Judge Bars Sale of Pen Knives at Fedco Stores : Courts: Injunction comes in response to consumer unit complaint that the pen is a concealed weapon.

A judge on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting 10 Southern California Fedco stores from selling Remington’s “Classic Writing Pen Knife,” which contains a small, hidden blade.

In a complaint filed March 7, the Orange County district attorney’s office charged that the devices are concealed weapons, specifically banned by state law.

The item had been selling for $6.87 until they were pulled from store shelves earlier this month, hours after a civil complaint was filed by the district attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit.

“This is a public safety issue,” said Robert C. Gannon Jr., the unit’s supervising deputy district attorney. “These writing pen knives are, in effect, concealed weapons. We feel very strongly that there is absolutely no justification whatsoever for selling or making these items.”

The five-inch item has a ballpoint at one end and, beneath the cap, a fixed, single-edged, pointed blade, 2 1/2 inches long. The blade is meant to serve as a letter opener, Fedco officials have said.

Officials for Fedco could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The preliminary injunction remains in effect until the case goes to trial in Orange County Superior Court. No trial date has been set. The district attorney’s office is seeking to have the item permanently barred from store shelves, Gannon said.