Benchmade illegal...

[christophera]

...in Oregon? I was going through the concealed weapons laws on oregon.gov and came across a law saying that any knife that opens with centrifugal force is classified as a weapon and is hence illegal to carry in the state of Oregon. Now this law was intended for butterfly knives and the like but couldn't it also be applied to a Benchmade with the Axis locking system? I mean all you have to do is press the button and whip it open. Food for thought.

 

[clubsoda22]

Anyone who's taken basic physics knows what's wrong with that law...if it banned knives that open through centripetal force, now that would be something.

A good lawyer could make it work.

 

[christophera]

My physics teacher in high school said that but when I went to college, there is such a thing as centrifugal force.

 

[KingRuger]

there is such things as both.

centrifugal spins towards the outside.

centripital is going inside

 

[telomerase]

There's no such thing as centrifugal force

It's really angular inertia. (But I still don't stand in the ultracentrifuge room while it's on maximum speed.)

Sounds like this law could put finally put away those vicious Swiss Army knife carriers, in the hands of sufficiently sheepified juries. Then we'll all be very very safe (until something mechanical needs fixing...)

 

[christophera]

Then someone needs to tell the professors at Oregon State and the writer of the text book they use.

Kingruger is right, it's the reactionary force to the centripital force. Equal and opposite and all that.

 

[tyme]

The distinction between centrifugal and centripetal force, and whether either force exists, won't matter in court. It's mostly semantics anyway. People who know physics know how to deal with angular acceleration regardless of what anyone says those two terms mean.

Since courts (judges and juries) tend to have no clue about physics, explaining to them that all folding knives open with centripetal acceleration (resulting from torque) will be lost on them. The standard that seems to be used is this: If an officer (or expert witness) can flick it open, "centrifugal force" opened the knife. If an officer can't flick it open, centrifugal force can't open the knife. As soon as any witness manages to flick open a knife, the court will probably decide that the knife was opened by centripetal acceleration unless they can find a countervailing procedural or legal reason not to.

I wish named forces were only given to the fundamental forces. What's the use of having names for other forces, particularly ones so disputed as "centrifugal force" and "centripetal force"? I'm surprised there aren't names for forces that allow me to move around and push things and pick things up and throw them.

Like physics books. At idiotic members of legislatures. I can always hope that a page or two would stick.

 

[telomerase]

The standard that seems to be used is this: If an officer (or expert witness) can flick it open, "centrifugal force" opened the knife.

Right... so all they have to do is put some good lube on the Swiss nail file, and give it a good snap.

Of course here in Texas "clubs" are illegal, so any carried object whatsoever is a misdemeanor. So is any knife, no matter how short, with even a tiny part of both edges sharpened.

The only solution is not to appear to belong to any ethnic group that any other Texan dislikes... but wearing the parka and mukluks can be dangerous in the Dallas heat.

 

[ksnecktieman]

The city ordinance in my home town interprets a "switch blade" for legal purposes, as "Any knife designed to be opened with one hand."

 

[KingRuger]

but what about the single knobs on knives? in order to use one hand.
that is a really idiotic law.

and what about amputees? how can they manage?

some laws really suck:banghead:

 

[Shag]

I thought automatic knives were legal in Oregon, but knives that you can "flick" open are not. Or am I mistaken on the auto's?

 

[tyme]

Shag, they're both legal. They are only illegal to carry concealed.

I think Oregon still has a weird provision that requires all crimes to have a mens rea component (outlawing strict liability crimes). If so, it might be possible for someone to weasle out of a conviction for concealed carry by claiming they didn't think of the knife as a weapon, or that they were not trying to conceal the knife.

 

[Slimjim]

King: The switchblade laws make exceptions for amputee's. If your a one armed man, you can buy all the automatic knives you want.

 

[KingRuger]

at least they thought it that much through.

 

[christophera]

The law refers to concealed carry on your person. I know a couple of stores that openly sell butterfly knives. There is a note in there that exempts pocket knives. The problem is that there is some vagueness about the difference between a pocket knife and a knife designed to be a weapon. This is what tyme was touching on.

 

[Don Gwinn]

See my signature for official Illinois policy on this subject.

 

[G21dude]

GA Laws

Not much help to your specific question, but interestingly enough, here is the Georgia law...

16-11-126.
(a) A person commits the offense of carrying a concealed weapon when such person knowingly has or carries about his or her person, unless in an open manner and fully exposed to view, any bludgeon, metal knuckles, firearm, knife designed for the purpose of offense and defense, or any other dangerous or deadly weapon or instrument of like character outside of his or her home or place of business, except as permitted under this Code section.

You catch that? "knife designed for the purpose of offense and defense" -- any reasonable tactical folder is going to be interpreted that way. I wonder if "in my pocket with the clip exposed" would be considered "in an open manner and fully exposed to view?"

 

[hso]

If you have to release the axis to flip it open then you're off the hook. If you've removed the detent so that it flips open "easily" you're on the hook.