Texas Knife Laws

Texas case law I have read states that the blade will be measured from the handle, not the sharpened edge.

That's how every state does it AFAIK, if only word "blade" is used without other qualifying definition.

Rather logical to me, as everything before handle is what may be thrust into something. Think push dagger as perhaps most obvious example: those extra inches of non-sharpened area add lethality by increasing penetration.

The UK actually has a "cutting edge of its blade exceeds 3 inches" definition for its carry law. Never seen one like that here.

- OS
 
So living in the Houston area, I ought not keep my 6" Beck "on my person", but I can carry my 18 Khukuri in between the seats of my truck? Isn't that the "or about one's person"? Yet machetes ride around in trucks all over town not headed to work or camp, just the truck is where the machete stays. Why not a Khuk, hatchet, whatever. I carried a Khukuir to drom my son off to work today because I also drove to pick up some free firewood from a friend. The Khukuri is my 'hatchet', so it was in the truck. If pulled over, I suppose I could get hassled for that since its not a utilitarian hatchet in the eyes of most LEOs but an exotic weapon in their mind.
 
tired of this lame crap.. what the hell how the hell you gona enforce laws that the police arent even aware of..
as many guns around as we have now and still nagging and nitpicking about knifes, its stupid they should be more clear on what the laws are and that the public is aware of them and not just for an excuse to get convictions cause they cant find anything else to do..

i can understand if the person is actually threatening in someway .. but seriously this is stupid.. not everyone carrying a knife is a mass murderer or a killer or even a criminal..

The bulk of my my fight calls are fists, bottles and Knives (not guns). There is a reason for Texas knife laws and all laws. IMO Texas knife aren't all that restrictive (New York City has crappy knife laws).

i went to jail over a knife that was 1/2 in to long spent a month in there. it wasnt even functional as it had 1/2 the handle, far as im concerned all they did was abuse their power cause they also sited me for posession of tobacco and they knew i was of age.. this is the kinda bullshit that just makes things worse for everyone..

thats just weak they can charge you even if you are of age .. and on the ride to the station the officer was bantering at me telling me that he seen kids like me killing each other.. and that i was a low life.. he didnt know anything about me

dont get me wrong i think they do what needs to be done but still when is it going to far... i didnt instigate , argue, resist, or anything of that nature.. how did this accomplish anything other then wasting tax payers money and make one person reluctant to ever help if needed..

I'm sorry for your vacation. I cannot 2nd guess my fellow brother. But alot depends time, place, attitude, etc. As far as the officer bantering you; I agree, patronizing people only enflames the situation and helps them to dislike the police; sorry.

Steve
 
i came in here looking for texas laws on fixed blade carry explained in layman's terms. now that i've found that info let me tell you why i came here looking and give you a friendly warning at the same time.

i have 3 friends and relatives that are law enforcement officers, 1 is a harris county deputy sherrif, 1 is a fort bend crime scene investigator, and the 3rd is a state trooper. being the pragmatic man that i am i figured if i had a question on the legality of something asking a cop would be the easiest route to take right? WRONG! friend 1 told me that all fixed blade knives are considered "bowie knives" and therefore illegal. friend 2 spewed the old myth about it being illegal if it's longer than the cops palm is wide, and the state trooper said he didn't know knife laws and didn't care so long as the carrier didn't try to stab or cut him with it.

just because a man/woman is certified to uphold and enforce the laws dosen't mean they actually keep up to date with the current laws, so don't trust any 1 officer's definition or interpretation of a law.

Depending on the agency you work for, your immediate supervisor etc, who, what, when, where and why....will be how the UCW law is enforced.

We Officers (in Texas atleast) have broad discretion. I personally have arrested a man for a standard kickbacks that was very loose and could flicked open. Given the totality of the circumstances; time of day, the person, his history, attitude etc. He took a vacation. My concern is not if he was actually convicted, it was keeping the peace, community caretaking. The blade was under 5" but it could be flicked open like a spring assist. It was my choice.

I can't speak for all Texas Officers. Most are very regular guys. Some are just jerks. Use common sense. A person could get arrested for just about anything if you ain't acting right; pointy stick or an ink pen.

Steve
 
So living in the Houston area, I ought not keep my 6" Beck "on my person", but I can carry my 18 Khukuri in between the seats of my truck? Isn't that the "or about one's person"? Yet machetes ride around in trucks all over town not headed to work or camp, just the truck is where the machete stays. Why not a Khuk, hatchet, whatever. I carried a Khukuir to drom my son off to work today because I also drove to pick up some free firewood from a friend. The Khukuri is my 'hatchet', so it was in the truck. If pulled over, I suppose I could get hassled for that since its not a utilitarian hatchet in the eyes of most LEOs but an exotic weapon in their mind.


Depends on time, place, attitude etc. You'd probably be safe (with me) with the khukri (if its in your car).

If your walking into Exxon with a 6" Becker on your hip, you'll get someones attention.

REMEMBER that nothing is written in stone. Laws are just guidelines not absolute unless the US Supreme Court says so. They interpret and define laws. The police have broad discretion.

Steve
 
Depends on time, place, attitude etc. You'd probably be safe (with me) with the khukri (if its in your car).

If your walking into Exxon with a 6" Becker on your hip, you'll get someones attention.
Steve

Thanks Steve, I appreciate it.

The irony of all this is that I walk into Exxon with a 7" titanium ball point pen with a fine point tip that will penetrate soft targets, its carried intentionally as a stabbing utensil in case I am without better options. My brother in law walks in with an 12" long flathead screwdriver in his Comcast tool belt, and my dad walks around with a metal walking cane with a very sharp tip that comes to bear by stepping on the rubber thing at the bottom to kick it off. Weapons are easily improvised and those of us who enjoy the utility and practicality of a 6" blade are made to be criminals in some jurisdictions just because we prefer a proper tool for the job. Yeah, I know, but it still stinks.
 
Thanks Steve, I appreciate it.

The irony of all this is that I walk into Exxon with a 7" titanium ball point pen with a fine point tip that will penetrate soft targets, its carried intentionally as a stabbing utensil in case I am without better options. My brother in law walks in with an 12" long flathead screwdriver in his Comcast tool belt, and my dad walks around with a metal walking cane with a very sharp tip that comes to bear by stepping on the rubber thing at the bottom to kick it off. Weapons are easily improvised and those of us who enjoy the utility and practicality of a 6" blade are made to be criminals in some jurisdictions just because we prefer a proper tool for the job. Yeah, I know, but it still stinks.

Personally, being a reasonable person (LOL my opinion) I'd probably eyeball that 6" knife just cause I'd want to check it out. Not for jacking you up.

We Popo are all different. Alot goes into our decisions.

Go get your peace officers license and reserve somewhere. Then you can pretty much carry whatever you want whenever you want (depending on your agencies policy).

Steve
 
Knives are deadly force. If your attacker is unarmed and does not constitute a real threat to you life or the lives of another person, do not use a knife.

Uhh...I don't know how you can say that an "unarmed" attacker does not constitute a threat to your life. This is dangerous advice at best.

The fact that a person is confronted with any "attacker" is in fact a threat to their life. The victim will very likely not have the opportunity to frisk their "attacker" beforehand to determine whether they are armed, or to interrogate them to determine whether their "attacker" intends to: pummel them to death, throw them in front of a bus, to strangle them to death for sport, or to "merely" cripple them for life. When one is attacked, one must do whatever they are able to defend themselves.
 
Good thing to read about the San Antonio "travelers" clause, as I am vacationing there in a couple of weeks....

Another thing I just thought about to take a twist.

So you could have a blade from the handle to tip that in a straight line measured out to be 5.25"...

But if it had a large belly to it...think leaf blade -

Then the actual cutting area, (therefore blade?) could be a good bit more than 5.5"...or at least some could argue.

If you took string out and traced along the cutting area; it would be longer than you think.
 
Thanks for everyone's good input and info here - especially from the peace officers themselves. If only all were as reasonable as you guys seem to be - and I've personally not had any encounters with LEOs to the contrary, but I have heard stories.

Go get your peace officers license and reserve somewhere. Then you can pretty much carry whatever you want whenever you want (depending on your agencies policy).

Steve

What would that entail? Do you mean actually getting a job as a LEO, or do you mean some kind of layman training/association thing?
 
Switchblades are legal to own in Texas. So are balisongs. So are Bowie knives. The laws only apply once you leave your own property. Even so, knives over 5.5" long are perfectly legal and acceptable for hunting, fishing, etc., and while traveling to and from.

Any "Legal" knives may be carried openly. They may also be hidden. I never understood why there would need to be any difference.

While the statute says Bowie knives are illegal; there are no definitions of what that is, was, or might be. Not a good regulation in any way. Bowies under the length limit are legal...if you can figure out what a Bowie knife "is".

Not quite sure why you posted that switchblades are legal...the penal code specifically states they are not.

"Penal Code 46.01 thru 46.06"
 
Not quite sure why you posted that switchblades are legal...the penal code specifically states they are not.

"Penal Code 46.01 thru 46.06"

Uhh.....It's a reading thing. :(

"Sec. 46.05. PROHIBITED WEAPONS. (a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs, or sells:

...

(5) a switchblade knife;

(6) knuckles;

...

(d) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the actor's conduct:

(1) was incidental to dealing with a switchblade knife, springblade knife, or short-barrel firearm solely as an antique or curio;..."
 
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I live in Leander, Texas and was wondering if it was legal to own and carry a ka-bar short or ka-bar full size in your car or on your person or just have in your house for self-defense purposes and as a utility knife if you know could you please send me a reply at justinsolene13@hotmail.com because i will likely forget the thread and the website name.
 
So what this all means is I am OK with my 8" Gossman Tusker as long as I am hunting, fishing or camping? I am also fine if I am traveling to or from those activities or I have the knife on my own property? Can anyone clarify?
 
Yeah... Texas knife laws really suck! You should be ok. I often carry my cold steel kobun concealed inside the waist band.
 

Already knew that would happen. I know two family friends who are LEO. They said anyone with a knife over 5.5" blade length would likely have their knife confiscated and possible arrested, however it was up to the officer at the end of the day.
He also said most officers don't really know much about knife laws, so chances are they could just let the DA deal with it.
 

Good luck to you Brother!!! I am originally from the Austin area and have been in Alaska for the last 29 years. I was thinking about retiring and moving back. I don't think I will waste my time n TX anymore. To use to throwing my knives and guns in the vehicle, 4-wheeler, boat or plane and going wherever. Now I'm going to have to start reading all states laws where I might be interested in going. This has been good for me and bad for you. I am truly sorry to here that Texas has become such a Jack Booted place. I remember riding my bicycle from Austin to a buddy's place out of Sam Bass road in Round Rock in 1972. I had my .410 shotgun and camping gear for a weekend. I was 16 years old. God speed Brother.
 
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