ZrowsN1s wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 4:09 pmLol. California logic: It's not the size of the blade or how fast you can open it, it's the WAY you open a knife that makes it dangerous.
Consider that there is no appreciable difference in the time it takes to open knives by these methods. Dare I say some of the legal methods like waves are even faster than Auto's and Balisongs.
Wave open = safe
Spydie flick = safe
Thumb open a Spyderhole = safe
Thumb open thumb stud = safe
Push a flipper tab = safe
Push open a spring assisted blade = safe
Push a button = DANGER
Swing open a balisong = DANGER
Use Gravity = DANGER
Alas no Illegal Dangerous Smallfly for me, I'll have to carry the Safe Legal Police 4 instead :rolleyes:
I know first hand that Germany declared Balisongs and OTFs illegal not because they think these can be deployed faster than other knives (although probably this is true, at least to a certain extend) but because you cannot see any part of the blade when they're closed, thus a muggle (non-knife person) cannot identify them as knife when they are drawn from a pocket but not yet deployed. I'd say that >95% of the folding knives show the blade's spine. Most people will be able to identify those as knives, for whatever that's good. The <5% of folding knives that are no Balisongs or OTFs that show no blade spine when closed (e.g. Stilettos) are quasi-illegal in Germany too, means if for any reason authorities search your home and find such a knife, you're facing the same charges as for possession of an illegal weapon.
One-handed openers with a locking blade (except Balisongs and OTFs) can be owned/collected but not carried in public.
Automatics are a special case. Those show some blade spine (at least all I know - there may be some that don't, but it does not matter really) are illegal as soon as their blade length is 8,5cm or longer - because automatics in fact are considered "fast deployers" and leave other people next to no time to identify them when drawn from a pocket. An automatic knife that has a blade <8,5cm is equally fast, but because of its size considered as no attack weapon.
I know this because I had a phone call at length with a legal expert from a German authority when I tried to exploit ways to import an Autonomy that was shortened to comply with German laws. I cannot guarantee this, it's just what I was told. Haven't yet had time to type it all down for you. Although this all is true just for Germany, it might be the background for other countries/states etc.