Measuring Blade Length

[Wolfebyte]

I've searched the threads and found the blade lengths for almost every state.. I've Googled... to no avail..

is there a proper way of measuring blade length?

Knife in question:
Benchmade "Rukus" 610

specs from web site:

Blade Length: 4.25"
Blade Thickness: 0.150"
Overall Length: 10.12"
Closed Length: 5.95"

so.. measuring the belly of the blade, we get the 4.25" ... measuring from the tip to the hilt (body of the knife) we get 4 3/8" .. evidently short enough for Texas 5.50" limitations..

BUT.. upon checking with the local county attorney's office, they claim that the blade length is the full length of the steel that makes up the blade... including the remainder of the blade blank that is inside the knife when the blade is extended..

 

[hso]

I've never heard of the tang of the blade being included for blade length. I doubt that it would hold up in court considering everyone uses the exposed blade portion and then argues edge vs. tip to bolster vs. tip to ricasso.

 

[Wolfebyte]

Thanks.. that's what I figured as well.. in fact, that's how we always measured them in the field...

basically making sure nothing had changed, sounds like our County Attorney is out to create their own definitions of the Texas law..

 

[auschip]

TX law says anything greater then 5.5 inches is an illegal knife (but doesn't mention where to measure).

Case law says they measure from the handle to the tip:

TRACY CORLEY, Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
No. 05-97-01603-CR

http://tx.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.\TX\1998\19980929_30353.TX.htm/qx

 

[Mike U.]

Blade length should be measured from tip to ricasso.
That's really the common sense way to do it.
But, if your dealing with a .gov entity, common sense usually is not applicable, soooo...

 

[Wolfebyte]

got a note in email this morning:

From a xxxxx (town removed) Police Officer, “ blade 5 and ½ inches, this includes the part of the blade which goes into the handle not just the cutting edge”

things have changed since I went to the academy...

 

[Beelzy]

Well that would depend on the State and City.

In California, the blade is measured from the tip the the point where it hits the handle.
That method is used for determining legal blade length on Switch blade knives.

 

[auschip]

From a xxxxx (town removed) Police Officer, “ blade 5 and ½ inches, this includes the part of the blade which goes into the handle not just the cutting edge”

things have changed since I went to the academy...

I guess that goes to the old saying "You might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride."

 

[glistam]

I guess that goes to the old saying "You might beat the rap, but you won't beat the ride."

Never been particularly fond of that concept. But it is very true, police officers are sometimes very poor sources of interpretation for knife laws. We've had a handful of cases over here in MD where people get arrested for technically legal knives, only to have the charge thrown out by the SA or the Judge. Though don't forget one can get the last laugh under 42 USC 1983.

 

[hso]

Sounds stupid and should be brought to the attention of ATKI and KnifeRights.

 

[Aka Zero]

What about a full tang knife? Blade goes all the way to the bottom of the handle.

Seems like a stupid idea to me.

 

[glistam]

What about a full tang knife? Blade goes all the way to the bottom of the handle.

Seems like a stupid idea to me.

Like auschip said, it's already established in case law that this isn't how it's measured. It's tip to handle. Case law trumps cop.

 

[Mike U.]

What a waste of tax dollars to arrest someone for such a ridiculous thing.

I wonder how many wrongfully charged people were able to successfully file and win a lawsuit?

 

[Speedo66]

I've sen a question of length as to just sharpened portion, as opposed to total length of blade, tip to handle.

But inside the handle? Never.

 

[sheepdog]

tip to handle...

...was the way we did it in La....forty years ago...never inside or the tang...