Switchblade knives; prohibitions; penalty
HRS §134-52
in effect134-52. Switchblade knives; prohibitions; penalty
(a) Whoever knowingly carries concealed on the person, or in a bag or other container carried by the person, any switchblade knife shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) Whoever
knowingly possesses or intentionally uses or threatens to use a switchblade
knife while engaged in the commission of a separate felony or misdemeanor shall
be guilty of a class C felony; provided that a person shall not be prosecuted
under this subsection when the separate felony or misdemeanor is an offense
otherwise defined by this chapter.
(c) A conviction and
sentence under subsection (b) shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any
conviction and sentence for the separate felony or misdemeanor; provided that
the sentence imposed under subsection (b) may run concurrently or consecutively
with the sentence for the separate felony or misdemeanor.
(d) It shall be a
defense to a prosecution under subsection (a) that the person was lawfully
present in the person's own home at the time of the offense.
(e) For the purposes
of this section, "switchblade knife" means any knife having a blade
that opens automatically by:
(1) Hand pressure applied to a button or other device
in the handle of the knife; or
(2) Operation of inertia, gravity, or both.
[L 1959,
c 225, §1; Supp, §264-9; HRS §769-1; ren L 1972, c 9, pt of §1; am L 1990, c
195, §4; am L 2024, c 21, §5]
Source: Hawaii State Legislature (capitol.hawaii.gov), via Internet Archive capturesURL: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol03_Ch0121-0200D/HRS0134/HRS_0134-0052.htmFetched: 11/10/2026