BILL ANALYSIS
By: Luna
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
This bill is intended to clarify the definition of an illegal knife in Texas. The text specifies how to measure the blade of a knife to determine its legality or illegality, and provides for measurement of multiple blades in certain circumstances.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 46.01(6), Penal Code. Specifies that an illegal knife is determined by the "total" blade length, "as measured along the surface of the blade."
SECTION 2. Applicability: This law applies only to an offense committed after the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 3. Effective Date: September 1, 2005.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2005.
There was concern that the bill as introduced would affect utility knives, pocket knives, or Swiss Army knives, due to measurement of the "total blade length." This was not the intent of the bill. To correct this oversight, this Committee Amendment specifies that total blade length is only to be measured for knives which are manifestly designed to be used with more than one blade exposed at the same time.