hso,
Regarding Ken Onion's Speed-Safe mechanism.
I realize that Kershaw's lawyers think they are legal or they would not be selling them. I bought it at a local Gander Mountain, and their lawyers must think they are legal as well. I think they are legal. They are legal. But it is what the prosecuting district attorney and ultimately the judge thinks that I am worried about. Who needs the hastle.
If you stick somebody with one of those things, or any other knife for that matter, no matter how justified you might be in a self-defense situation, you will go to court. Flicking that little knife open in an eye blink and sharp click is going to raise some eyebrows and perk some ears in the halls of justice.
And say you are just out for the evening, and have the misfortune of getting arrested for something, like say a DUI, and you have that little Onion automatic on you. I wonder what the LEO would think about it? He would probably keep it, but maybe not. Maybe he would slap another charge on you, possesion of a deadly weapon, and let the district attorney and the judge decide.
No, I love collecting and playing with the latest trend in "assisted opening" knives, but they are automatic knives in my opinion and I won't carry it. In my restricted state, we can't even own a switch blade, let alone buy or carry one. Here is an excerpt from my state's criminal code describing this kind of knife:
"or any knife, commonly referred to as a switchblade knife, which has a blade that opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in the handle of the knife"
Typical legalize written in such a way that leaves it up to the judge.
