most knife friendly state

Not sure, but Florida has to be close to the top.Open carry, no size limits and legal auto's.Gun laws are good too.Dave:)
 
AZ... Picked up an Italian stiletto at a gas station for $30.
 
pretty easy going here in oregon as well. Open carry of fixed blades and autos/balis and pretty much everything else.
 
Illinois ain't half bad, unless you happen to like automatics or daggers. There's no length limit on carry as long as you have no criminal intent. Right across the Mississippi River in Iowa, you can carry up to a 5 inch blade, as long as it isn't an automatic or a dagger. That's a good thing, as I live in Illinois, and I go to Iowa (often on my bike) almost every day.
 
In California I can carry a 4" folder vitrually anywhere I go, and that is all I ever care to pack so that is just fine with me!

Actually, my EDC knife "in town" is two Emerson Combat Karambits, and my "outdoors" EDC is an Emerson CQC-12.
 
Kentucky is great if you get a Concealed Carry Permit, then all knives are legal. Concealed or not.
 
Oregon--gun laws aren't as great as, say PA and AZ, but any knife is fine as long as it's not concealed.
 
Gunfucius said:
There's no length limit on carry as long as you have no criminal intent.
Click to expand...

Not true, alas:

720 ILCS 5/33A-1 said:
A person is considered armed with a dangerous weapon... when he carries on or about his person or is otherwise armed with a ... blade at least 3 inches in length....
Click to expand...

However, in spirit, I would agree. Illinois LEOs are overall very generous about overlooking the letter of the law if you're using a knife correctly and properly.
 
Why do I recall a similar conversation here about 2 years ago... and if I recall, wasn't South Dakota the hands-down winner?
 
Watchful said:
Not true, alas:



However, in spirit, I would agree. Illinois LEOs are overall very generous about overlooking the letter of the law if you're using a knife correctly and properly.
Click to expand...

You left out this part:

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...
- 720 ILCS 5/33A-1... A person is considered armed with a
dangerous weapon... when he carries on or about his person
or is otherwise armed with a category I or category II
weapon. (b) A category I weapon is a [firearm or] a knife
with a blade at least 3 inches in length, dagger, dirk,
switchblade knife, stiletto, or any other deadly or
dangerous weapon of like character.
- 720 ILCS 5/24-1. Unlawful Use of Weapons. (a) A person
commits the offense of unlawful use of weapons when he
knowingly: (1) Sells, manufactures, purchases, possesses
or carries any... knife commonly referred to as a
switchblade knife, which has a blade that opens
automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring
or other device in the handle of the knife, or a ballistic
knife, which is a device that propels a knifelike blade as
a projectile by means of a coil spring, elastic material,
or compressed gas...
- 720 ILCS 5/33A-1... A person is considered armed with a
dangerous weapon... when he carries on or about his person
or is otherwise armed with a category I or category II
weapon. (b) A category I weapon is a [firearm or] a knife
with a blade at least 3 inches in length, dagger, dirk,
switchblade knife, stiletto, or any other deadly or
dangerous weapon of like character.

Illinois Case Law:
- "Possession of hunting knife is not a crime; however,
knowingly carrying or possessing dangerous weapon with
intent to use same unlawfully against another constitutes
offense..." (1982)
- "Weapon not listed in statute can become "dangerous weapon"
when it is used in a manner dangerous to well being of
individual threatened, and knife with blade less than 3
inches in length can be dangerous weapon if used in such
manner." (1991)
- "A straight-blade razor did not constitute a per se
dangerous weapon, for purposes of armed violence
charge..." (1987)
- "Walking cane, even if not per se dangerous, was...
transformed by defendant's usage into a dangerous weapon."
(1977)
Click to expand...

;)
 
Last edited:
No provision for SD?
 
You're right about South Dakota, though. I drove through it on my way to Montana this July. The ONLY bladed instruments that are illegal to own or carry there are ballistic knives.

This is their WHOLE knife section right here:

South Dakota - 22-14-19. No person may own, possess or sell a
ballistic knife. A ballistic knife is a knife encased in a
tubular metal sheath which when removed, uncovers a
detachable blade that can be propelled by a spring
mechanism operated at the push of a button.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
solidsoldier said:
No provision for SD?
Click to expand...

Sadly, no, although I know a few officers who wouldn't arrest you or confiscate your knife, even if you did say it was for self defense. Of course, this is only if you're not disrespectful and you're not a known criminal.
 
vermont has no concealed carry laws for guns or knives and you can purchase and carry auto knives up to three inches without any permits
 
Gunfucius said:
You left out this part:
Click to expand...
Nope. I didn't reference it because it has nothing to do with knife length.

The "intent" portion of the law, which you cited, refers to basically carrying anything with intent to use it against another. So if I had a knife of even two-inches with the intent of using it unlawfully against another person, it would be illegal to carry.*

The statute I cited sets a maximum length of 3" within the state for legal carry (i.e., regardless of intent). As you know, municipalities are free to set that even lower, although I'm not sure any do.

I interpreted your earlier post to claim that Illinois does not set a length limit for knives, and indeed, the state does.

*The intent law is there as insurance against a guy taking any object and walking around with it as a weapon (a sharpened railroad spike, for one crazy example, or a simple letter opener as a less crazy example).
 
Gunfucius said:
Sadly, no, although I know a few officers who wouldn't arrest you or confiscate your knife, even if you did say it was for self defense. Of course, this is only if you're not disrespectful and you're not a known criminal.
Click to expand...
Yes, this is the good news.

The general idea behind outlawing a knife "for self defense" in many areas is to prevent goblins from carrying weapons... when asked why they have it, they could simply claim "it's for self-defense." Then they're off on a technicality.

This is a marginally understood advantage in many cases: if you carry a legally accepted knife in your area, it's not viewed as a weapon unless you view it as a weapon. If you don't carry a knife for self-defense, the law assumes you're carrying it to open boxes, cut twine, prune flowers, etc.

But Gunfucius is also quite right to say that the police officer will likely consider who you are: if you're an ordinary guy in the right place at a decent hour, you can get away with carrying a scarier blade.

For example, I've worn 6-inch-plus fixed blades in the woods... illegal in Illinois, but never a problem because obviously it's a tool appropriate to the place setting. The LEO doesn't call it a weapon because I'm not using it as one.

Now, if I were to walk into a convenience store a 2:00am in a rough part of town...
 
not sure on the exact law for over three inches for an auto i thinks you need a permit. i do know that they don't sell them here though. Ill cheack with a freind of mine who is a cop
 
i would say in illinois the laws suck and i speak from first hand experience. Anything over 3 inches can and in some cases WILL put you behind bars.
 
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