Katana laws in IL?

A

Aison

Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
1
Okay, I've been looking everywhere and it seems it's quite hard to find laws for swords. All "weapon" laws seem to be refering to guns.
I have a maybe two and a half foot blade that when sheathed resembles a three and a half foot bamboo pole. I take walks with it. I know that's carrying concealed, but what is the actual length that's against the law? 6"? 1'?
Thanks, and yeah I'm stupid for keeping it on me but that's not the question.

~A~
 
Do not believe it is invisible to the LEOs. It may seem like it should be, but the police will spot it for what it is. If you are stopped for any reason... someone thinks you look wrong, asking if you have seen something, being at the scene of an accident/other event.... they will focus on it and know it for what it is.
Re-read those laws. It is covered somewhere even if not specifically by name. It is a weapon. It is designed for causing / intended to cause / can cause bodily harm. You are breaking the law. Leave your toy at home and carry a stout cane if you feel you must have a defense. Compressed air horns are awesome loud. They are legal, attract attention and deter dogs and criminnals.
 
There are no laws in Illinois itself prohibiting owning or even carrying a sword.

There are however plenty of laws prohibiting carrying a dangerous weapon, however, and every LEO in Illinois will be fast to associate a katana with a dangerous weapon.

In other words, if you're carrying it in your car en route to a training class, you're fine. If you're carrying it in a fairground because you're about to do a demonstration on stage in a few minutes, you're fine.

If you're carrying it into a shopping mall or a tavern to hack at Chinese paratroopers, you're going home without your sword. It's actually very clearly laid out, I think, in the law.

However... Chicago has a horrible ordinance (8-24-030) on the books that definitely prohibits even owning, displaying, or carrying any type of martial arts weapon. It naturally doesn't define what that is, so the interpretation is up to anyone. Anyone, not just the Chicago police. So yes, in theory, you can't even drive through Chicago en route to a legitimate kenjitsu class: anyone who wants to see it confiscated can easily call the police and declare it a "martial arts weapon."

And you guys thought Chicago was only against firearms!
 
Watchful said:
There are however plenty of laws prohibiting carrying a dangerous weapon, however, and every LEO in Illinois will be fast to associate a katana with a dangerous weapon.
Click to expand...

That's not what I get from reading the wording of the law. It's not illegal to carry a "dangerous weapon". (Unless that weapon is a gun or bomb or some other thing that has its own much more specific and restrictive set of laws.) You are considered armed with a dangerous weapon any time you've got over 3 inches of blade. This is not a crime; it's simply a definition. It only becomes a crime if you also intend to use that blade illegally against others.
 
Illinois usually links the intent of carrying to wether it's a crime or not.

Illinois Criminal Code 720 ILCS 5/24-1. Unlawful Use of
Weapons. (a) A person commits the offense of unlawful use
of weapons when he knowingly... (2) Carries or possesses
with intent to use the same unlawfully against another, a
dagger, dirk, billy, dangerous knife, razor, stiletto,
broken bottle or other piece of glass... or any other
dangerous or deadly weapon of like character...
 
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