I have been carrying my switchblade knives since I got back from Germany in April of 2002, & while I know it's illegal, it's my one act of defiance towards the government. It really gauls me that I can carry a rifle,shotgun,pistol,or belt knife in the open, or get a ccp for a firearm, but I can't legally carry a spring operated knife legally. I no there a consequences that would be really painful to bear if I get caught, such as not being able to get a ccp in Texas, just to name 1. Ouch!! But I'm pretty careful, & the chances of getting caught are minimal, so I have, & will continue to risk carrying them. I think they are just to darn cool![8D]
Anyway, in my new job I have to go into the county jail to get people out, & there is a sign on the 1st door that says no weapons beyond this point, so each night when I get to work I take my watch, & knife off & put them in my desk drawer so I don't forget ,& bring it with me.
Last week when I got to work I was so busy right when I walked through the door that I didn't have time to do my normal routine, & ended up going to get someone out. As I stepped through the 1st door as it unlocked, & waited for the 2nd to begin to open, I put my hand to the side of my front pocket, & it suddenly dawned on me that I could feel the pocket clip of my knife. Panic began to grip me, because I know they have cameras at every angle so I tried to just raise it up enough to let it fall into my pocket where hopefully it would not be as obviously spotted by any of the jailers. then I put my wad of keys in my pocket to help disguise the long flat lump in my pocket, just to avoid getting my arse into a major jam. I got my bond & headed quickly for the doors, & my escape. I got to the 2nd door & stood there waiting, & nothing happened. I was really panicked inside, & just wanted to get the sam hill gone from there, & deposit my knife into my desk drawer for the night. when it became apparent no one was going to open the second door I headed back to the desk to ask if there was something I needed to do to get out, & I was seriously hoping they wouldn't say Yes,...empty your pockets please, we saw a strange movement on you entrance on our cameras.
Instead they said just to go back & wait a few seconds, & if it wasn't opened just press the red button, & it would be.
Let me tell you, I dang sure won't do that mistake again. I tell ya what, don't ask me to go criming witch ya's cause I couldn't handle the pressure of trying to look innocent if I wasn't!

If he chopped my head off, I probably would crap my pants, wouldn't you? By the way who is NSF Jojo?

[lolabove]I'll be looking over my shoulder for him from now on, I didn't relize he was onto my napkin collecting scam!

Oh by the way, it was on the news last week that they found a regular knife in on of the jail cells in Bryan last week, & it caused quite an uproar! It wasn't a shank, but a regular knife.[rolleyes] I would probably have been the scapegoat if I had been caught.

Wouldn't that be a felony conviction? Doesn't a felony conviction mean you can't own firearms period?

The rest of your story indicates how minimal the risk of discovery really is.

Good luck to you.

Dude, those ninjas sure are sweet.

After the door closes:

Inmate 1: "What do you do on the outside?"

Newbie: "I'm a bailbondsman."

Inmate 1: "So..... Who ya gonna call?"

[rofl]

If your carrying the switchblade is in fact your own little concientious act of civil disobedience against dumb laws, you need to remember the basic tenet of civil disobedience, you are willing to take the consequences of your actions as sign of your discontent.  

As you note, the consequences of this act are way out of the realm of consideration - felony conviction, loss of CCW, gun ownership, etc etc.  Maybe you need to find a better way to protest, like a bumper sticker.  Ditch the switchblade, carry an easyopen folder of some kind if you really got to carry.  You got your one pass take advantage of it.  Lot's of guys forget they normally carry a knife so a folder showing up at a jail is not uncommon.  Not smart but not uncommon.  You also aren't one of the types that might normally be considered a threat to smuggle in contraband.

Learn your lesson and don't blow it again.

PaDanby is right ,if you get caught carrying a concealed weapon (the auto knife) you are gonna pull a felony and loose your right to own a firearm for the rest of your life.
Does this sound like it's worth it?
This sounds like you just want to defy a stupid law and that's gonna get you in more trouble then you can imagine.

You got lucky ONCE.
Time for a new game!
Good for you and good luck.

I guess we'll call this a reprieve and learn from experience!

Actually, you had THREE potential legal problems there.

1) Unlawful Carry of a Weapon. Class A Misdemeanor. Yes it is stupid that you can get a CHL and carry a pistol, but not certain knives or an ASP, but it is the law.

2) A Felony 3 charge for bringing a weapon into a secured correctional Institute, which almost always includes County Jails. They usually run a "sterile" environment and allow no weapons, lest one fall into the hands of an inmate. Whether you agree with it or not, it is the law.

3) Possession of a Prohibited Weapon. Stupid or not, check PC 46.05, you know, the one with machineguns, bombs (explosive weapons) and so on, and guess what you find? Switchblades and (brass) Knuckles, though it is only a Class A misdemeanor and not a felony to have switchblades and knuckles. They are illegal, period, in Texas, because MGs, silencers and the like are legal, but only pursuant to NFA registration, and ther is no National Switchblade Act.

You could also face loss of your ability to act as a bail agent or bondsman in Texas; if memory serves, your state licensing agency can and will revoke your license for conviction of serious crimes, and Class A Misdemeanors probably fit the bill, and Felonies definitely do. Not to mention permanent loss of RKBA if you get a Felony conviction.

Do yourself a favor and lose the switchblade, ASAP. Buy a good legal lockblade, and leave it in the car when you go the jail to bond someone out.

AH - Balls to all that!  Just be more careful next time.  

Search, you're smarter than this.  Your family is counting on you.

Lose the knife.

Ditto. That was pretty boneheaded Searcher. You'd not only lose your 2nd Amendment rights, but you'd likely lose your insurance license (at least that would be the case here in Ohio).

Lose the knife, and if you need an assisted opener get yourself a Kershaw Whirlwind or Blackout.  You can get them at Academy and they're perfectly legal by Texas law.  They're strong enough to be a real working knife, and cheap enough that they're not hard to replace if you break one.

And this illustrates the real reason why we as gun owners have to be very careful in which acts of civil disobedience we're willing to participate in.  One misstep and you've just lost your RKBA.  The deck is stacked against us already, so don't go doing anything to make it easier for them, ok?

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Ahhhh! You can legaly carry one of those here in Fl. You need a CCW to carry it concealed.

AH Switchblades..

Here is a few that I own.
[img]http://users.xpressamerica.net/~bishop/images/sblade.jpg[/img]

I carried the stag handle for several years from my last year in High school till the last year of the Air Force-- About 6 years.

The large one is 17 1/2" open and is made in Germany.


BISHOP

The 2 best ones I have are the 2 that were advertised here on ARFcom a short while back as a group by. I paid about double what they were offered for here in Germany, darn crouts! & I hate to think I will never get any real use from them, but I really see the wisdom of loosing my swithcies in favor of a legal quick opener.[:(] I hate it when I'm wrong, but I guess I really already knew it before I said it. I just didn't realize It might cost me my RKBA, or even loose my new & much needed livelihood. In that light it's truly not even close to worth it. Thanks for the light shedding men. I'll take your advice, & loose them into my dresser drawer.

ummmm...Believe it or not, there actually is a US Law on switchblades. It's a Customs law and it says you can import (bring over the border) ONE automatic knife [b]IF[/b] you have only [b]ONE[/b] arm....I kid you not...