Traveling throughout the US or overseas? Keep in mind that laws governing the carrying of knives vary with each locality, state and country. Denmark, for instance, has some of the toughest.
Packing for a trip? You might need to leave that shiny new switchblade you just bought at your local knife shop behind. State, federal and international laws vary, but many restrict your right to carry certain types of knives, or any knives at all.
US Federal law specifically prohibits carrying of switchblade or ballistic knives on any government-owned land or Native American lands. And of course, you can’t carry a knife of any sort into a federal courthouse or military installation. That goes without saying these days.
Each state has its own laws governing the carrying of weapons either openly or concealed. Some go as far as to criminalize the mere possession of certain types of knives. For instance, possessing ballistic knives is illegal in California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington. Switchblades are banned in 20 states and Georgia requires all openly carried pocket knives to be under five inches long. Various states ban concealed pocket knives of three, four and five inches or more; and Idaho, Kentucky and West Virginia require licenses for concealed knives of three inches or more. See the infographic below, courtesy of KnifeUp.com, for a quick glance at state knife laws.
Note that city, county and local jurisdictions including sovereign Indian nations located within a state’s boundaries can and often do impose criminal laws or ordinances of their own in addition to statewide restrictions. Virtually all of them restrict or prohibit carrying of knives in schools, public buildings, courthouses, police stations, jails, power plant facilities, public events and airports – even if you’re just seeing someone off and not actually boarding a plane yourself.
Traveling overseas? Make sure you check the latest laws of the country you’re visiting. As of 2011, the Netherlands bans possession of stilettos, switchblades, folding knives with more than one cutting edge, throwing knives, folding knives with an overall length of more than 28 cm when open, butterfly (balisong) or gravity knives, push daggers, and any disguised knife including belt knives or sword canes. Fixed-blade knives with more than one cutting edge can be kept in a home for collector purposes, but may not be carried in public. China added restrictions on the purchase and carrying of knives with blood grooves, lockblade knives and knives with blades longer than 8.6 inches in the period leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Foreign travelers tend to be given leeway for carrying small knives, but any most any knife is subject to being confiscated if it’s found in luggage.
