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is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:29 pm
by SA_Steve
A while back I bought a package of 4 tire valve cores to fix my hand truck. They came with a little tool to unscrew the old and install the new ones.
Is that little tool an illegal 'tire deflation device' ? Seems any pocket knife could qualify as a generic tire deflation device.

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:33 pm
by MONGOOSE
I bought the same at WalMart. I would think it is legal. Who's going to look in my toolbox?

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:41 pm
by NotRPB

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 12:15 am
by jb2012
No sir, used to work for discount tire and they gave them out almost every day to employees so naturally I would assume they are legal

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:12 am
by Pawpaw
Bingo!
PC §46.01. DEFINITIONS wrote:(17) “Tire deflation device” means a device, including a caltrop or spike strip,
that, when driven over, impedes or stops the movement of a wheeled vehicle by
puncturing one or more of the vehicle’s tires.
The term does not include a traffic
control device that:
(A) is designed to puncture one or more of a vehicle’s tires when driven over
in a specific direction; and
(B) has a clearly visible sign posted in close proximity to the traffic control
device that prohibits entry or warns motor vehicle operators of the traffic
control device.

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 7:52 am
by RPBrown
If it is, I have been carrying illegal for a very looooooong time. I use them to take valve cores out of refrigeration systems when we are changing them out.

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 8:44 am
by C-dub
Thanks for that definition Pawpaw.

I've wondered silently about this one for years, thinking the same as many others here. Just about anything could be considered as this and there are certainly devices designed to achieve a deflation device. That definition in 46.01 makes much more sense.

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 7:23 pm
by JP171
RPBrown wrote:If it is, I have been carrying illegal for a very looooooong time. I use them to take valve cores out of refrigeration systems when we are changing them out.
your not the only one, 37 years here :coolgleamA:

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:07 pm
by Charlies.Contingency
A valve tool isn't just used for tires either. So don't worry, if I got busted for having my HVAC valve tool on me as a tire deflation device, we would have some issues!

What that is really referring to is items used to pop/deflate/destroy tires. Such as caltrops (spelling?), tire spikes, etc. Don't carry around that james bond stuff!

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 11:12 am
by MeMelYup
A lot of items could be used for tire deflating tools. I do not think they fit the law unless they are specifically used for that reason. A pocket knife if you used it to deliberately puncture your ex's tire then you could be charged with having a "tire deflating device." If you had a shelf (filled with roofing nails) under the bumper of your car and dropped them while a police car was following you. You could possibly be charged with using a "tire deflating device."

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:43 pm
by rotor
Ever buy "Slime" for tire sealing? Comes with a valve core remover.

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 6:40 pm
by JP171
caltrops are a device that no matter how it hits the ground it will have one or more sharpened points upwards. they are a medieval device and possibly earlier in history used against cavalry and sometimes infantry as old infantry used to fight in staged lines. very vicious to the unarmored feet of men and horses. very good at stopping charges on a battle field

Re: is this thing I bought illegal ?

Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 7:24 pm
by sugar land dave
JP171 wrote:caltrops are a device that no matter how it hits the ground it will have one or more sharpened points upwards. they are a medieval device and possibly earlier in history used against cavalry and sometimes infantry as old infantry used to fight in staged lines. very vicious to the unarmored feet of men and horses. very good at stopping charges on a battle field
I guess they were the cluster bombs of that time. I would definitely hate to step on one.

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