Automatic Knife Laws By State
Posted by Clayton on Oct 27th 2016
The laws for automatic knives are always changing and to some degree very confusing about purchasing, selling, possessing and transporting. The Switchblade Act of 1959 has been amended over the years and in 2009 President Obama amended it to allow spring assisted knives and other one hand opening knives are allowed to be sold and distributed. Here is a list of states and their automatic knife laws categorized by possession and carry. Note these laws change frequently and most of them have caveats so always check your local laws before purchasing any automatic knives.
| State | Possession? | Carry? | ||||
| Alabama | Y | Y | ||||
| Alaska | Y | Y | ||||
| Arizona | Y | Y | ||||
| Arkansas | Y | Y | ||||
| California | Y | Y (2" blade) | ||||
| Colorado | Y | Y | ||||
| Connecticut | Y | Y under 1.5" blade | ||||
| Delaware | N | N | ||||
| Florida | Y | Y | ||||
| Georgia | Y | Y | ||||
| Hawaii | N | N | ||||
| Idaho | Y | Y (illegal if drunk) | ||||
| Illinois | Y | Y | ||||
| Indiana | Y | Y | ||||
| Iowa | Y | Y | ||||
| Kansas | Y | Y | ||||
| Kentucky | Y | Y (carry permit) | ||||
| Louisiana | N | N | ||||
| Maine | N | N | ||||
| Maryland | N | N | ||||
| Massachusetts | N | N | ||||
| Michigan | N | N | ||||
| Minnesota | N | N | ||||
| Mississippi | Y | Y (not concealed) | ||||
| Missouri | Y | Y | ||||
| Montana | N | N | ||||
| Nebraska | Y | Y | ||||
| Nevada | N | N | ||||
| New Hampshire | N | N | ||||
| New Jersey | N | N | ||||
| New Mexico | N | N | ||||
| New York | N | N | ||||
| North Carolina | Y | Y | ||||
| North Dakota | Y | Y | ||||
| Ohio | Y | Y | ||||
| Oklahoma | Y | N | ||||
| Oregon | Y | Y | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Y | N | ||||
| Rhode Island | Y | N | ||||
| South Carolina | Y | N | ||||
| South Dakota | Y | Y | ||||
| Tennessee | Y | Y | ||||
| Texas | Y | Y | ||||
| Utah | Y | Y | ||||
| Vermont | N | N | ||||
| Virginia | Y | Y | ||||
| Washington | N | N | ||||
| West Virginia | Y | Y | ||||
| Wisconsin | N | N | ||||
| Wyoming | Y | N | ||||
This report updated June, 20 2017 is believed to be current. The laws change frequently so check with your local laws to be certain or go to www.AKTI.org