A handful of states have introduced legislation recently to repeal knife laws that ban some types of knives, a trend that has been taking place around the country in recent years.
In 2017, Texas lawmakers repealed a ban on carrying some knives, including the Bowie knife. That seemed appropriate, as Jim Bowie himself was at the Alamo. Knife rights supporters actually held an event there after the ban.
Other states may follow suit in 2018. In recent months, legislation on the right to carry a knife has been introduced in different states. They include the following.
Ohio Knife Laws
In December, Ohio State Sen. Frank LaRose introduced a bill to repeal the state’s ban on the manufacturing and sale of switchblades and gravity knives. In an odd quirk of state law, in Ohio its legal to carry these knives but they can’t be made or sold in the state. The argument for repeal of the ban includes the fact that allowing production and sale of the knives would bring jobs and revenue to the state.
Kansas
In Kansas, a bill in 2013 endorsed by the national organization Knife Rights removed bans against carry knives in Kansas. However, a bill introduced on New Year’s Eve would reinstate some of those bans for daggers, stilettos, dirks and straight-edged razors.
Virginia
Two knife-related pieces of legislation have been introduced in Virginia. The first would repeal the state’s ban on carrying a switchblade, allowing it if a person has a concealed carry permit from the state. The other would repeal the state’s ban on carrying guns and knives in places of worship, a bill filed by Sen. Ben Chafin after the tragic church shooting in Texas.
Washington
In Washington state, a bill has been introduced that would allow concealed carry of a fixed blade knife. The restriction is only that the blade must be six inches or less in length.
Mississippi
In Mississippi, state Rep. Gary Staples introduced legislation this month that would repeal the state’s ban on carrying a Bowie knife, dirk knife, butcher knife and switchblade. They are currently banned under a “deadly weapons” statute in state law.
New York City
An appeals case is still being heard in New York, where a ban against gravity knives has led to a rash of arrests, particularly in Manhattan. This long-running issue may finally come to a head in 2018.
These are some of the places where knife laws are being debated. The trend across the country in the past few years has been to repeal knife laws that keep people from carrying knives. For knife rights supporters, the hope is the trend will continue this year.
you all must pay more attention to the meaning of ‘blade’ and the meaning of ‘edge portion’. the matter of legal carry of a knife… the legal knife length pertains only to the ‘edge portion’ or ‘sharpened portion of a ‘blade’ . the ‘blade’ itself, the total/overall piece of metal, can be any length…it does not matter… the definition of a knife proper is only the ”’sharpened edge portion””’ …nothing else is of concern according to state law. the ‘blade’ itself can be a foot long… if it has no sharpened edge…. it is not a knife… rather just a piece of steel or other material. Again… the ‘edge’ itself must be sharpened. and it is only this portion of the blade that matters by Connecticut law. I see above several statements referring to the ‘blade’ being less than four inches… this is both misleading and simply wrong. So do correct yourself… that is.. the writer of the above misinformation.