50 state legal knife?

freedoom

freedoom

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Jan 31, 2010
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I travel a lot for work and i know my EDC blade is legal to carry at home here in PA. But what would meet most states criteria for legal carry? what would be a safe blade length? I know that in parts of Europe you can have problems with one handed opening and locking blades, Do any states in the US restrict such things? yes i am aware that local laws might restrict some things more than the state laws. i'm just looking to see what would generally be safe to carry most places in the US. thanks,
 
To answer this question accurately, you've got to look not only at the laws of the states -
you've got to also look at the the laws of local jurisdictions within the states - cities, towns, etc.

For instance, Boston and Chicago limit you to a 2" blade, although IIRC Massachusetts and Illinois generally allow larger blades.

Philadelphia has a law on its books which technically doesn't allow carry of a knife at all, except in certain very limited circumstances.
Yet that law doesn't regulate knife carry in all of Pennsylvania - only in Philadelphia.


So, there may be a knife which does not violate any of the state laws,
but there may not be a knife which is legal everywhere in the USA.
 
rifon2 said:
To answer this question accurately, you've got to look not only at the laws of the states -
you've got to also look at the the laws of local jurisdictions within the states - cities, towns, etc.

For instance, Boston and Chicago limit you to a 2" blade, although IIRC Massachusetts and Illinois generally allow larger blades.

Philadelphia has a law on its books which technically doesn't allow carry of a knife at all, except in certain very limited circumstances.
Yet that law doesn't regulate knife carry in all of Pennsylvania - only in Philadelphia.


So, there may be a knife which does not violate any of the state laws,
but there may not be a knife which is legal everywhere in the USA.
Click to expand...
As a Massachusetts resident, I can assure you that the 2.5" blade law has expanded beyond Boston. The North Shore cities of Revere, Beverly, Salem and Lynn, as well as the Merrimack Valley city of Lawrence have adopted the same 2.5" blade length restrictions on carry knives. Lowell is considering a similar local ordinance to help disarm local gang members, but we all know that otherwise law-abiding citizens will also be put at risk of arrest and prosecution. Who knows how many other cities and towns will join in. I removed the pocket clip from my 4" CS "Voyager" and keep it completely concealed in my right front trouser pocket. I have made many trips into Boston with no problems whatsoever. Since these type of laws are a patchwork affair and you could be in violation without even realizing it, dressing well and focusing on effective concealment is probably the best bet.
 
My understanding is the limit in Chicago is 2.5" and the knife can lock.
 
If you absolutely positively want to have a legal knife in all juristictions, go with an SAK.
Other than that, maybe the Spyderco UKPK/DKPK or similar slipjoint. That's about all that would likely pass in NYC.

I carry a small sebenza in boston, which is a 2.96" locking blade.
I would feel uncomfortable carrying anything larger than that.
I wouldn't however take that into NYC, as they are 100% less forgiving from what I've heard.
 
jfn said:
If you absolutely positively want to have a legal knife in all juristictions, go with an SAK.
Other than that, maybe the Spyderco UKPK/DKPK or similar slipjoint. That's about all that would likely pass in NYC.

I carry a small sebenza in boston, which is a 2.96" locking blade.
I would feel uncomfortable carrying anything larger than that.
I wouldn't however take that into NYC, as they are 100% less forgiving from what I've heard.
Click to expand...
JFN, as a fellow MA resident, have you heard any more about the proposed Lowell and Worcester anti-knife (2.5" blade) ordinances? There was a flurry of activity last year, complete with photo ops with the police chiefs of these cities, along with tables full of confiscated gang weapons, but other than that, I have heard nothing more.
 
PR_81_LG.jpg


There aren't many places on the planet you can't carry one of these.
 
Don't mean to hi-jack this thread and this may seem of topic but it just kills me that the state governments put such restrictions on law abiding citizens. I mean, come on, those of us that are halfway coordinated could kill someone with a pen if we had to.

I found this topic interesting and haven't found anything on the forums here regarding carrying of knifes on federal installations. Seems many of you are ex military and may be able to answer the question. While I was in, it seemed as if during the many health and welfare inspections of our rooms, we were forced to stay within the 3" blade limit but I have failed to find any documentation on the matter.
 
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