State Knife Carry Laws: Know your Rights

[Feuer Frei!]

The US is based upon federalism and, for that reason, laws are created at the federal, state, and municipal level. With regards to knife law, this makes things particularly tricky since a certain knife can be legal in one state and illegal in the next as well as legal in one county and illegal in the neighboring county

Linked to maps:


SOURCE

[Stealhead]

You would be surprised when it comes to knife laws some states that have fairly open firearms law have very strict or confusing knife laws.

Why does the link only offer links for a few states and not all 50 as well Puerto Rico and Guam? I have issue with this site because they are posting their interpretation of laws that is a huge risk to take if you carry a knife and they are incorrect.


I would recommend looking up your state and county statutes this is the best source for a question on any law then if you have a friend in law enforcement ask them or ask a lawyer only if you have no other source.You can have many laws listed separately that cover knives for example I know in Florida that there are separate laws covering knife type knife length and concealed and open carry.In Florida you can open carry a knife up to 4 inches in length but to conceal carry you must have the same conceal carry permit that allows you to carry a firearm.The problem is that you can always walk into a local jurisdiction where the laws are more strict.

Of course I have seen Warlocks and other biker gangs in Florida walk around with knives that well exceed the legal length and nothing was said to them of course someitmes when the outlaws out number the law a in given situation things are allowed to slide.You can be sure that any Warlock or any other biker gang is also carrying heat in addition to any knives in plain sight.

[Feuer Frei!]

@ Stealhead
This may be more specific and thorough:

http://www.ebladestore.com/knife-laws-50-states.shtml


http://www.akti.org/legislation/about-knife-preemption

[Platapus]

In VA you can get a permit to carry a concealed firearm, but even with that permit, you can't carry knives more with a blade more than 3.5 inches.

[August]

Violates the 2nd Amendment if you ask me.

[Red October1984]

I thought there was a nationwide ban on Ballistic Knives...I had looked into getting one.

[Betonov]

I made a mistake and Googled ''ballistic knife''

I WANT ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stealhead]

Cool looking but not very effective.Also some are not very well made and have been known to go off by accident.They usually do not have the redundant engineering that a firearm has to ensure that it only goes off when you want it too.

From a defensive stand point in all honesty a knife is risky choice of weapon.As a last ditch weapon I recon better than nothing.You must really know who to fight with a knife other wise you will find yourself in serious trouble very quickly. I can just some yahoo see a few clips of SAS guys in WWII using a Fairbairn-Sykes to nail a sentry in the heart and thinking "I could do that".

A knife often proves to be a a hairy situation tool for example paratroops would find a knife much more useful if they where stuck in a tree and needed to get free quickly rather than as a killing weapon.a knife also makes a great probing tool while looking for mines or buried booby traps.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Betonov

I made a mistake and Googled ''ballistic knife''

I WANT ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me too....

According to this map, they're legal in Missouri....but I could've sworn that they're illegal. IIRC it was part of the same ban on Switchblades.

EDIT:

Ballistic knives are illegal with very few exceptions that include the Armed Forces and people with one arm under my interpretation.

15 USC § 1245

15 USC § 1244 - Exceptions

I remember looking for one but ran into the law* back when I was shopping for a Switchblade....I figured out that was illegal here...so I got the next best thing.

Spring-Assisted.

*By that I mean, I read it online

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Betonov

I made a mistake and Googled ''ballistic knife''

I WANT ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Buddahaid]

I looked at CA and I think it says even the blade on a wine opener is a switch blade.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

*By that I mean, I read it online

http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/chapters/chap571.htm

Control F "knife" to find each law covering knives.

It does not seem to say anything about ballistic knives but other very similar objects are illegal and in most states a ballistic knife is more or less considered a firearm.Also in Missouri a switchblade is illegal if they are illegal so would a ballistic knife be.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

I looked at CA and I think it says even the blade on a wine opener is a switch blade.

Yeah according to what i just read in CA a pen in theroy is illegal because it could be used to stab and CA says that anything that can be used to stab is illegal.

Seems kind of crazy to me so of these laws what do they expect you to do in CA if you must defend your life? Pray perhaps I mean they pretty much ban every weapon in CA.I hope the law makers in CA never hear of the old adage "The deadilst weapon is your mind" if they do they will require everyone to have a lobotomy.

this site is pretty neat read the quirks section for each state in Virgina it is the state law that you must clean your knife every day.
http://www.donath.org/Rants/StateKnifeLaws/

[Betonov]

They do like a bit unsafe
A collectable at best

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Betonov

They do like a bit unsafe
A collectable at best

I think for the most part that people wish to collect the ballistic knives because they do seem a bit unsafe. Apparently they go for fairly high prices.