carrying switchblades and similar edged weapons appears be a case of what’s legal may not necessarily be a great idea. For me, that’s something to consider… :o
 
Michigan has 4 cities with strict knife laws. I believe they are under 3". The rest of the state is more lax.
A few years ago the outgoing AG gave an opinion that some switchblades are legal. Any knife can not have a double edge blade so "stiletto's" are not legal.
I bought a Microtech Ultratech with a 3.35" Tanto blade several years ago and wish I would have done so earlier. I have two of the same knife now.
I send one in about once a year to be sharpened and lubed and carry the other one for the next year.
 
I never understood the attraction to automatic knives aka switchblades. As an antique pocketknife collector, I have had or still do, some gorgeous vintage autos. But these are just for show. Besides being a collector, I am also a user. I must use my pocketknife, several dozen times a week. Automatic knives are dainty and fragile. Every brand I have had or have observed are weak and fragile. I wouldn't get a month worth of use from one before it was broken and in a scrap heap. The assisted openers like the Kershaw Leek, which is one of my working knives, give just as rapid response and can be counted on for a long life of hard work.
 
Last edited:
Texas is both simple and complicated. If the blade is under 5-1/2” any knife is legal. But longer blades are location-restricted and cannot be carried in a long list of places. Basically, any knife you can carry in your pocket is legal. If you are hunting, fishing, etc., any knife is legal. I had only one run-in involving a knife. I went to a city council meeting and went through a metal detector. It went off because I was carrying a small pocket knife. They would not let me enter with it. I took it outside and stuck it down in the dirt of a potted plant and retrieved it when I left.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

AJ
Kutmaster 2 bladed folding Pocket Knife.
Replies
6
Views
697
chief38
chief38
chief38
I HAVE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH FOR 7 YEARS ABOUT BUYING THIS KNIFE - DECISION MADE!
2 3
Replies
42
Views
2K
Chubbs103
C
O
Schrade CS
Replies
5
Views
556
oink
O
Gary Slider
AR, MI, OH, WY Updates!
Replies
1
Views
389
lihpster
lihpster
chief38
JUST FINISHED RESTORING A DOZEN OR SO VINTAGE POCKET KNIVES
Replies
14
Views
783
Old_Cop
O

Latest posts

Back
Top