I was alarmed to discover recently that it is apparently a felony to carry my Leatherman Wave in my backpack if I'm picking up my kid from elementary school.<br><br>I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, etc., etc., but a straightforward reading of California Penal Code 626.10 yields the following:<br><br>On school grounds (K-12):<br>No locking folding knifes of ANY length.<br>No knife blade longer than 2 1/2 inches.<br><br>The Leatherman loses on both counts.<br><br>There are the obvious exceptions - if you are on school grounds and you have a tool because of your employment, for example you are an electrician and you're there to fix something it's OK, but "I just like to be prepared in case there's an earthquake" doesn't qualify.<br><br>For me, much of the value of pocket Leatherman-style tools is in the pliers, file, screwdrivers all in one handy package. I've already sent email to Leatherman's product suggestion address <mailto:mktg@leatherman.com> saying I thought there might be a market for a pocket tool that could be carried anywhere (airplanes, etc.) that didn't have any blades. I'd buy one.<br><br>Has anyone found an "airplane-approved" multi-tool that can be carried anywhere?

With all due respect to the various legal professionals that keep posting warnings here about the (admittedly) dire legal implications of our trying to take care of ourselves, this is a very fundamental conflict. Government “needs” to be “needed” to justify everything they want to do (“for your own sake”, of course), so any attempt at independence or self-sufficiency is by it’s very nature a threat to government authority. Even obeying the law itself is at best a hit-and-miss approach to staying out of trouble with the law, it’s no guarantee. As you’ve found out, you have to stay informed on the laws constantly just to see if you suddenly became a felon today, or might be one tomorrow… and often, not even the professionals who devote their whole careers to it can tell you with any certainty what’s legal and what’s not. You’ll get nailed if they want to nail you.<br><br>Specific to this subject at hand, having ANY legitimate excuse to carry a sharp implement might create a problem for them. You dying because you don’t have one does NOT create a problem for them. So, why can’t you be a good citizen and just die quietly?<br><br>Ok, enough soapbox. <br><br>Personally, I’d be very surprised if they let you on an airliner with any pair of pliers, or just about any metal object that size, for that matter. I’d be willing to bet that if you took the blades out of a Leatherman, they’d confiscate it anyway, and you aren’t getting it back. Remember that they were confiscating nail clippers, plastic knitting needles, nail files and tweezers at one point.. and I’d bet some still are. They've never been at all uniform in what they allow on planes and don't.<br><br>If you’re serous about playing by the school’s rules, you might take a look at the Leatherman Mini. It’s a full-sized pair of needlenose pliers, but the handles fold twice, so the closed length is just two and three-quarters of an inch. Because of the double-folding handles, the file and knife blades are each an inch and a half long, and they do not lock. Unfortunately, that’s about all there is- the end of the file blade serves as a screwdriver, and there are bottle and can openers of sorts cut into the handles, wire cutters in the pliers, and a short ruler. Beats the heck out of nothing at all, though.<br><br>I’m looking forward to seeing the new Leatherman “Micra”-sized tools that have tiny pliers instead of the scissors. However, like some others already on the market, the pliers may be just too small to do much.<br>

For an interesting look at what can happen when you try to get something legal but untraditional on an airplane these days checkout this<br>You will need to register for the free subscription to view it. <br> I am not sure whether his "gear" would qualify as urban survival gear but it seems it was necessary for him to maintain a quality of life he considers survival.

Hey, I've seen that article before...<br><br>U /. 2 ?<br>

Oh yeah! look me up in the user list to contact directly if you want to nerd out.

Checked luggage is the best bet, I'd say :-(<br><br>The Kalifornia law could be worse. I just checked my favorite pocket knife, an oldie I've had forever that is probably the same as an Old Timer Middleman 340T - the main blade is 2 1/2 inches long worst-case (maybe less, depending on how it's measured). I guess it would "pass". Risking howls of outrage, if I could only have one knife, that's the one. If I only have a single sharp on me (rare, very rare), it has always been that one. Even the Deputies at the Courthouse entrance let me keep that one (TECHNICALLY, I could insist on it; practically I surrender it and it's given back to me).<br><br>Man, we live in some really insane times.

PL<br><br>Well don't shoot the messenger. I don't like the situation either. But I don't want to see our friends ending up behind bars due to a careless remark.<br><br>Incidentally I may have ranted on little bit since I just finished 2 weeks on a criminal jury where I had to convict someone with a probably long clean record for 5 minutes of really dumb but well-meaning minor misbehavior.<br><br>John

Sorry, it wasn't intended to be directed at anyone in particular, just ranting against the situation- a paternalistic government that treats it's citizens like helpless children and demands that they act accordingly, or else.

It is interesting, and just a bit ominous, to see how situations have changed recently. Four years ago, our courthouse had a notice on the door that knives over four inches were not allowed. If you went to the third floor where the really heavy duty trials were conducted, you had to pass a metal detector and no sharps were allowed.<br><br>About eighteen months ago, (pre 9/11) the metal detector moved to the building entrance. It's just like getting on a plane, complete with long lines of workers every morning tring to get to work...

That's happened in a LOT of government buildings. It creates a great many problems, and it doesn't offer much real protection. Typically people coming in the front door are treated like potential criminals, but a dozen different kinds of shipments and deliveries are not even checked- sometimes the loading docks are wide open. A typical office building gets a lot of deliveries and uses a LOT of supplies- it's just not practical. All the front-door activity is just to make people think something is being done. It's easier to make people jump through hoops (almost literally) than to really secure the area.<br><br>I suppose, when terrorists start using high-tech plastic or ceramic weapons, or just sharpened dowels, they'll want to start pulling our teeth in reaction. If they ever use unarmed martial arts, we may have to start amputating. <br><br>The principle is just wrong- disarming decent people makes the situation worse, not better. The goal seems to be to make sure that, at whatever level, the terrorists or criminals will still be better armed than their victims. You'd think more would have picked up on that after flight 93, but I guess we're going to have learn a still harder way.<br>

There is nothing wrong in trying to be safe....just don't become a slave to the paranoia.<br>WE are the government. Let your voice be heard....

I've been a prosecutor ofr a long time. The issue isn't whether your going to be convicted of a crime. Most of the time the only issue is whether you're going to get hassled or get your tool taken away. All the make lawyers in our office carry a pocketknife of some sort. We personally would never maintain a criminal action against anyone for a pocketknife, Paratool, etc.<br><br>We are not a CCW state, and we have little tolerance for concealed handguns.<br><br>When I was in the process of adopting my daughter I had to go to a local INS office. This was before 9/11. They made me get rid of by tiny little Gerber pocketknife. OK, I understood that. But when the guy started examining my tiny little sabertech keychain tool I got pissed. <br>The problem is whether you're going to get hassled. When I had to get rid of my pocketknife I lost a treasured place in a long line. I was given the choice of putting it back in my car or having it confiscated.

I carried a Swiss Army knife in my backpack since junior high until I replaced it with my Leatherman a few years ago (half way through college). No hassles I helped my teachers work on computers during lunch break some times so I carried tools with me regularly...hehe Also carried a ham radio from 10th grade until graduation.<br><br>On the other hand, my buddy got kicked out of his school for having a knife over 3.5". The blade was an inch and a half or two, but they counted the handle too so he got expelled. Drrrr?!

I received an appropriate response from Leatherman regarding my request for a "carry-anywhere" Leatherman tool. No surprises, but at least they're thinking about the problem. <br><br>Here it is:<br><br>-------<br>Thank you for your email and suggestion for a knifeless Leatherman. This has been a popular request since the 9/11 tragedy. <br><br>I think having a product that both students and traveler's would be able to carry is a good idea. The problem however lies more than just with the knife unfortunately. At this time, airlines are restricting files and screwdrivers too (not to mention scissors or an awl) as these could also be considered "weapons". While we are presently looking at options for a knifeless product, at the same time we hesitate to diminish the utility of the tool. Once we remove the file, or screwdrivers or knife, there isn't a whole lot left that serves a daily function. Would anyone buy a product that offers so few components? We're honestly not sure. Perhaps a good alternative would be to develop a product where the user can add or take away the individual components at will. This also, is something we will investigate as we develop future products. <br><br>We appreciate your support and hope we can develop a product soon that will allow more people to safely carry our products without the worry of negative repercussions. <br><br>Thank you for your interest and taking the time to write to us.<br>--------<br><br>

The sad fact is that most of the guys running security at the airport are not law enforcement. They don't have the training or the common sense. A couple years ago this older woman got brought into court after being picked up on an old traffic warrant. She explained to the judge that she was an airport security guard. Thair background check was so bad they missed an outstanding warrant! I hope things have improved post 9/11.<br><br><br>I'm serious they looked at the tiny wire clippers in my little keychain Sabertool then called over a supervisor to ask if it was an edged weapon. The little thing not only is an edged weapon, frankly I question if it's even any good for it's intended purpose.

Sk,<br><br>Don't confuse good luck with legality. Apparently your teachers are more concerned with common sense than punctilious enforcement of laws. I suggest you conform to legal requirements no matter how assanine you think they are. The adverse consequences from being caught behaving otherwise are draconian. A felony conviction would disqualify you from many of the privileges & rights we take for granted, e.g.: voting, shooting, many kinds of employment, & many other things.<br><br>John

I suppose this is getting off-topic, although the right to carry SAK and Leatherman tools is obviously something that's of interest to us all; but the biggest problem I have with "security" is that all too often, it's either not secure or it's used as a scapegoat by someone who wants to shove through an unpopular measure and knows it would never be tolerated if it wasn't justified by "security". <br><br>If they were really interested in preventing a hijacking, why is it that in every major airport in North America, I can still buy wine in glass bottles *inside* the security perimeter? Be honest - if you were a suicide terrorist, what weapon would you prefer - a pair of nail clippers, or a broken bottle? Yet nail clippers will be confiscated by security (as my 80-year old mother found out); they'll sell you the broken bottle (or at least the "kit" for making it :-) inside the security zone.<br><br>Biggest problem is, there are too many people who *think* they understand security, but don't really have a clue. Even the police and FBI don't always understand how security really works.<br><br>Disclaimer: By a strange coincidence, I happen to be a computer security engineer in real life, and I also teach computer security awareness as a sideline. Not that I'm advertising or anything :-)