Editing Switchblade (section)

==Spring-assist knife vs. switchblade==
While operationally identical (in terms of one-handed opening), the "spring-assist" or "assisted opening" knife is not a switchblade or automatic knife. A switchblade opens its blade from the handle automatically to the fully locked and open position with the single press of a button, lever, or switch that is remotely mounted in the knife handle or bolster. In contrast, a spring-assist design uses either 1) manual pressure upon a protrusion on the blade itself or 2) movement of a lever or switch directly linked to the blade to initiate ''partial'' opening of the blade, at which point an internal spring propels the blade into the fully open, locked position. By this definition, some out-the-front automatics could be considered spring-assisted knives rather than switchblades, and some merchants in the United States sold them as such during periods of switchblade illegality.

Despite this difference in function, the criminal codes of many nations treat the assisted opening knife as a prohibited weapon like the switchblade. 
In the US, persons have occasionally been arrested or prosecuted by state law enforcement authorities for carrying assisted-opening knives defined as an illegal switchblade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://knifenews.com/ny-court-of-appeals-upholds-2017-switchblade-verdict/|title=NY Court of Appeals Upholds 2017 Switchblade Verdict|access-date=2019-05-31}}</ref><ref>''UPDATE: Motion for Reargument in NY Assisted-Opener = Switchblade Case Denied'', KnifeRights.org, 28 October 2018, retrieved 22 March 2022 [https://kniferights.org/legislative-update/motion-for-reargument-filed-in-ny-assisted-opener-case-knife-rights-helps-defendant-who-had-ineffective-counsel/motion-for-reargument-in-ny-assisted-opener-switchblade-case-denied]</ref><ref>''Freddie Gray Falsely Arrested on Illegal Knife Charge – Update on the Freddie Gray Knife Arrest'', KnifeRights.org, 1 May 2015, retrieved 28 March 2022 [https://kniferights.org/legislative-update/freddie-gray-falsely-arrested-on-illegal-knife-charge-update-on-the-freddie-gray-knife-arrest/]</ref>  An attempt to criminalize the sale of spring-assisted knives by federal law enforcement was forestalled by a US 2009 amendment (Amendment 1447) to 15 U.S.C. §1244.  This amendment provides that the Switchblade Knife Act shall not apply to ''spring-assist'' or ''assisted-opening'' knives (i.e. knives with closure-biased springs that require physical force applied to the blade to assist in opening the knife).<ref>Amendment 1447 to 15 U.S.C. §1244 adds a fifth exception to the definition of a switchblade knife: ''Sections 1242 and 1243 of this title shall not apply to: 5) a knife that contains a spring, detent, or other mechanism designed to create a bias toward closure of the blade and that requires exertion applied to the blade by hand, wrist, or arm to overcome the bias toward closure to assist in opening the knife.''</ref>