GT Knives

Why is an assisted opening Knife legal but switchblades are not?

Whats the difference?

The exact legal definition of a switchblade varies by state, but technically (at the federal level and from a knife collector point of view) a “switchblade” is activated by an actual SWITCH or other little lever mechanism that releases the blade, allowing it to be propelled into position by a spring.

Spring Assisted do not have a switch, and require you to touch and deliberately MOVE the blade with your finger to get the blade to open. The spring simply completes this motion. The Spring Assisted Knife is a somewhat recent innovation and they were more or less intended to exploit the loophole in common switch blade definitions. I think their original purpose for being invented was for people with disabilities (like having one arm, missing fingers or nerve damage).

Most states have not bothered updating their switchblade law to cover spring assisted because the ban on switchblades was a stupid and rather neurotic “knee-jerk” reaction back in the 1950s. Switchblades are no more dangerous than any Kitchen Knife or fixed blade (on account that fixed blades open faster because they’re always open!), but the public associated them with criminals because of movies and TV.

Automatic Vs. Assisted Opening Knife

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