Chicago area knife laws

Cynic2701

Cynic2701

Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Messages
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I've done some searching around the forums, and the consensus seems to be that Illinois law is intent based, and that carrying a knife with a blade exceeding 2.5 inches concealed is a no-no.

Is this basically all there is to it? I'd really hate to get one of my favorite knives confiscated--most of my EDC's are around 3.5-3.8 inches in length.
 
That's pretty much it.

If you want to bring a 3.5 to 3.8 inch blade into Chicago, you need to wear it where people can see it, believe it or not.

However, know that you can't wear it around any school property, or around any governmental (at any level) building. Some buildings, such as the Willis Tower, prohibit weapons of any kind as they have a history of terrorist threats the public generally doesn't hear too much about it. They take it pretty seriously, too.

Were I you, I'd bring the 3.5 inch just to avoid attention from the public. If a cop sees it, in my experience, he'll stop you only to ask how you like it, how much you paid for it, and whether he should get one.
 
I thought that Illinois law has a 3" limit, with anything 3" and over defined as a weapon. In Chicago itself, I thought that it was 2.5" - Keep it in your pocket. I'd keep it under 3".
It depends on where you are going. Don't bring a knife into a federal buidling, court, monument, etc.
 
A weapon is defined by intent in Illinois, not by dimension. You can have an open carry 6" fishing knife--if you're fishing with it. That's true for Chicago as well.

If you're lurking around someone's home at 3:00am, carring a 3.5" knife in a coat pocket, you could be charged for carrying a weapon. See the difference?
 
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