Can someone tell me what's the deal with locking blades? I know they don't like those in the UK either. I consider a lock a safety feature so you don't close the knife on your fingers. What is the "bad" interpretation of a lock that would lead people to want to ban them?
Lock + openable by inertia, centrifugal force, or gravity = gravity knife. A gravity knife is illegal.
The exact criteria for what constitutes opening inertia or centrifugal force is vague. It has been interpreted by the courts to include such techniques as as wild flailing of the arms, holding the knife by the blade (Spydie drop), and depressing the lock while swinging it. Under these criteria, a Buck 110 or a Spyderco Dragonfly is considered a gravity knife.
The only defense is to have a knife which does not lock open. E.G. Swiss army knives, traditional folders, etc. that have slip joints.
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