spring assisted knives for open carry or concealed carry and is it legal ?

hello world! welcome to the open carry forum!

opencarrypalmtrees said:

okay so i went to the local walmart and saw they sell spring assisted side opening folders for sale. They look like ordinary pocket knives but instead of a thumb stud a piece of the blade called the flipper of the knife sticks out of the handle of the knife and you have to push it a little and then the spring mechanism does the rest after you partially open the knife which makes it a spring assisted knife. After seeing the side folder I went home to search Google and found out that smith and wesson also just made an out the front spring assisted knife with the product line h.r.t spring assisted knife.

Well my question points to, are spring assisted knives legal for carry in Virginia? They aren't switchblades, but I know that the knife laws in virginia are quirky. I am particulary worried about knife laws saying "of the like kind." Spring assisted knives could be interpreted as of the like kind to switchblades. Now still keep in mind that these knives are for sale at walmart in Virginia so what gives? : P Are spring assisted knives legal for carry or not?



http://leg1.state.va.us/000/lst/LS434504.HTM
18.2-308 (show hits) ..Personal protection; carrying concealed weapons; when lawful to carry.. (1)
18.2-309 (show hits) ..Furnishing certain weapons to minors; penalty.. (1)
18.2-311 (show hits) ..Prohibiting the selling or having in possession blackjacks, etc.. (1)
19.2-386.29 (show hits) ..Forfeiture of certain weapons used in commission of criminal offense.. (1)

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They're legal. A switchblade requires a button or lever that releases the blade.
The assisted opening blades were designed by Ken Onion and require a manual push to start the motion.

A vast majority of us carry "assisted openers" - have never heard of a problem regarding them.

There is no state preemption relating to knife length, style,or type, so local ordinances are inconsistent. Still no problems come to mind.

So, tell us, are the Walmart items of this type any good quality or what? I assume they're made in Communist China, or not? What do they cost, and do you have a recommendation for the best one there for the money? I never had one of these, and know nothing about them.

Old Virginia Joe said:

So, tell us, are the Walmart items of this type any good quality or what? I assume they're made in Communist China, or not? What do they cost, and do you have a recommendation for the best one there for the money? I never had one of these, and know nothing about them.

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You are correct, most anything ChinaMart sells is made by the chicom. Many Kershaw knives are made in the USA. If you visit their website, they have a whole section just for the USA made knives. I carry this one that I got on Amazon a while ago for about half the price listed here. Its been a great knife. No complaints.

Here ya go, $45, Kershaw Ken Onion Black Blur

And yet many of the knives made in China are of excellent quality. It all depends on how you see sending money to China.

Know your steels, know your brands and know the models you are interested in. Remember that "Made in America" does not mean that all the component parts were manufactured in America.

stay safe.

I have bought a couple of good quality knives from Walmart. Like Skid said, know your brands. Kershaw and Gerber are generally known for their quality and both are readily available at Walmart at reasonable prices.

skidmark said:

And yet many of the knives made in China are of excellent quality. It all depends on how you see sending money to China.

Know your steels, know your brands and know the models you are interested in. Remember that "Made in America" does not mean that all the component parts were manufactured in America.

stay safe.

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I see it as supporting communism and shipping american jobs overseas. Maybe I'm misguided, but thats how I see it. There are plenty of high quality american made items if you search around a bit.

which spring assisted knife to buy

Okay so which are best spring assisted pocket knives currently on the market? Well here's my opinion.


amazon is selling some nice spring assisted out the front knives by smith and wesson example listed below with link
Out the Front, Black Zytel Handle, Black Drop Point Blade by Smith & Wesson
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ps&field-keywords=hrt+spring+assisted&x=0&y=0

If you are buying a spring assisted knife at walmart get the kershaw "needs work" knife. That model has one of the strongest springs i have seen on spring assisted knives and it also has a flipper stud to open the knife its fast.


can someone ask the attorney general of virginia ken if these things are legal? I think They may be considered of the kind to switchblades and I certainly don't want to be the first case for spring assisted knives.

see

http://www.courts.state.va.us/opinions/opncavtx/0473061.txt

In Richards v. Commonwealth, 18 Va. App. 242, 245, 443 S.E.2d 177, 178 (1994), the
trial court convicted Richards of carrying a concealed weapon, in violation of Code  18.2-308.
The trial court found that Richards' knife was a "spring knife" and that the handle of the knife
was deceptive in its appearance so as to disguise the true nature of the knife, thereby rendering it
concealed under the statute.

I made have read into the case too much but again a solid black and white clarification would be nice because I certainly don't like gray area when working with the law.

opencarrypalmtrees said:

----snip---

can someone ask the attorney general of virginia ken if these things are legal? I think They may be considered of the kind to switchblades and I certainly don't want to be the first case for spring assisted knives.

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The Attorney General does not provide legal advise to citizens - he is the chief attorney for the state. Opinions from his office are made as a result of an inquiry from someone in the state government.

There is a thread: http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/showthread.php?90788-Knives-what-s-your-carry

that has alot of good suggestions. Just like guns, knives are a personal choice for the most part.

I got a Cold Steel mini-lawman 2.5" blade for when I have to be on school grounds. Since I don't travel to many of the localities that have other requirements (nor drive a taxi) I carry the SOG Aegis which is assisted opening. About the only one I have to be aware of is Richmond but don't know that I have to worry about a Terry Stop for a knife check. I wish we could clean up the knife laws to get rid of antiquated reasoning etc. And why do they discriminate against taxi drivers so much????? ;-)

I used to carry (still like) the Cold Steel Recon 1 but the SOG is much lighter and faster opening.

Knives are cheap compared to guns so buy many.


Amherst Co. VA 12-25 in any park to have in his possession any knife with a blade of more than three (3) inches
Ashland, VA 12-12 hidden from common observation, clasp knife having a blade more than (3 1/4) inches in length,
Chesterfield, Co. VA 15-210 to operate a taxicab at any time with a knife with a blade longer than 3"
Danville, VA 39-31. & 23-52. to operate a taxicab at any time with a knife with a blade longer than 3" / No Knife on buses and at bus stops
Farmville, VA 18-48 to have in his possession a clasp knife having a blade more than three and one-quarter (3 1/4) inches
Fauquier Co. VA 16-7 for any person to use, carry or have in his possession any knife with a blade of more than 3" in any park.
Hanover Co. VA 22.1-47. operate and drive a for-hire car with a knife with a blade longer than three (3) inches in length in his possession,
Henrico Co. VA 21-139. operate and drive a for-hire car with a knife with a blade longer than three (3) inches in length in his possession,
Norfolk, VA 47-6. on any public/private/parochial/elementary/middle/high school, including buildings & grounds, W/blade 3" or longer
Petersburg, VA 74-207. on any public/private/parochial/elementary/middle/high school, including buildings & grounds, W/blade 3" or longer
Pulaski, VA 70-132. Parades/Rallies/Noncommercial Gatherings No participant shall carry knives/edged weapons, either openly or concealed.
Richmond, VA 66-347. knife having a blade more than 3 1/4 inches in length./ drive a taxicab with a blade longer than three inches

45acpForMe said:

---snip---
Amherst Co. VA 12-25 in any park to have in his possession any knife with a blade of more than three (3) inches
Ashland, VA 12-12 hidden from common observation, clasp knife having a blade more than (3 1/4) inches in length,
Chesterfield, Co. VA 15-210 to operate a taxicab at any time with a knife with a blade longer than 3"
Danville, VA 39-31. & 23-52. to operate a taxicab at any time with a knife with a blade longer than 3" / No Knife on buses and at bus stops
Farmville, VA 18-48 to have in his possession a clasp knife having a blade more than three and one-quarter (3 1/4) inches
Fauquier Co. VA 16-7 for any person to use, carry or have in his possession any knife with a blade of more than 3" in any park.
Hanover Co. VA 22.1-47. operate and drive a for-hire car with a knife with a blade longer than three (3) inches in length in his possession,
Henrico Co. VA 21-139. operate and drive a for-hire car with a knife with a blade longer than three (3) inches in length in his possession,
Norfolk, VA 47-6. on any public/private/parochial/elementary/middle/high school, including buildings & grounds, W/blade 3" or longer
Petersburg, VA 74-207. on any public/private/parochial/elementary/middle/high school, including buildings & grounds, W/blade 3" or longer
Pulaski, VA 70-132. Parades/Rallies/Noncommercial Gatherings No participant shall carry knives/edged weapons, either openly or concealed.
Richmond, VA 66-347. knife having a blade more than 3 1/4 inches in length./ drive a taxicab with a blade longer than three inches

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Those are appreciated references. Is there a central, one-stop-shopping link for those or did you root them out the hard way?
Would like to be able to save/bookmark such material.

Grapeshot said:

Those are appreciated references. Is there a central, one-stop-shopping link for those or did you root them out the hard way?
Would like to be able to save/bookmark such material.

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The only hard thing was finding it. Here is where I got them from: http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/USKnife2.pdf

I would very much like to see:
- all "types" of knives (bowie, etc) allowed and get rid of like-kind terms
- any folding blade be exempted from any concealment laws
- preemption to stop localities from making their own laws.
- school blade length increased to at least 3"-4" since there are so many good 3" options, if not done away with.
- return to a CWP rather than CHP so you can conceal anything, or better constitutional carry and get rid of CHP/CWP totally.

45acpForMe said:

The only hard thing was finding it. Here is where I got them from: http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/USKnife2.pdf

I would very much like to see:
- all "types" of knives (bowie, etc) allowed and get rid of like-kind terms
- any folding blade be exempted from any concealment laws
- preemption to stop localities from making their own laws.
- school blade length increased to at least 3"-4" since there are so many good 3" options, if not done away with.
- return to a CWP rather than CHP so you can conceal anything, or better constitutional carry and get rid of CHP/CWP totally.

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Appreciate the reference/link.

The bolded items are very much under consideration and being looked at by VCDL. There is no question but that the climate has improved with the GA.

My "EDC" knife is a Gerber Valloton, (an "assisted opening" folder) which I bought in a WalMart in NC. It is a fantastic knife, holds an edge well, is easy to sharpen, and works very smoothly. The pocket clip and "safety lock" to keep it from accidentally opening in your pocket) are nice features too.

http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Valloton-Assisted-Opening-Folding/dp/B000FKM35U

From what I have been able to determine it is legal to carry just about everywhere in the mid-atlantic region, including in the People's Republic of Maryland.