As far as I know, assisted openers are the same as standard folders. Personally I think the AO's are very close to autos. Take for example the big black folding Hissatsu in my picture. That blade flies out and locks uo as solid as a fixed blade. It is called a "tactical folder". I have full automatic knives(switchblades) that are not nearly as threatening as that Hissatsu but the autos are illegal and the Hissatsu is legal.
Here is a link to details of the knife carry laws for all 50 states:
http://home.netcom.com/~brlevine/sta-law.htm#A-H