Posted: 7/6/2006 10:21:56 PM EDT
| Anyone researched this one? |
If the powers that be wanted to really get anal about it they could say someone is in violation for carrying a folding knife in his pocket too. |
Then again theyd have to prove their case in court. I doubt theyd win in most cases. What would it accomplish other than making the police look stupid? There must be some criteria used to define 'dangerous weapon'...other than legal precident from litigated cases. One would hope so a any rate. Perhaps this is yet another poorly thought out law? |
| Carried an ASP for years without any problems, several years ago even had to pull it out and extend it to stop a threatning subj who was running from the police, Officers took subj into custody, saw/knew I had an ASP baton on me and never questioned me about it. Don't know if they just gave me a pass or what, I never really thought about it. Still have the ASP. |
|
I looked into it a few years ago, and came to the conclusion that it was legal to own, but not legal to carry concealed as a civilian. as it falls under the dangerous weapon category. It is probably legal to carry in the open, but I did not check into that, as I had no desire to carry it that way. |
|
Enough Time??? One good blow with an ASP and you could kill someone fairly easy. |
| I always carry mine in the open and have been pulled over numerous times. Two times the police noticed it and asked me what it was. I told them and that was it. One time an officer took it into custody and returned it to me after the stop. I have been carrying a pistol for a while now and don't carry an ASP anymore. |
The damn things really hurt when you get whacked with one but you never want to take one to a gun fight! |
|
It would be interesting to learn if this has been addressed by some of the head prosecutors in the state, and under what circumstances. The way the law reads, there seems to be enough there to be arrested on, simply for carrying a baton in the open, say in on a belt in a holster. Then it would be up to a prosecuting attorney to prosecute or not. It is probably not worth being the trial case if it hasn't been addressed before. As with some of the examples given by others, if a person isn't bringing undue alarm, threating anyone with it, and isn't around anyone that feels threatened by it, there might not be any problem with carrying one, say out walking the dog with the wife. But get one officer that sees it as a violation and off you go. After seeing the way the law is written, I know I would not carry one concealed or in the open. I believe it is a sad comentary on our laws when civilians aren't given the opportunity to legally use proven tools such as the use of a baton, for self defense. Where is the logic of being able to legally carry a handgun, but not a baton? |
That is what I was thinking.. You can kill someone with a brick with a good hit too.. but is a brick illegal to carry around? Heck, I know people that carry them around in the back of their trucks so they can park the darn things 
|
|
|
This fuckin' sucks!! A platform for the abuse of power through the implementation of the erroneous technicalities of poorly written law (read: cop with spiteful attitude seizing legally possessed personal property for the sake of some dickless power trip). 'Sorry Your Honor, I forgot that my permit to conceal a pistol doesn't give me the right to endanger the public with my dangerous, evil "pocket knife". I mean, duh!! What if some hoodlum stole it and did a drive-by knifing? I am so glad we have these laws to protect the public.  What we basically have here people, is the power-at-be's resentment for being unable to eliminate our second amendment rights, so they vindictively attack our right to carry anything else.  Damn I hate ignorant liberal trash. 
|
|
"Dangerous Weapons" refers to a separate section of the RCW that is a very specific list. If I were not so lazy, I'd show you. I do not believe it includes ASPs. You need to worry more about "furtive carry". IE, carrying a folding knife clipped to your belt or pocket or belt like everyone else, no big deal. Down the back of your neck on a string, in a hollow compartment in your shoe, or up your sleeve...potentially a different story. |
|
Yeah, same passage, just above... (1) Manufactures, sells, or disposes of or possesses any instrument or weapon of the kind usually known as slung shot, sand club, or metal knuckles, or spring blade knife, or any knife the blade of which is automatically released by a spring mechanism or other mechanical device, or any knife having a blade which opens, or falls, or is ejected into position by the force of gravity, or by an outward, downward, or centrifugal thrust or movement; in it's entirety... Online RCW ETA: The difference being you can own a Dirk, dagger, pistol, etc. You can't even possess stuff on the dangerous weapon list. |
|
Checking in late on this one. I would look at it this way. If Joe Blow is carrying it in his back pocket and not going around robbing people with it, it's legal. If I find some guy walking through my area with one and he's a local strong arm guy, I'm booking him and letting the lawyers argue it inside the 6 walls of their universe. I don't live in the lawyers' world, I just interact with it on occasion. That law is vague so as to allow law abiding citizens to carry the tools they need to work and defend themselves. I stopped a guy while riding his bike through a neighborhood at 02:30. He had the backpack on and a screwdriver and a carpet cutting tool in his back pocket. Now if those tools were hidden I would have to be very careful how I worked the contact so as to be able to get inside his pockets. The fact that he's too stupid to put his car prowl tools in a place that is out of sight is just gravy for me. I look at this white dude riding his bike through a neighborhood, and I can tell by his complexion, hair, and demeanor that he's a crack head. That's not enough to lawfully detain him. Hell, I can tell someone is a crackhead without even opening my eyes. They smell a certain way. A real nasty smell. But for it to be right on paper for the lawyers is one thing. Knowing and proving are two different things. He had not stolen property on him so lucky for him I stopped him at the beginning of his shift. I had to let him go and I even gave him his tools of his trade back. I also took a cuff key away from a convicted felon last week. He was 6-6 and 360 lbs. He tried to get us to shoot him, suicide by cop, by holding a cell phone to his head. It would have worked if it were a little darker in the garage. I had to send him to harborview for a 72 hour mental eval. They booted him to the curb 20 minutes after he got there. He did 5 years for a drug conviction. He said he got popped with 200+ grand in cash and several hundred lbs. of weed. Feds took the case and he got sent up for the full ride. Cried like a baby when he thought he was going back to prison and that's why he wanted to get shot. Dumbass didn't even realize he hadn't broke any laws and we were just going to be standing by while he took his belonging and got out of his girlfiend's, make that former g-friend's, house. He claimed he was a security guard at a local casino. I know enough that he can't be in that job category with his record so casino XXXXX is now going to get looked at by the gambling commision. |