How would we petition to get the knife-laws changed in OK?

[mightymouse]

Personally, I would LOVE to see some changes made! Oklahoma knife laws are way too ambiguous to begin with!
Where in the books does it state that if the blade is longer than the officers palm you're either going to jail or at a minimum risking confiscation? Nowhere, that's where. But I have had more than one local LEO tell me that, believe it or not.

I believe that is a city ordinance here in L-town. Some states make the reasonable asumption that if a person can pass the legal requirements to carry a gun, they can also be trusted with a back-up knife. Oklahoma should follow that lead.

 

[Sumshooter]

Even the most-skilled flippers I know can't open one faster than I can open any of my Spyderco (non-assisted) folders.

Edited to say - are Balisongs prohibited by OK law? I don't read 21-1272 to say so.[/QUOT

They are classified as a switchblade under Federal Law. Then you could be subject to, the second paragraph of the attached Okla law.

United States Code
TITLE 15 - COMMERCE AND TRADE
CHAPTER 29 - MANUFACTURE, TRANSPORTATION, OR DISTRIBUTION OF SWITCHBLADE KNIVES
Section 1241. Definitions

As used in this chapter -
(a) The term ''interstate commerce'' means commerce between any State, Territory, possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia, and any place outside thereof.
(b) The term ''switchblade knife'' means any knife having a blade which opens automatically -
(1) by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle of the knife, or
(2) by operation of inertia, gravity, or both.


Oklahoma
TITLE 21 § 1276 PENALTY FOR 1272 AND 1273
Any person violating the provisions of Section 1272 or 1273 of this title shall, upon a first conviction, be adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor and the party offending shall be punished by a fine of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days or both such fine and imprisonment. On the second and every subsequent violation, the party offending shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not less than thirty (30) days nor more than three (3) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Any person convicted of violating the provisions of Section 1272 or 1273 of this title after having been issued a handgun license pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act shall have the license suspended for a period of six (6) months and shall be liable for an administrative fine of Fifty Dollars ($50.00) upon a hearing and determination by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation that the person is in violation of the provisions of this section.

 

[okiebryan]

Petitions only serve one purpose in Oklahoma when it comes to changing law. If one files a proposed amendment to the Oklahoma constitution, then you have a limited amount of time to obtain a (very large) number of signatures on a petition. If you succeed, your proposal becomes a state question and the public votes on it in an election. If that vote gets a majority, your proposed amendment becomes a part of the constitution.

That would not work for this issue, IMO. Could you imagine the opposition campaigning against this? Oh, and the news media...

What may work is to get a legislator to sponsor a bill, then for you to follow it a lobby for it all the way through the legislative process. Then convince the Governor to sign it. Then you wait for Nov 1 for it to actually go into effect.

 

[mhphoto]

I wish I could carry my OTF with me. I only need knives for a few seconds at a time and it's simply the easiest and quickest form factor for day-to-day use.

 

[tRidiot]

This is something I have been thinking about as well, after OC went into effect. I think we should change the rules for everybody, but certainly for those who have been entrusted with a gun permit. Why not?

Personally, I don't care about auto-folders or OTF knives, but I would like the restrictions on daggers and dirks removed. It's all part of the package, if you ask me, and having archaic and ambiguous laws about knives is just plain silly. I'd be more than happy to lend my support in email ling legislators just as we did for OC!

 

[AKguy1985]

I'd sign a peition.

 

[Skiluvr03]

Am I reading this wrong, because to me, it looks like any of your basic gerber folding knives are alright; they aren't spring loaded. If so, why are LEO's telling me that no knife over 6 inches, or the size of a dollar bill is legal? I agree, the laws need to change and we need to all get together and sign a petition or call or legislators on this issue.

 

[ez bake]

Petitions only serve one purpose in Oklahoma when it comes to changing law. If one files a proposed amendment to the Oklahoma constitution, then you have a limited amount of time to obtain a (very large) number of signatures on a petition. If you succeed, your proposal becomes a state question and the public votes on it in an election. If that vote gets a majority, your proposed amendment becomes a part of the constitution.

That would not work for this issue, IMO. Could you imagine the opposition campaigning against this? Oh, and the news media...

What may work is to get a legislator to sponsor a bill, then for you to follow it a lobby for it all the way through the legislative process. Then convince the Governor to sign it. Then you wait for Nov 1 for it to actually go into effect.

This sounds like the way to go. Do we know of any legislators in OK that are pro guns/knives/common-sense laws?

 

[ez bake]

Am I reading this wrong, because to me, it looks like any of your basic gerber folding knives are alright; they aren't spring loaded. If so, why are LEO's telling me that no knife over 6 inches, or the size of a dollar bill is legal? I agree, the laws need to change and we need to all get together and sign a petition or call or legislators on this issue.

Those would be city ordinances. We're talking about state laws in this particular thread, but that doesn't trump local city ordinances.

 

[Skiluvr03]

Those would be city ordinances. We're talking about state laws in this particular thread, but that doesn't trump local city ordinances.

Thanks, I will Google and see if my City Ordinances are on-line or available somewhere; I would like to know exactly what the law is. You know what they say, ignorance of the law is no excuse, lol.