Here are the appropriate statutes. Since it seems from your link to be a combination of a switchblade and a gravity knife it is illegal to own or to carry.
Should clarify. There are two issues here. It is illegal to carry a weapon for unlawful purposes. That includes a knife, a gun or mangoes in syrup. It doesn’t matter what you have (pointed stick, a rock a butter knife), if you use it or intend to use it for an unlawful purpose it is illegal. Carrying a concealed weapon for protection is not a lawful purpose.
Second that knife is designed to be used against people. Otherwise there is no need for the extra quick opening. It has a spring mechanism to open it (switchblade) and you flick your wrist to lock it (gravity blade). Thats what makes it illegal. Blade length does not matter.
With all due respect, I gotta disagree with you here. A spring assist, does not mean (to me at least) that the knife is automatically designed to be used against a person. I carry one of one of these around my house when I am doing home improvements, and cutting up boxes. I bought it at that known weapons of mass destruction purveyor The Home Depot. It has very similar features as the knife in the OP. A stud on the blade to assist the opening, and a spring that assists the opening. What this means is I can reach down with one hand, remove and open my knife with one hand, without putting down whatever is in my other hand.
This (and the OP’s knife) are clearly not a switchblade as the stud is on the handle and according to your cite “button, spring or other device in the handle of the knife… u.” The assist stud in on the assist stud is on the blade. So not a switchblade.
The way I read your cite it is not a gravity knife ““Gravity knife” means any knife which has a blade which is released from the handle or sheath thereof by the force of gravity or the application of centrifugal force… p.” You cannot flick these knives open, they require pressure on the stud. The spring just assists in the opening, it does not open by itself due to the force of gravity or centrifugal force.
Back in that I didn’t ID myself to the cops thread, there was a link to California law where these knives are clearly legal. It looks like the situation is not so clear cut in NJ, but I don’t see a problem with the cite you posted, and the OP’s knife.
ETA: You can mail the knife to me, it is legal where I live.
Gotta call BS on both points. I seem to have missed where Count Blucher said this knife was for self-defense. And your second point is so far off that I’m starting to think you are reading a completely different thread. “Designed for use against people?” What are you on? California is really down on switchblades abd gravity knives, and they ignore these knives completely. ell, most cops I know carry them. “Assisted-opening” does not mean what you think it does.
ETA: Rick has enough knives already. If you get peranoid, send it to me!
Kinda. It’s a little bit below the last one, but then it would have to be. But better than the first one. You are going to be in a dither when it and “Vorpal Blade” arrive on the same day!
I never said he said what you said I said he said. The carrying a weapon for unlawful purposes law is pretty clear. Most of the time when you are charged with it, it is because the weapon was already used in a crime. When someone is charged with it without another crime occuring then it is usually because it was an illegal weapon to begin with. It is possible to get charged just for carrying, lets say, a leatherman but only if you say something like “I was going to go stab my mother.” Just carrying a pocket knife will not most likely not get you charged with the crime but it is possible depending on the circumstances. Thats why I mentioned it.
From the link:
This is not a utility knife from Home Depot. It is illegal in New Jersey. So are a lot of other things that are legal in other states.
Or you could just put it in a drawer and forget about it. You are entirely too worried about the law. If you aren’t carrying it you aren’t going to get in trouble.
I read the type of blade the same way Rick did and it’s not illegal in IL. Spring action is not a switch or gravity blade.
I’ve bought a gazillion knives for Mr. K. Nearly every one of them is illegal. He carries them every day (not all gazillion at one time, mind you). The difference is, he’s not going to use it on anyone. And if he was, it wouldn’t make a difference if the blade was 3 or 4 inches long. It’ll still kill a person.
I could write exactly the same advertising copy about my utility knife from the Home Depot. After all it works exactly the same way as the knife in question. So just what is the difference?
Loach you are the SME when it comes to the law in NJ. I don’t doubt that the laws are different in NJ than elsewhere. I never meant to imply that they should be the same. However with that said, I can get to illegal from the cite you posted. It sure as hell isn’t a switch blade as the stud is on the blade, and it does not work with gravity or centrifugal force, so it doesn’t seem to be a gravity knife.
color me confused.
I carry one of one of these around my house
This looks like a common construction Utility Knife to me. You can’t hang drywall without 'em. Please don’t tell me they’re going to outlaw THESE! :smack:
Probably true. As long as it stays in that drawer or is used only at my workbench; as long as my kids never see it, grab it and decide to take it outside. If anything bad ever happened as a result of its possession, I as its owner am responsible. The statutes which Loach quotes make it clear that I can’t ever expect to reach for this thing under any circumstances without expecting mandatory jail time. It has no lawful defensive use, even in the home, in NJ, under any circumstances.
This places its possession and use squarely in the liability column.
I’ve always held the opinion that Loach knows what he does about the law in NJ because either he or someone close to him is involved with the practice of law and/or law enforcement in NJ in some capacity. (In exactly what capacity is none of my business and I am neither asking nor encouraging speculation). If he says ‘ditch it like a hot potato’, its probably some very good free advice.
(I’m just glad that a Leatherman Wave doesn’t fall into any of these categories; I’d be really pissed if I couldn’t carry that with me. You have no idea how many times that pliers-tool has come in handy fixing things over the years.)
Well, my husband uses his illegal knives at work all the time (he has some lesser quality illegals that he opens boxes with, uses in the garage, or whenever a knife is needed). Why would your children take your knife? Tell them to keep their mitts off your stuff! Or lock it up (like we do).
Mr. K and I had an odd incident happen. We were newly in love and were in a lingerie store and were kind of all over each other. Anyhoo, we walked out and the cops came swooping down on us and said that the clerk in the store claimed we were shoplifting and that* I passed some panties to him from my mouth to his * (I know…I told you it was odd). He happened to have three knives on him at the time. Two were illegal. After the incident was cleared up, the cop gave him the knives back. It’s not that big a deal unless you’re using it in a crime. We also have a switch blade (or a gravity knife…I forget) that we bought from a cop. He doesn’t carry that one (simply because it is looked at as purely a people-killing knife).
My husband’s entire collection was stolen once. Sure, we were pissed. But we’re not losing sleep over it like we did when the gun was stolen. Our current system would make it near impossible to find or get to the knives.
I have not tried to keep it a secret that I have been a municipal police officer for (checks watch) going on 10 years. I don’t exaxtly advertise in every thread but it’s not a secret.
That is very true. Having a knife like that in your home will not cause someone to back down your door to get you. Hell I have a 20 year old butterfly knife around here somewhere. I wouldn’t carry it or keep it in your car. And of course keep it away from the kids but that is true if it was legal or not.
