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Maine legalizing switchblades for one-armed people

Maine lawmakers on Wednesday approved legalizing switchblades for people with one arm, moving close to becoming the first state to make such an exception to laws that ban use of the spring-action knives.

Backers of the measure say legalizing switchblades would eliminate a need for one-armed people to be forced to open folding knives with their teeth in emergencies.

The bill to allow amputees and other one-armed people to carry the quick-opening knives cleared Maine's Senate on Wednesday after passing the House on Tuesday, Senate officials said.

Until now, Maine banned the use of switchblades by anyone.

In most states, carrying switchblades is illegal in most circumstances, though owning the knives may be allowed in some states.

Federal law allows their use by a person with one arm only on federal property if the blade is shorter than three inches.

The Maine bill requires that the knives have a blade that is three inches or shorter.

Gov. Paul LePage is expected to sign the measure into law in the next couple of days, said spokeswoman Adrienne Bennett.

Tags: knife, law, maine, switchblades

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 23, 2011 at 17:31

Good for Maine. I hope other states see that this is a law that should be in place to assist persons with that challenge in opening a traditional knife

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on June 23, 2011 at 18:33

I think switchblade knives should be legal everywhere. What difference does it make how fast a person opens a knife. It's what a person does with a knife that matters.

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Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on August 16, 2011 at 2:56

Maine lawmakers on Wednesday approved legalizing switchblades for people with one arm, moving close to becoming the first state to make such an exception to laws that ban use of the spring-action knives.

Sorry, but there are other states who have had this as well as possession laws for years.

Fourteen states to one degree or the other allow the carry of switchblade knives:

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Check the following links:

Switchblade Laws

Worldwide Switchblade Laws bottom of page

Knifelaws online

Bernard Levine's State by State Knife Laws

Knife Rights -- Join Them

AKTI - American Knife and Tool -- Support Them

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on August 17, 2011 at 16:23

Interesting links, thanks for posting those. There seems to be a distinction in some cases made between owning and carrying switchblades. Then quite another thing altogether when you get into"using" them.

Shlomo ben Maved said:

Maine lawmakers on Wednesday approved legalizing switchblades for people with one arm, moving close to becoming the first state to make such an exception to laws that ban use of the spring-action knives.

Sorry, but there are other states who have had this as well as possession laws for years.

Fourteen states to one degree or the other allow the carry of switchblade knives:

Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Check the following links:

Switchblade Laws

Worldwide Switchblade Laws bottom of page

Knifelaws online

Bernard Levine's State by State Knife Laws

Knife Rights -- Join Them

AKTI - American Knife and Tool -- Support Them