A shear having pivoted crossed blades normally biased to opened position is provided with a modular type latch allowing the single handed locking of the handles in a locked position or releasing of the locked handles into an opened position. The latch is integrated as a functional unit for ready association with the other previously assembled shear components by the mere insertion of the unit in situ whereat the shear is immediately available for operational use, securement being obtained without the need for screws or springs or hooks or like supplementary securement means, the latch being self retaining, once inserted. The salient feature is that the latch, which in one key sense is not fixedly related, is an independent unit which is a part of the total structure and serves as the means for latching and unlatching the blades in desired relationships.