Kershaw Leek

Spring-assisted knives: Home Office guidance says knives that open manually (e.g. thumb stud) are not flick knives, and neither are ones that only partly open the blade. A blade that a spring drives fully open could be caught. No case law found.

Spring-assisted knives: Art 53 in force in NI uses the old definition (mechanism in or attached to the handle). The wider 2019 definition is not yet commenced in NI. Guidance and case law are from England. Treat as needing a good reason.

The flick-knife definition covers a blade that 'opens when hand pressure is applied to a button, spring, lever or other device'. A spring-assisted knife may fall inside; no Irish case or Garda guidance found.

Spring-assisted knives: UK Home Office guidance (written for England & Wales) says manually opened knives and partly-opening ones are not flick knives, but a spring that drives the blade fully open may be caught. No Scottish authority found.

BMI counts folders with 'besonderen Vorrichtungen zum Ausspringen' as weapons. Whether spring-assisted flipper knives count was not found in any source we read.

No national offence for carrying a knife in public was found. The Interior Ministry spokesman says legislation does not limit carrying knives in public spaces. Premises owners and carriers set their own rules.

Any other knife, including Opinel, Laguiole and Swiss-style knives: the government calls them category D (June 2025) or weapons 'by destination' (Feb 2025). Carrying needs a legitimate reason judged case by case; self-defence is not one.

Spring-assisted openers: opening from a button/lever alone makes it a banned Springmesser; a flipper/stud model with a lock is at least an Einhandmesser (restricted). We found no official ruling on assisted openers.

Spring-assisted folders of 5 cm or more may be 'a scatto' (art. 4-bis, banned outright) or fall under art. 4 comma 8 (justified reason possible). The official annotation also mentions one-hand openers inconsistently. High risk.

Spring-assisted folders are not named. The 'valmes' definition covers blades pushed straight out by a release mechanism; Justis says 'with or without spring'. Whether assisted openers count is not settled in sources found. Avoid.

Police state that having a knife in a pocket or on a belt is not an offence under art. 50a. It becomes one if circumstances indicate intent to commit a crime, for example brandishing it. Mass events, schools and private venues have separate rules.

The statute does not say whether ordinary pocket knives are 'cold weapons'. Readings differ and no authoritative interpretation or case law was found. The exceptions (sport, hunting, fishing, work) may help but are untested.

Spring-assisted, flick and butterfly knives are not named in the Reglamento. Whether they count as 'automáticas' or 'puñales' is not settled in sources read; some lawyers say prohibited. Treat as high risk.

fedpol treats spring-assisted openers as automatic (citing BGer 6B_660/2018) when blade is over 5 cm and open length over 12 cm: same ban on acquiring/importing and permit-to-carry as switchblades. Check the open length yourself.

Locking folder is a dirk only when open and locked. Carried closed it is not; concealed open-and-locked is an offence. K-12 schools ban any locking folder and blades over 2.5 in.

The statute covers blades opening 'by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device'. CBSA calls opening 'automatic' only if the blade deploys rapidly and inevitably to locked; spring-assisted knives are untested. Treat as at risk of seizure.

Folder with blade 4 in or less is a common pocketknife per the Florida Supreme Court (3¾-in blade); not a 'weapon'. The court declined to set 4 in as a bright line.

Statute covers a blade that 'opens automatically' by pressure on a button, spring or other device in the handle. Whether spring-assisted flippers fit is not settled by anything we found.

Canjura invalidated the carry ban for switchblades; the defendant's spring-assisted knife was treated as a switchblade. Double-edged and fixed-dagger rules still apply. Local rules not checked.

Switchblade is defined as opening 'automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in the handle'. Thumb-stud or flipper assisted knives are arguably outside that, but no authority found either way; 'dangerous knife' catch-all still applies.

State 'opens automatically' definition may or may not cover spring-assist; not verified. City open-view rule applies as well.

Definition requires a blade that 'opens automatically'. Whether spring-assisted knives qualify depends on the mechanism and police/court view; We did not verify case law. Treat with caution.

Since Act 119 of 2022 the offensive-weapons definition no longer lists knives, so no statewide opening-type ban. Carrying with intent to use criminally (s.907) and brandishing remain offences. Philadelphia and school/court rules still apply.

No specific restriction found on switchblades, assisted openers or balisongs of 5.5 in or less; none is listed as a prohibited weapon in section 46.05.

Spring-assisted knives needing hand pressure on the blade to overcome closure bias are excluded from the federal switchblade ban since 2009. Federal-facility limits still apply.

A knife with a bias toward closure that needs hand, wrist or arm force to overcome it is expressly not a spring blade knife. A spring that opens the blade by itself without exertion would count as prohibited.

Switchblade is undefined, so assisted openers may or may not be covered. AKTI says assisted opening may suggest a weapon rather than a tool, making them 'dangerous weapons'; avoid them.

Federal import rules expressly name 'assisted opening knives'; state definitions differ (NSW 'any pressure ... spring', Vic requires a concealed folded blade, WA requires injury intent). No clear national answer; treat as high risk.

The flick-knife definition covers blades opening 'by any pressure applied to a button, spring or device'. Whether a spring-assisted flipper is caught is untested; if not, it is an ordinary knife needing an excuse (s.93IB).

Any knife, including folders, fixed blades and multitools with a blade, in a public place needs a reasonable excuse (s.13A, s.202A). No blade-length exemption. Work, trade, fishing, camping or religious (kirpan) use can qualify; self-defence does not.

Category M para (b) catches a knife 'so designed or constructed ... to be used as a weapon' with the blade releasable by the holding hand; assisted openers are not named. Likely an ordinary knife needing a reasonable excuse, but untested.

The regulation defining 'flick knife' was not read; whether spring-assisted knives are caught is unknown. If not, they are ordinary knives needing a lawful excuse.

A spring-assisted knife is a flick knife only if designed so the blade is concealed in the handle and opens by spring pressure; a visible-blade assisted flipper may be a normal controlled weapon. No case found; high risk.

A knife (or blade, axe, machete) anywhere in WA needs a lawful excuse: lawful work/duty/activity, sport/recreation/entertainment, or collection/display. Self-defence is excluded and you must prove the excuse. Round-tipped dull and plastic/wooden eating knives are excluded. Even with excuse, carrying that scares people is an offence.