Knife Laws

Vermont is one of the more reasonable states in New England when it comes to the ownership and carry of knives, with very few overarching restrictions on type, length or any other essential characteristics. What is notable is that Vermont is serious about punishing violations of the law, with surprisingly harsh prison terms, and monetary … Read more

South Carolina would be a superb state for knife ownership and carry if it not for one, awful fly in the ointment; a lack of statewide preemption has allowed several of the largest cities and popular tourist destinations to institute local laws against the carry of knives that hardly seem like they belong in a … Read more

Maine is a highly frustrating state for knife owners to live and exist in. Despite some fairly recent advances in one category of their state statutes, in this case the legalization of automatic knives, Maine suffers terribly from laws that are extraordinarily vague, ill-defined and nearly impossible to decipher for the average person, relying instead … Read more

Texas is by and large a solid-state for knife owners, thanks in part to significant revision of their legal code governing knives that saw significant restrictions reduced or eliminated entirely a few years back. Overall, Texas does not spend a great deal of time defining what knives are legal or illegal based on their class … Read more

Missouri is a state that is generally permissive when it comes to knives and knife ownership, but one with troubling restrictions that create two sets of standards for carry depending on whether or not you have a concealed weapons permit. Also the state law covering switchblades is entirely dependent upon federal regulations on the same, … Read more

Utah is a state that is nominally pro-knife, but with major reservations. Their statutes are, quite frankly, highly perilous for the average citizen, consisting of predominantly subjective factors for determining whether or not a knife is legal under a given set of circumstances. Combined with broad definitions, and with Utah’s history of adjudicating against the … Read more

Wyoming is a state that is famous for its cultivated notion of independence and self-reliance, and their knife laws reflect that, even if they do have a few warts. Wyoming does not ban any kind of knife based on its action, length or other characteristics, but the state does run afoul of some poorly worded … Read more

As of press time, Tennessee is one of the very best states for knife owners, if not the best. Tennessee allows you to carry any kind of knife you want openly or concealed without a permit and sturdy statewide preemption statutes mean you can depend upon the state law being the gold standard from east … Read more

West Virginia is a state with dependably solid if flawed laws governing the possession and carry of knives. No type of knife is explicitly banned from ownership in the state, but the state does have some particular restrictions on the carry of knives if it fits into the category of deadly weapon, and the person … Read more

Oregon’s knife laws are broadly consistent with other staunchly liberal states’ laws on the same. They are confusing, unclear, scattered, and too reliant upon legal opinion and precedent derived from actual court proceedings and cases to be useful to the average citizen. Oregon’s knife laws instill restrictions on everything from what kind of knife you … Read more

Minnesota is a state with odd, and seemingly contradictory knife laws. While the Minnesota statutes are quite lengthy, and the intricacy of the wording often gives the impression that a law is more restrictive than it actually is, the state is surprisingly permissive when it comes to the type and style of knives that you … Read more

Ohio is a state with knife laws in an absolutely awful state of repair. Ohio is fairly unique among states in that most types of knives are legal for ownership and you may open carry any knife that is otherwise lawful based on the pertinent features. But by happenstance, lack of attention or deliberate malevolence, … Read more

Most New England states are fairly well-known, some might say infamous, for their stringent laws governing the ownership and carry of weapons, and much of the time, knives are no exception. That is definitely the case in Connecticut compared to much of the South and Southwest, but it is not so draconian as you might … Read more

Iowa is a mixed-bag state when it comes to the ownership and carry of knives. With a cursory inspection of the state regulations, you might think Iowa was quite pro-knife, since it allows both open and concealed carry, and you have a fair bit of choice when it comes to choosing a legal knife. However, … Read more

In recent years George’s knife laws have benefited from fairly significant revision, increasing the length of knives that citizens are legally able to carry concealed as well as incorporating statewide preemption laws that make it much easier to travel with a knife from place to place without running afoul of local laws. Georgia has always … Read more

Delaware is a state of contrasts when it comes to knife laws, though you might find it one of the more permissive New England states in spite of a variety of restrictions. Delaware happily allows the open carry of pretty much any kind of knife, and a great variety of knives, so long as one … Read more

Alabama is an all-around solid state for the carry and ownership of knives. The state does lack a preemption law, which means you have to stay up to date on which cities and municipalities, and force greater restrictions on the carry of various types and lengths of knives but this is typically not a big … Read more

Alaska has a reputation as a rugged and mostly wild state, what might truly be called one of the last great frontiers in North America. This state is sparsely populated, vast and dangerous. Many of the people who live there choose to rely on themselves or their small community and little else, and this rough-and-tumble … Read more

California is an often derided and rightly feared state when it comes to its weapons laws for civilians. Host to a massive and swollen bureaucracy that seems to delight in inflicting ever-greater and increasingly draconian restrictions on its residents, California does nothing to make your life easy when it comes to the carry of a … Read more

Colorado is a state that is rapidly moving away from its culture of independence and self-determination, instead becoming infected by the same type of overbearing pro-intrusion bugthought that has laid low California and much of Cascadia. This is evident in its increasingly restrictive laws on weapons and regrettably that includes the carry of common knives. … Read more

Arizona is a generally easygoing state when it comes to knife ownership and the carry of knives, with one small point of contention: only pocket knives are legal to concealed carry without a permit if you are under the age of 21, and the word “pocketknife” is not confidently defined within the state’s laws. As … Read more

Maryland is a generally permissive state when it comes to the carry of knives, but you will be sharply limited on the style or type of knife you are allowed to carry. Pretty much the only kind of knife you are able to carry concealed is a penknife, a definition that is not commonly encountered … Read more

As some of the readership is probably expecting, Washington State is not particularly friendly when it comes to their citizens owning and carrying weapons. Certainly not firearms, and not particularly knives either. All one has to do is slog through the lengthy, complicated and vaguely written statutes concerning knives to see for yourself. The state’s … Read more