So I just found out I’ve been breaking the law by going by the old rules. Now In California any fixed blade is considered a dagger. And that means open carry only. Of any fixed blade in this state. Now here’s the funny, any folder that is nota dagger is allowed. Take care out there.
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Something tells me it is more restrictive than any folder. Balisongs are folders and last I checked in California you might as well have a glock concealed if you are going to have a balisong.
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Balisongs are legal “IF” the blade is under 2 inches. Other than that, illegal.
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Never carry a butterfly even if completely dull. My first Benchmade was a 26 and I got it downtown Los Angeles. Then atf claimed that butterfly was actually a switchblade. Which it clearly is not. Anyway they moved to Oregon. Our loss here in California.
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Butterfly doesn’t count as a folder here, it’sa felony, however you may own them in the comfort of your own home. Don’t take it outside.
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A butterfly knife is typically considered a “gravity knife” because it can be opened with only gravity. And for some reason that’s considered more dangerous than other types of knives.
Edit: or that’s what I’ve been told anyway.
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I’m certainly not a knife laws expert. But I was born in California and I live in the same town that I was born in a long, long time ago in the days of sailing ships and the Wright brothers, lol.
Many many years ago I had several Balisong knives. I was never any good with them. I don’t mean I was lame with them. But I didn’t practice enough to achieve any magical level of wow am I awesome. But I remember very clearly how convenient they were when working on cargo and lashing and things of that nature. I could be holding something with one hand And pull out a Balisong with the other and flip it around to open and cut what I needed to cut, and then flip it around to closed and put it back in my pocket. When flipping around to close position, it was easy to use the little finger to close the t latch at the bottom of the halves and back in the pocket.
Because I consider myself a law, buying citizen, unlike some of my friends, I would not carry a switchblade because switch blades, at least in Southern California were against a law to carry. As a matter fact, at least, as of years ago, switchblades in California, or illegal to even own. to me I always thought that was kind of hilarious because you can walk down the street with a machete and as long as you don’t look like you’re menacing or nuttier than a fruitcake few people are even gonna say anything. You can walk around with an axe, and if the police pull over while on patrol and see you, you can say, I’m going down to the corner to help a neighbor cut a small tree down. Chances are as long as you don’t look like a suspect they’ll just drive away and say be careful or something of that nature.
Anyway, I always thought of the flip knives as a form of relaxing recreation, and actual very functional tools. I never flashed mine around in public. I never try to intimidate anybody with my knife, flipping skills in their face to scare them and make them run out to their mommy.
Years later, all of a sudden the homeboys decided to flip knives as something that they could misuse to scare the crap out of everybody. Technically from my experience a flipper is no more dangerous than any good knife in the hands of somebody as experienced or more experienced in using knives in a self defense posture. If somebody comes at me with a. Balisong knife aggressively, they better know exactly what they’re doing. If they do and they get to jump on me, I may indeed have a problem. On the other hand, if they’re really good at swinging around the flip knife and they come at me with no good intentions, and they don’t know exactly what they’re doing, it won’t really matter what kind of knife they have. Because you don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.
So here I am years ago, the happy owner of several Balisong knives, and I was informed that in California, because the flip knives had generated such a high level of negativity in people that were scared enough to wet their pants because of the intimidating nature of the way people flip them around, that they were outlawed in California.
As I already mentioned above, I am no knife law expert. But from what I understand it’s against the law in California to even possess a Balisong knife. Forget the carry aspect. In California you’re not even supposed to have one, period.(I will check on that and edit this post when I find out the technically accurate answer.).
I was happy sometime back when squid industries started to sell the trainer flip knives, which I have several. To this day, I still have not put in the time to be very masterful with the trainers. But I still have fun with them. One day I was talking to my brother-in-law, (a weapons expert) and he suggested to me that, although the trainer flip knives are legal because they are made out of material that can’t be sharpened, there is also another exception. He said that even if you have a trainer and you think because it’s legal, you can carry it around, it better not have a point on it that could be used for puncturing. That is one reason you will notice that at least for California the squid industry flip knives have chopped off points they’re kind of squared or whatever.
I think that’s mainly for California? Because I notice some of the trainers do have curved blades that sweep up to a point. But in California, even though the blade may be a non-sharpened synthetic material if it has a point on it, the police may consider it a weapon because it can be used not for slashing, but it can be used for stabbing.
Something interesting that I noticed immediately when seeing an image of the Greg Thompson design that Grendel posted. Beautiful knife for what it is. But it only took me a second to see the dagger tip on the blade. On the front side of the blade considered the action side it either has a full length plain edge or eight 2/3 plain edge and 1/3 Serrated edge towards the rear. On the backside of the point, the blade appears to be sharp halfway down the back.
In California it is not only illegal to carry a dagger, but it is illegal to carry a knife that has a double edge blade.
I am not sure that I have a level of imagination to conceive that the people that make weapons laws can be any more ignorant then he already are? I personally do not understand just how stupid they can be, and not feel embarrassed when they write some of these laws and conditions about what people can carry and what they can based on what they think is dangerous.
I have no reservations about admitting that I haven’t even looked at the knife laws for the last maybe two years or three… Don’t even remember?
But I certainly will now. For my personal information, if nothing else, and to keep me from possibly getting cited for carrying something that some genius is going to think it’s dangerous.
I hear is the irony of the whole against the law to carry situation. Any law abiding citizen that is genuinely a law biting Citizen is pretty much for bidden to be in possession of anything that they may be able to use to defend themselves against aggression
On the other hand, anybody that means to do you harm can be in possession of anything and everything they may be able to use against you by themselves, or with several of their friends, because they are criminals, they are not limited by what they may possess and use to ruin your day or and your future. Why? Because they are criminals criminals don’t care about laws. Criminals don’t care if they’re not supposed to have a flip knife. If they’re not supposed to have an AK 47 in in the backseat of their hot rod. They don’t care that it’s illegal to have a silencer. That you can’t possess a hand grenade. That you can’t carry around a stick of dynamite with a short fuse. That it’s illegal to carry around a telescoping baton or a cane with a sword in it. Or a blow gun with poison darts. Or a short, fighting sword in a backpack. Or brass knuckles.
Laws are only observed by law, abiding citizens. And many people over the years have died while being law-abiding citizens. And they were killed by repeat offenders that don’t care if there’s 1 million laws outlawing everything including spoons and butter knives.
The governments of Canada and England and Australia have outlawed most private ownership of guns. In all three countries, there has been a dramatic increase in injuries and deaths involving edged weapons. So you take peoples guns away and they just moved to the next convenient and available option…. Knives.
Sorry about the mini rant…. But I’ve been around the block a few times in the last 70+ years.
I have seen so many changes in weapons laws and they just get Dumber.
The laws should focus less on gun and knife control and more about nut control.
No gun ever pulled its own trigger. And knives aren’t dangerous unless the handler has ill intentions.
The Governments of most Countries would be perfectly happy if citizens were only allowed to walk around with their hands in their pockets and possess nothing more dangerous than a plastic butter knife.
The end …
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None of this is true. Daggers may be carried as long as they are in a sheath on your side openly.
Also you may own butterfly in your own home, just don’t go outside. My Benchmade 390 is only single edged so it’s legal everywhere in California except Oakland and San Francisco. There you have to have 3 inches or less. Anyway I’m not a lawyer seek your own answers.
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Last I checked the laws here in Wisco, you can carry any kind of knife you like, and it isn’t considered a weapon unless you use it as such against someone.
Which means that if I’m behaving with my 9-inch double-edged bayonet on my belt, I won’t get in trouble but if you start chasing someone with your grandma’s paring knife you could go to trial for assault with a deadly weapon.
I think those laws make sense, as they place full responsibility on the person in charge of the knife and not on the knife itself. As Doc intimated, no knife ever attacked anyone and no gun ever pulled it’s own trigger.
Our state has a lot of screwed up laws but I’m thankful for the reasonable view of knives at least.
Ivan
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They used to be much more reasonable.
Thankfully a local pd who looked like he was fresh from high school gave me the skinny.
Your experience may vary.
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What about pocket sized folding knives? What about the same knife as a lock blade?
PS. Some cheaply made handguns (even a well known brand was subject to a recall several years ago) have fired themselves when dropped…
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Legal. As long as they fold.
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As usual, good thing I don’t live in California. I was removed from that place when I was 4 and I see no good reason to return.
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To be fair, IIRC those malfunctions had nothing to do with the trigger being pulled. 
But yes, those unintentional discharges were due to human error both in design and by the end user. No modern handgun should go off when dropped from any realistic height.
Ivan
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Still find it weird that even though I am licensed to carry a concealed firearm unrestricted, I still technically can’t carry some pocket sized knives legally because of how they open. Over here in MA laws are pretty strict/odd too.
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I am very pto 2nd Amendment. I just wanted to point out that firearms should be carefully purchased and carefully handled.
Jeff
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Cali knife laws make as much sense as the gun laws or any other laws out here. Guilty until proven innocent.
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Yes and no on that one. Sig failed to put in a proper drop safety the first time around, leading to gravity and inertia being able to pull the trigger. As I am sure this forum would understand a bit better than others, gravity and inertia can get a lot done.
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Arguably one of the best pistols out there. According to the manufacturer, no one has ever been able to replicate the firearm discharging when dropped from any position. There has not been a recall on the firearm however they did make a change to the design to prevent the possibility of it discharging when dropped, and they will do the same for anyone who sends their firearm back to the manufacturer. The firearm is always cocked ( as long as there is a round chambered ). I daily carry this firearm here in Arizona. Sometimes concealed while others it’s open. I do not keep a round chambered. I chamber a round only when and if I have to pull the weapon. Guns don’t kill people, knives don’t kill people. I was born and raised in Southern California and after spending the last 30 years in Arizona I am so glad I came here
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Close Quarters Combat Trainer - Quote
“Rule #1 - Dont get into a knife fight.
Rule #2 - Dont get into a knife fight.
Rule#3 - If you get into a knife fight, you are going to the hospital. Hopefully you live.”
Laws are only effective if followed. As stated, they are NOT. So why disarm the Law Abiding?
I am more of the opinion that a armed society would be a polite society. Of course Natural Selection would weed out the strays in short order.
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