The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #45492   Message #673495
Posted By: GUEST
21-Mar-02 - 03:10 PM
Thread Name: Knife at Texas School Issue
Subject: RE: Knife at Texas School Issue
It's over but not for pedants, Wesley.

"designed to cut or stab another by being thrown,"

One of the rules of statutory interpretation is an assumption that the legislators are competent enough to not be redundant. In other words, if words are used, they are presumed to have an intended meaning. Presumably the omitted language before the above excerpt refers to a knife. All knives are designed to cut. Using this rule, a violation requires that he have brought a knife that was designed to cut another, and not just capable of cutting another, or designed to cut anything. (In other words, it would be an improper interpretation to conclude that the statute (ignoring stabbing and throwing), could be interpreted as "[a knife] designed to cut.") Bread knives are not included within this staute as it has been quoted.