Is this "steering wheel lock" legal?

[DavidR310]

http://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Style-Steering-Wheel-Lock/dp/B008YKVGBK/ref=pd_sbs_auto_40?ie=UTF8&refRID=0MJBP4FB6VV8Z62Z60Y3

There are a few different brands, but could you be charged with a crime if you have this in the backseat?

[Fjold]

There's no laws that I know of that regulate how a lock looks. I would have no problem showing it to a cop who asks about it. I'm betting that cops would think that it's great. (Unless you happen to have "Kill the pigs" tattooed across your face.)

[p7m8jg]

I once had a kid with a 1" tree stake in plain view in his back seat that he'd cut about 24'' long. I asked him what it was for. He said he kept it for beating people who bothered him. Instant arrest for possession of a billy club.

No, it's not illegal to possess wood tree stakes neither. Just make sure you use this for it's intended purpose and if any cop asks, it's always your steering wheel lock and nothing else.

And in an emergency, improvise.......

[VictorFranko]

From the comments left on Amazon:

"A solidly built steering wheel lock that could sure knock the bejeezus out of someone if need be. Perfect for where I live!"

SOLD!

---------------------------------------------------------------


Looks like it's legal in England:

From UK Mail Online

A husband has been cleared of beating a man to death with a car steering lock after he threw a missile at his wife's car.

Hotel manager David Bradley, 33, was found not guilty of murdering 41-year-old Bruce Davies by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court.

The jury also found him not guilty of an alternative charge of manslaughter.

He had been accused of killing Mr Davies by hitting him in the throat with a baseball bat-shaped steering lock known as The Billy Bat.

It was alleged that he confronted Mr Davies on a golf course in Huyton, Merseyside which runs alongside the M62 motorway.

Mr Bradley's wife, Helen, had been driving along the motorway with the couple's three-year-old son, Ryan, when her windscreen was shattered by an object.

She believed the object had been thrown by a group of three men, including Mr Davies, who she later found standing next to their broken down car on the opposite side of the motorway. She challenged them about the damage but all three men ran across the motorway and on to the Bowring Park golf course.

Mrs Bradley then phoned her husband, who left his work at a nearby hotel, and drove to the golf course to confront the men.

Mr Davies's friends claimed Mr Bradley had lashed out with the "Billy Bat". But Mr Bradley told the jury that although he had brandished the steering lock, he had never used it as a weapon on the men.

He said he had punched Mr Davies in the head and body, but was acting in self defence.

[Jimi Jah]

Useless. One can of freeze and smack, it's busted.

[DavidR310]

I "think" your "missing" the "point" of the "quotes."

[hermosabeach]

Having an Aluminum bat, glove and softball in your car is legal....

If you canoe someones brain housing unit with it is a different story...

same with a 5 "C" cell maglight.....

[Tincon]

If you hit someone with a club you were carrying, even in self defense, you can be charged with a felony. Not a great idea. There are better options.

[RickD427]

http://www.amazon.com/Baseball-Style...FB6VV8Z62Z60Y3

There are a few different brands, but could you be charged with a crime if you have this in the backseat?

The short answer is that "Yes" you can be charged with a crime if you have the "Baseball Style Steering Wheel Lock" in your backseat.

The charge would be Penal Code section 22210 (Possession of a billy) and it is a felony.

There is considerable case law defining a "billy" as an impact weapon, and also holding many common objects as being billy clubs, based in their intended usage. It's perfectly legal to drive around with baseball bat in the back seat, so long as that bat is for the playing of baseball. But if the bat is being carried under circumstances that show its being carried as a weapon, then it becomes a billy.

It's not what the object was designed for that matters, it's the intended use that matters.

Over the years, I've seen no shortage of objects that appear designed for a legitimate use, and then marketed as having a "self-defense" usage capabilities. Foremost on that list is the infamous "Tire Checker." The people have the burden of proof to show that the object is being carried as a billy. But they only have to show that one purpose is being a billy. If the object has both a legal and illegal quality to it, it's still illegal. In other words, it doesn't stop being a billy just because it can also be used to lock a steering wheel, or to check a tire.

You gotta look real close at the intended purpose. When you read the manufacturers description of the device, it's clear that there was a design intent for it to be employed as a weapon ("it will work for your personal protection as well"). That same theme is further reinforced by some of the reviewer comments ("A solidly built steering wheel lock that could sure knock the bejeezus out of someone if need be.") That Amazon ad does a good job of laying out the buyer of the product.

I made quite a few arrests for the possession of a billy. Most were for baseball bat type clubs, or the "tire checkers." I've never seen the "innocent usage" argument win. (I've also never seen anyone give a clear explanation of how a "Tire Checker" can be used to discern a properly filled tire from an improperly filled tire.) Most filing D.A.s and judges have more street sense that we give them credit for. I've also never seen one of these cases go to a jury trial. PC22210 is a felony that can be alternatively filed as a misdemeanor. All of the cases that I've handled have been resolved through plea negotiation.

[Tincon]

How do you sleep at night?

[TRICKSTER]

Useless. One can of freeze and smack, it's busted.

Because the average auto thief looking for a quick score always carries a "can of freeze".

[CAguy]

Yes, perfectly. Any item that has a lawful purpose is legal. The states burden is to prove you were using it for a unlawful manner and unless they can magically get into your brain and read your thoughts or intentions it is what ever you say its for.

Can some overzealous cop try and make a stink about it? Sure.

They can try and get you to admit it is for a unlawful purpose and that would be within the spirit of constructive possession of a billy club/weapon.

So long as you stick to your story you will be GTG. I doubt a Sargent will sign off on the booking fees and even if they did no DA in their right mind would try and prosecute for something like this. Some might posture for an easy plea (read: once again try and get you to admit) but a trial? Never. They'd have to convince the court they were mind readers and that is a tough sell. (remember the burden is 100% on them). DA's only like cases they can win to help their stats (all they really care about). Pleas are their bread/butter slam dunks while trials they are much more realistic and choosy.

This applies to simple possession of a item. Now if there are aggravating circumstances like a fight/altercation ect involved then the dynamics can change and inferences can be drawn form the totality of the situation. There are certainly other defenses to this as well but that is a whole different ball of wax.

[UnknownShooter]

(I've also never seen anyone give a clear explanation of how a "Tire Checker" can be used to discern a properly filled tire from an improperly filled tire.) Most filing D.A.s and judges have more street sense that we give them credit for. I've also never seen one of these cases go to a jury trial. PC22210 is a felony that can be alternatively filed as a misdemeanor. All of the cases that I've handled have been resolved through plea negotiation.

Why not try asking a trucker to demonstrate one for you? Pretty easy to see the benefit of a tire-stick when you have a dozen + tires to check *every day* before you can start work. The stick bounces off a full tire & kinda thuds on an empty one. It's not going to be useful to your average Kia driver for telling if there's 20 or 40 psi in a car tire though.

If all your charges get pled down, perhaps the problem is on the other side of the badge.

[The Last American Hero]

once you get above teenage wannabe pre-gang level, my guess is most auto theft is targeted and pre-planned.

Some 'reality' TV show had these supposed Professional Car Thieves stealing cars to fill orders.

I hear South SF is Stolen Car Capital of Nor Cal and in Thailand and Philippines "South City" means a nice cherry higher end "fresh from USA" car of uncertain origin(but in those regions the keys ARE the ownership papers).


I also heard the Freeze is now defeated by layering the locking device.

[NytWolf]

Useless. One can of freeze and smack, it's busted.

Easier method:

Bolt cutter to steering wheel. Lock slides off.