According to SJC, carrying a switchblade is no longer a crime in Massachusetts

In a decision released Tuesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Court declared it legal to carry a switchblade knife, overturning a 1957 state law.

The law previously banned the carrying of certain spring-loaded pocket knives, known as “switchblades.” The Supreme Court argued that the ban violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The ruling was prompted by an arrest on July 3, 2020, in Boston, in which David E. Canjura was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon after an argument with his girlfriend because he was carrying an “orange, firearm-shaped knife with a spring-loaded blade” in his pocket, the decision states.

In a motion to dismiss the charges before trial, Canjura said that while the knife in his pocket met the definition of a switchblade, the knife was actually a “weapon” that protected his “inherent right of self-defense.”

The U.S. Supreme Court concluded that switchblades met the “general use” weapons test cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen and Heller Second Amendment decisions.

“Only seven states and the District of Columbia categorically prohibit switchblades or other automatic knives, and only two states impose blade length restrictions of less than two inches,” the decision states. “From these facts, we can reasonably conclude that switchblades are now commonly used weapons by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes; more specifically, we can conclude that they are 'widely used throughout the country and accepted as a legitimate means of self-defense.'”

The full decision can be viewed here:

SJC Decree: Carrying a Switchblade Is No Longer a Crime in Massachusetts by Boston 25 Desk on Scribd

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