“A 1958 federal ban that remains in place forbids the manufacture, importation, distribution, transportation and sale of switchblades across state lines.”
It’s also important to note the proposed Customs and Border Patrol effort to include such knives in its 100-miles-within-American-borders buffer zone, (including NE Indiana) was overruled by congress.
The FY2010 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill on October 28, 2009, protects pocket knives. The bill included an amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act that clearly exempts assisted and one-hand opening knives from CPB confiscation in the buffer zone.
Speaking strictly as an old guy with a case of arthritis that’s getting worse rather than better: opening a folding knife with one hand is now impossible about half the time, and sometimes difficult even with two.
It’s a semi-automatic assault knife.
Michigan's ban on switchblades has an exception for those with disabilities.
In Texas (and many other states) the banning of switchblade knives came long before the musical West Side Story.
In the 40s, Mexican gangs made up of so-called ‘pachucos’ in the barrios of the states bordering Mexico were accused of using switchblades and ‘zip guns’ in battles against each other and against anyone in the general populace that they fought. Pachucos wore ‘zoot suits’ and pegged pants.
In LA there was a notorious race riot between pachucos and some US servicemen sometime in the 40s. This may have produced the reaction of switchblade legislation.
At any rate, switchblade knives with a blade that exceeded 3.5 inches were banned as early as 1950 in Texas.