Couple of questions.....

[RobertH]

I have an extended cab pickup (so no trunk).  under my backseat i have a duffel bag or old gym bag.  in that bag i have jumper cables, tie downs, bungie cords, hitch and ball among other things.  if i put an 8" knife in that duffel bag would...

1.  it be considered concealed?
2.  would my passengers sitting in the backseat above said gym bag be in violation of any law?
3.  would i have to tell an officer i have a knife in that bag at a traffic stop?


now what if that knife would only be 3" (so its under the so-called 3.5" knife definition) would it....

1.  be considered concealed?
2.  would my passengers sitting in the backseat above said gym bag be in violation of any law?
3.  would i have to tell an officer i have a knife in that bag at a traffic stop?


yes i know they are all hypothetical, but i would like your POVs.

[gsd]

as far as i know, so long as said "tool" is out of reach of the operator of the vehicle it is not considered concealed.  (don't quote me on that though.)

Also, i tell any LEO of any weapon on my person at the outset of each interaction just to be safe.  Where this isn't on you, i don't think it should be a problem.

[Dan W]

Personally I choose to keep the "tools" in a toolbox in the bed, but my Dakota has a locking hard cover on the bed, so it is an easy choice to make.

In the cab, I would keep the length of the tool under the legal definition that makes it a weapon.

As far as your passengers are concerned, if you claim the knife as yours, they should  not have a problem unless they do something stupid that makes them appear to be a threat, But IANAL

[gsd]

i just stared at IANAL for about ten minutes before i realised what it meant.  Sometimes i can be an ID10T...