Are spring-assisted knives illegal in Canada?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “spring loaded retractable knife“
About Faith
Written by: Faith
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Are spring-assisted knives illegal in Canada?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “spring loaded retractable knife“
About Faith
Spring assist knives are not illegal.
In fact, I bought one on Monday at Cabelas. A Benchmade Barrage with the Axis Assist. See the thumb stud with no blade protrusion? That makes it legal
See, here it is, no rollers stopping me to confiscate it.
If it has a blade protrusion, that makes it illegal even with a thumb stud. Thumb stud + spring assist is legal.
Thumb stud + blade protrusion + spring assist = Illegal
Full auto-openers like switchblades are illegal.
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Generally – No. They are not illegal . (Underline generally there)
“Spring assisted” isn’t the same as a knife that opens buy the push of a button (switchblade) or a gravity-assisted knife ( butterfly or bali-song ). The Criminal Code says this:
prohibited weapon means:
a knife that has a blade that opens automatically by gravity or centrifugal force or by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife.
Generally you do not push a button or spring to open a spring-assisted knife. On most spring-asssisted knives you touch (pull) the blade and the spring “takes over” the opening. There are several retailers in Canada that sell spring-assisted knives. Here’s an example of Vancouver BC seller.
There are certain spring assisted knives that, because of their design are illegal in Canada. The Schrade SCHOTF3B for example was deemed illegal in Canada because it was designed so the opening of the blade was initiated by a lever attached to the handle. Refer to other device in the above description.
So…in closing.. to say all spring-assisted knives are illegal in Canada isn’t quite correct, however to say they are all legal isn’t correct either. Some knives marketed as spring-assist may not comply with Canadian law depending on the mechanism that initiates opening of the blade. Regardless, be forewarned that if you try and import one from another country, CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency aka Customs) may or may not let it through as they seem to have more leeway interpreting the law. If you want to buy one then look for a Canadian retailer that’s (presumably) been through all the “red tape” in advance.
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Yes. But there are a few grey areas. I happen to carry a manual opener every day. But i can almost guarantee it will open as fast as a “switch blade”
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Not simply by the presence of a spring.
“Prohibited knives: Any knife that has a blade that opens automatically by gravity, by centrifugal force, or by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife (butterfly knives, switchblades, etc.) is a prohibited item and is considered an illegal item under the Criminal Code of Canada.”
The knife below has a button in the handle: illegal.
The knife below has a stud on the blade, but can’t be opened ‘by gravity’. Legal.
Note: Because of the proliferation of blade opening systems, customs agents have reportedly begun to grasp the blade spine and attempt to flip the knife open, rendering it a ‘gravity assisted’ blade. This has lead to some confusion about when a blade becomes barred from import, as the very same knife which is stopped at the border might not be subjected to the same test when imported commercially and sold in retail stores inside Canada.
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Update: I missed the distinction made by the use of the term spring- assisted — see John Corey ’s answer for more clarification on this. My answer below probably does not specifically apply in this case, however I will leave it here for general reference.
Yes. From the Criminal Code of Canada Section III, para 84(1):
prohibited weapon means
(a) a knife that has a blade that opens automatically by gravity or centrifugal force or by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife, or
(b) any weapon, other than a firearm, that is prescribed to be a prohibited weapon; (arme prohibée)
So that one is spelled out right in the Criminal Code. However, the provision in para (b) actually leads to a regulation that prescribes a whole bunch of additional specifics on prohibited weapons:
Regulations Prescribing Certain Firearms and Other Weapons, Components and Parts of Weapons, Accessories, Cartridge Magazines, Ammunition and Projectiles as Prohibited, Restricted or Non-Restricted
This regulation, among a whole lot of other things, also classifies knives meeting the following descriptions as prohibited weapons:
9 Any knife commonly known as a “push-dagger” that is designed in such a fashion that the handle is placed perpendicular to the main cutting edge of the blade and any other similar device other than the aboriginal “ulu” knife.
10 Any device having a length of less than 30 cm and resembling an innocuous object but designed to conceal a knife or blade, including the device commonly known as the “knife-comb”, being a comb with the handle of the comb forming a handle for the knife, and any similar device.
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