Cal Pen Code § 653k (2004)
§ 653k. Possession or transfer of switchblade knife
Every person who possesses in the passenger's or driver's area of
any motor vehicle in any public place or place open to the public, carries upon
his or her person, and every person who sells, offers for sale, exposes for
sale, loans, transfers, or gives to any other person a switchblade knife having
a blade two or more inches in length is guilty of a misdemeanor.
For the purposes of this section, "switchblade
knife" means a knife having the appearance of a pocketknife and includes a
spring-blade knife, snap-blade knife, gravity knife or any other similar type
knife, the blade or blades of which are two or more inches in length and which
can be released automatically by a flick of a button, pressure on the handle,
flip of the wrist or other mechanical device, or is released by the weight of
the blade or by any type of mechanism whatsoever. "Switchblade knife"
does not include a knife that opens with one hand utilizing thumb pressure applied
solely to the blade of the knife or a thumb stud attached to the blade,
provided that the knife has a detent or other mechanism that provides
resistance that must be overcome in opening the blade, or that biases the blade
back toward its closed position.
For purposes of this section, "passenger's or driver's
area" means that part of a motor vehicle which is designed to carry the
driver and passengers, including any interior compartment or space therein.