I have landed on planet Earth and I am confused. Your laws make no sense! Let us explore the fascinating human concept of “gravity knives,” and learn whether are gravity knives legal in ny in the state known as New York. This will be my brief foray into “humanoid law,” as you call it. There is much I do not understand. “Gravity knives” are not what I would have called them. But they are a simple tool to open a door, or a device that uses gravity to release a latch. It is both a tool and a weapon, as you humanoids call that which can cause harm. However, in New York state, where I have learned that your Empire is located, gravity knives (and similar devices known as automatic knives) are illegal, but only if they are used for illegal purposes. As lame as this may seem, this is the law of New York.
Because your laws are written so vaguely, it is difficult to determine whether any specified object is legal. Surely on any day, New Yorkers are using gravity to open objects such as car doors, cabinets, and storage containers, and yet, the ambiguity of the definition of a “gravity knife” makes it unclear whether the law applies to what they are using. In fact, in New York, a “gravity knife” is defined as an “automatic weapon,” an object that has a blade that “is released from the handle or sheath…by the force of gravity.” That description fits anything inanimate that releases a storage container when you drop it. It also fits a pop-up toaster or anything in your kitchen that mistakenly believes you want to retrieve it with knives drawn! But I digress.
You earthlings would like to know whether your courts in New York are able to randomly decide the outcome of the legal status of any device, and the answer is yes! This makes no sense to me. Human law also understands your human culture. And cultures understand that certain uses of certain objects create fear in yourself and others. If a person uses a device that has the potential to frighten you, it might be illegal. For example, if a human uses a device like a can opener and a police officer sees it, the officer would be frightened because the human might be using it in an aggressive manner. And, thus, your “crimes” are born. Humans seem to hate violence, but are fearful of things that help you inflict violence. I admit I do not understand this.
Perhaps the detached beings in the Orion belt could explain it to me. As I prepare to depart from this planet, I sing my greetings to the audience of i College. I encourage you to read the article about gravity knives here to help me understand the incomprehensible. And for those of you who think about bringing weapons of any kind into your earth courts, stay tuned for updates on the New York law, which was recently amended to create confusion. We alien beings understand that you think weapons are not tools, and yet, they are. That is, I think, why humans make weapons illegal.
For more information on the legal definitions and implications of gravity knives, you can visit the Wikipedia page on knife laws in the United States.