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Knife Carry Laws
After reading a few discussions on the subject of knife carry laws in different locales, I figured I should check the law in Oregon, where I live. Turns out, I was under the mistaken impression that it was legal to carry a gravity knife, centrifugal knife, switchblade or automatic knife in your pocket here in Oregon. It may have been legal at some time in the past, but now Oregon law prohibits the concealed carry of these knives, so carrying them in your pocket is illegal. Now, it only appears to be legal to carry one of these knives on a belt clip or in a belt holster. Actually, I guess even a belt holster may be illegal if the knife is totally concealed by the holster, but I've carried my automatic knives in a totally enclosed belt holster for several years without incident. If anyone can clarify for me whether carrying a knife totally enclosed in a belt holster is concidered a concealed carry or not, based on one or more actual court decisions, I would appreciate hearing about it. (Let's assume the knife carrier doesn't have a permit or specific legal authorization.)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jake on
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I really don't know if it would be considered enclosed or not, but I wouldn't be leaving it up to chance. In VA I think it's a felony to carry a concealed weapon and having a felony on you record takes away TONS of rights. If you over 21 just get your Concealed Carry Licence. There is a handgun course but it's easy(or so I'm told). It will free you of any carry laws in your state. Note 95% is from what I know about VA. Double check all this info to be sure it applies it your state also, as I am not a legal expert. Here is a link talking about Oregon
CCP(Concealed Carry Permits).
http://licenseinfo.oregon.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=license_seng&... -
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Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on
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Thanks for your comment and the weblink. It's interesting that even the kind of concealed weapon license a person has can make a difference. The Washington County (Oregon) Sheriff's office issues a "Concealed Handgun License", not a "Concealed Carry License", which probably should not be construed as a license to carry a concealed knife. The link you provided observes that a handgun openly carried in a belt holser is not a concealed carry. Even this may not be correct, though, if the holster has a weather flap that encloses the handgun almost totally. I mean, it's obviously a handgun in that holster, out where everybody can see that you're carrying one, so is it concealed or not? For example, I have a "Michaels of Oregon" hunting holster with a large weather flap that completely covers my Ruger Redhawk with a scope mounted on it. Who knows whether it's legal to wear it anywhere but in the bush? I sure don't. I do have a Concealed Handgun Permit that makes it legal in Washington County, so no worries for me, at least within Washington County, but I wish there were a statewide concealed carry license, because there's no reciprocity between counties in Oregon.
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I don't know about that. I know in VA at least the butt of the handle must be clearly visible. At least that's what I recall. Also things designed to deceive an onlooker. Such as a cane gun or umbrella sword. I image that have a weather flap would be based on other cases.
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I agree. Unfortunately, the details of concealed carry law are often established by case law. As I understand it, case law is established only when some unfortunate gun carrier is cited for illegal concealed weapon carry and fights it in court. Makes it pretty hard to keep up with gun law.
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