Quelling Blade

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

During the 1950s, American newspapers as well as the tabloid press promoted the image of a new violent crime wave caused by young male delinquents with a switchblade or flick knife, based mostly on anecdotal evidence. In 1954, Democratic Rep. James J. Delaney of New York authored the first bill submitted to the U.S. Congress banning the manufacture and sale of switchblades, beginning a wave of legal restrictions worldwide and a subsequent decline in their popularity.

In Their Own Story

The morning mist clung to the roots of the ancient oaks as a young hero tightened their grip on the wooden handle of the Quelling Blade. The forest was silent, save for the heavy breathing of a treant lurking in the shadows. With a sharp exhale, the hero swung the blade; it struck the creature's bark not with brute force, but with a resonating hum that shattered its natural defense instantly. As the beast crumbled into gold and experience, the hero felt the first spark of power ignite within them, knowing this small tool was the key to their ascent.

Reader's Guide

The most common type of switchblade is the side-opening or out-the-side (OTS) knife. These resemble traditional manually operated folding knives, but feature a coil or leaf spring which powers a blade that is released when the activation button is pressed. Side-opening knives may feature a safety mechanism that prevents the accidental actuation of the blade release mechanism. Manipulation of a lever, slide button, bolster, or picklock releases the blade for closure. A double action out the front knife is so-called because the blade emerges from the front of the handle and the thumb stud can be moved forwards or backwards to extend or retract the knife respectively. Double-action knives have the advantages of being able to automatically retract the blade, as well as allowing the main spring to be in the "at rest" position whenever the knife is fully open or closed. However, because they have more complicated mechanisms, double-action OTFs will tend to be more expensive, have a weaker firing action, and a less-solid lockup than comparable single-action OTFs. A single action out the front knife operates under similar principles but will only automatically extend the blade which must then be manually retracted. Because the main spring is constantly acting on the blade and is extended by a far greater amount and is cocked by the whole hand and arm rather than by thumb the force it can exert on the blade is greater than with a double action knife. This allows the tip of the blade to break skin when deployed and possibly penetrate a few millimeters (or hundredths of an inch) past it or to pass through light clothing. While still not a strong design, because it is more firmly attached a quality single action out, the front blade displays less wobble and play than its comparable quality double action counterpart. 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, like the switchblade, as a prohibited weapon. 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. 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). Beginning with the Austrian Arms Act of 1996 switchblades, like all other knives, are generally legal to buy, import, possess or carry, regardless of blade length or opening or locking mechanism. The only exception are minors (defined as persons under the age of 18) and people who have been expressly banned from owning and carrying any weapon (Waffenverbot): both groups may only possess knives which are not considered "weapons" under the Arms Act, defined as "objects that by their very nature are intended to reduce or eliminate the defensive ability of a person through direct impact". Switchblades usually fall under that definition. In Austria the regulatory laws of individual states and the Assembly Act prohibit switchblades and other knives from being carried into a public building, school, public assembly, or public event. In Australia, switchblades are banned by the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations as a Prohibited Import. Australian customs refer to the automatic knife or switchblade as a flick knife. Australian law defines a flick knife as a knife that has a blade which opens automatically by gravity, by centrifugal force, or by any pressure applied to a button, spring or device in or attached to the handle of the knife, a definition that would cover not only switchblades and automatic-opening knives, but also gravity knives and balisongs. At a state and local level, most jurisdictions declare flick knives to be prohibited weapons in their respective acts, codes and regulations. Persons residing in states that do not have specific weapons legislation covering switchblades (such as Tasmania) are still covered by Federal Customs legislation, but in conditions where the state has no legislation against such items, an exemption

Did You Know?

• During the 1950s, American newspapers as well as the tabloid press promoted the image of a new violent crime wave caused by young male delinquents with a switchblade or flick knife, based mostly on anecdotal evidence.
• In 1954, Democratic Rep. James J. Delaney of New York authored the first bill submitted to the U.S. Congress banning the manufacture and sale of switchblades.
• A US 2009 amendment (Amendment 1447) to 15 U.S.C. §1244 provides that the Switchblade Knife Act shall not apply to spring-assist or assisted-opening knives.
• Beginning with the Austrian Arms Act of 1996 switchblades, like all other knives, are generally legal to buy, import, possess or carry, regardless of blade length or opening or locking mechanism.
• In Australia, switchblades are banned by the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations as a Prohibited Import, and Australian law defines a flick knife as a knife that has a blade which opens automatically by gravity, by centrifugal force, or by any pressure applied to a button, spring or device in or attached to the handle of the knife.